Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-01-28
Nice to Have
Money
By II. LOUIS RAYBOLD

6 you nau HNe huhureu lhou
L sand dollars left you, how woul0
you spend itY' Kerry Allen put the
question to his friend Don Burgess as
the two sat sorting tackle preparatory
to raid on an up-country trout
stream.
"Me7 Five hundred thousand dol
lars? Why waste time imagining a
combination like that"
WELL" persisted Kerry, "rl! tell
you what I'd do. I'd buy up the en-
tire town Of Westburg-all but that
darned Sherman property-and I'd put
a fence around that.
Don laughed. Pat Sherman been
giving you the frosty eye again?'
Pat? You mean Miss Patricia Van
Alstyne Sherman. Funny, we were
kids together, and lately l can't get
near her with a ten-foot pole. l went
to her father to buy that corner lot.
Gave me to understand that not an
inch of Sherman property was for sale.
or ever would be. Hello, what's this?
In at the Slit Of the door the post
man was slipping n long otficial-look-
ing envelope, and Kerry fastened to
pick 1t up and run fnger under the
flap. moment later he sank back
into his chair. his eyes fairly bullying
"Ha. ha !" he laughed weakly. "five
hundred thousand dollars! Nine
Kerry's speculation concerning the
money and it's pat arrival were not
so coincidental as you might think.
He had read in the paper day or
two ago Of the death OF his uncle, who
was reputed worth exactly that
amount. Unfortunately. Kerry, al
though the only heir was on such bad
terms with his uncle that he had not
the slightest idea but that the estate
would be distributed among the eccen-
trio old fellows pet charities.
1t came then as terrific shock to
learn that his uncle had died in be-
tween the destroying OF one will and
the drawing up of another and CON
sequently Kerry inherited the entire
fortune.
Kerrys act was to get list Of own
ers around the Sherman place.
Anu WHtu. llttit ny IlttIC. uN Nv t-''
buying up that property he let him
self in for the most adverse criticism
on all sides. His friends feared that
not only was the making himself ap-
pear fool to be squandering his
money for purely personal revenge, but
that he was throwing it away whore
no returns were possible.
His only recreation was an occa-
siOnal afternoon trout fishing. and II
was from such an expedition that he
was returning around twilight one day
when he noticed at the corner of Sher-
mans best meadow Il large "for sale
sign. He made his way up to the
Sherman place.
Patricias father sat on the veranda.
"Saw my sign he grunted. "Sup-
pos? you've come to buy and gloat!
Been making "A fool of me, grabbing
everything around me? Heard you
were going to fence me in
Kerry sank comfortably down on
tie upper step and crossed his long
legs. "Not at all. Mr. sherman. In
fact. I've come on an entirely differ
ent errand-to urge NGu to hold on
and not sell at any figure
The older man regarded him Sus-
piciously. 'Why are you telling me
this?' he asked.
Kerry stood up and faced him
squarely. because" he said firmly,
Il cannot play other than fair with
the father of the girl love, however
little she cares for me"
"Thats funny said John Sherman.
Then he bent down. Fact is, Pat
loves YOU" he said. Pm sure of it.
but she fancies it would not be recp-
rocated, and 80 takes special pains
to conceal the fact Result is he
shrugged his shoulder. You know
how girls are Suddenly. before
Kerry could protest, he lifted his
voice "Oh Pat, come here. See II
YOU can worm out of this young man
Just why he won't buy my land =
Some months later when the Koly-
nae Perfume corporation built their
huge factory and sidngs in Westburg,
and all the nearby property rose ire
mendously in value, kerry's former
critics changed their tune and had
nothing but admiration, somewhat
grudgingly but none the less genuine,
for their Young toWnsman'S marvellous
insight How had he foreseen CON
dition which more than trebled his i'll
vestment?
1t would have given them great
pleasure to have overheard little
conversation between Kerry and the
girl he was shortly to marry one AT
ternoon as side by side, they fished
ripping trout stream.
"What sort of hunch did you
have, Kerry? You have never told
me, you know, and | am very Curl
GUS Think of my husband being
man with such clever mind that he
could foresee anything like the com
ing here of this world-knOwn bust
ness 7"