Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-18
HER MONEY
BY CAROLYN BEECHER

BY CAKOLYN BEECHER
What has gone before.-Althea Cros-
by, dying leaves her home and $4,000
in bonds to her orphaned niece and
namesake whom she has never seen.
Her lawyer finds the young woman
working in a department store in New
York and leaves with her copy of the
will which discloses that the $4,000
bequest will not become hers until the !
day she marries and that she must wed
before she is So. The heiress and her
roommate go to Holden to see her new
home. Althea finds her aunt's dairy
which discloses that her loneliness
prompted her to make the unusual CO..
dition in her will.--Now go with the
story.
CHAPTER VI
4 CITING upon the lawyers advice Althea
n made list of every article in the
house. This took some time, but she
saw the wisdom of it, especially if she
should find a tenant. This finished, She
shut herself in Miss Crosby's room, asking
Mollie not to disturb her. Once more she
read the diary left by the lonely woman.
The constant regret running through the
closely written pages, Miss Crosby's depre-
cation of herself because of it ESQ carefully
hidden from the world) affected Althea even
more poignantly than had the first reading.
On one page were few lines of poetry.
Althea read them aloud:
1.-THE days are long
With hopes and fears
For those who wait
In lonely years,
And gaze at life
Through idle tears!"
"How terribly sad!" Althea unused. Shs
tried to vision her aunt as the lawyer, had
described her, cold, dignified, sufficient unto
herself, then to compare her with this other
woman-the Althea Crosby of the diary who
was all sentiment, who longed for romance
so >pitifully. The romance that never even
touched her.
Slowly she turned the leaves of the little
book that mirrored the heart hunger of her
ancestress Often she turned back and read
a\page the second time After this reading
she would follow her auntS directions and
destroy it. How pitiful it would be to have
some stranger read it, or someone who had
known the stately Althea Crosby in life. She
felt it was a confidence to be held sacred.
Not to anyone would she ever divulge the
heart-anguish SO wildly portrayed.
she thought she was doing right to leave
the money the way she did" Althea unused
aloud. '"She thought there was no happiness
for single woman. She didn't understand
that nowadays girls have other things to in-
terest them, to take their time and thoughts.
She lived all her life in this little town
! lived alone with her lovely old furniture and
her thoughts"
Althea burned the little book, and felt as
If she were burning something alive. The
years, unsatisfied desires; to call out for
love so cruelty denied.
She watched until no trace of writing re-
manned, then with little sob turned away.
Althea Crosby's secret was safe.
'She wanted to be good to me or she
wouldn't have left me all these lovely things
and the house." Althea told Molie, who re-
ferred to the legacy and censured Miss Cross
by for tying it up so Althea couldn't use it.
'And love her!" she added so vehemently
that MoIlie stared
The day before they were to return to
New York, and to the store, the lawyer
brought a woman to see them. She would
rent the house but could pay but twenty
dollars a month She was a widow, with
no children, had lived all her life in the viii
lage and would take good of every
thing. Acting on the lawyers advice, Althea
let her have it with the proviso that every
year at her vacation time she should occupy
it herself. Mrs. Dayton was to go away for
that time
81 want to feel it is my very own and
shouldn't If anyone were here" she eX-
planned, careful not to hurt Mrs. Dayton's
feelings
She selected few things to make her
room in the city more attractive and sent
them on by express. Then she and Mollie
babe good-by to the little place and jour-
neyed. back to the old busy life of the self
supporting girl.
Think of owning that house, all those
lovely things and really having only twenty
dollars more month to show for it," Mollie
said. antique dealers would pay you ter
rIble big prices for some of those things"
Il shan't sell them unless I have to
when I'm old and can't work. Althea said.
Il may have to part with them some day,
but b.. shan't until l have to-"
Mollie told the girls in the store OF AL
thea's legacy, the home, and the wonderful
two weeks they had spent. She also told of
the money left Althea, adding there were
strings on it, that Althea could not have it
for some time
what if she does have to wait little
for it," one Of the salesgirls asked I'D
wait lifetime for half of $4,000"
The story spread. Althea Crosby was an
heiress, owned an estate in Massachusetts,
the size Of the estate growing with each rep
et1ton. There stocks and bonds also,
Althea didn't have to work any more, but
she was a queer girl" and was going to re-
main in the store, etc, etc.
Althea smiled to herself as she noted that
the heads of the department, the dignified
floor-walkers, treated her with a respect, a.
consideration never before shown.
"They have heard MolIie talking" she
said to herself. well, they can believe any
thing they like"
Continued Saturday. Renew your subscrip-
ton so as not to miss n chapter of this
splendid story.