The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1926-09-04
The T oss Win
tcopyrIght.l
ny III. IRVING KING

with that pleasurable excitement
which comes to society In a small
town when q new and unexpected
piece Of gossip pops up. Rockdaie
was not such a very small town, either.
1t had ten thousand Inhabitants and
bank. The bank was q branch Of
a great financial institution I'm the
neighboring city and was managed BY
Lorenzo Downing. The news was
that "Ren Downing-for to Zen had
his Lorenzo shrunk on the lips of hin
fellow townsmen-was going to marry
Mary Carfa1. LORENZO was thirty
one and Mary was tweuty-eight.
1t all started from Matilda Lagree
happening TO see the bank manager
and Miss Carfax talking earnestly TO-
gether In the postoffice lobby. NATL
dA tried to edge near enough 70 over
hear what they were talking about.
She heard-or thought she heard
Lorenzo say: II have looked forward
to this for long time. We may con-
slider Il settled Them And Mary
had dropped her eyes and replied,
yes" What did 1t meant What
could II meanf Only one thing, and
of sped Matilda to spread the news.
What the bank manager and Miss
Carfax had really been talking about
was the taking over Of the local bank
at Plympton, q ianguishing institu-
ton six miles away. by the big bank
In the city Of which Lorenzo's bank
was a branch. and consolidating the
said Plympton bank with the branch
bank at Rockdale And Mary Oarfax
had a large block Of stock I'm the
Plympton bank which LorenBo, as
agent for his employers, was anxious
to purchase from her.
tits the most surprising piece of
news I ever heard" said Mrs. Axh-
erton Gage over the teacups two hours
later to Mrs. Roger Fleming and 9th
ers. "Why. I don't believe they have
met each other a dozen times since
Rem came back here to take the bank.
They used to know each other IN
children, OF course. Let me ss0s Rem
went away about ten years ago after
his uncle, Judge Peleg Downing. died
and did not leave the fortune Rem
and everybody else was expecting the
boy would get. From that time, until
Rem came back, don't believe no
and Mary ever met"
Annie White was one Of tho nrst
to hear the news after It had been
promulgated by Matilda Lagfea.
Annie was q character, an inst2tp-
ton. She was to Rockdale what the
wandering minstrels were to the Md
die ages. When the mistress IL To
house heard that Annie White wab
In the Kitchen" she always found
an excuse to visit that region. When
In pursuit Of her calling Annie was
afraid Of no man. Half an hour AFTER
she heard Matilda Lagree's news she
met Lorenzo on the street and put IL
TO him plumply: mr.. Downing, are
you and Mary Carfax going to get
mRrriedT
LorenEo gasped, stared at his ques-
toner for q full minute In silence,
appeared to be thinking quickly, re-
Piled yes"
That afternoon Mrs. Sam Rogers
called Mary up by telephone to con
graduate" her.
"Why, what are you talking aboutr'
said Mary Indignantly.
"Oh, it's all over TOWN." said Mrs.
Rogers. "Annie White was just here
and said she met Ren Downing on
the street and asked him IL Ii was
true, and he said Yes"
Mary was mad clear through"
She called up the bank and told the
clerk who answered the telephone
that she wanted to see Mr.. Downing
at her house Just as soon an no
could make it convenient"
why did you tell Annie Whate
that we were to be marriedr no
asked frigidly when LorenD put nm
an appearance.
because 1t IL true" he replied
doggedly. Nov just sit down and
listen to me. I have been looking
for an opportunity to reopen nm old
matter between us which was never
satisfactorily settled. Do you re-
member that evening, ten years ago,
when you and watched the sum not
from High Rock hill? There was the
scent Of new-mown hay from a neigh
boring field; from the woods came
now and then the sound Of a bird
singing its goodnight song. The sky
was flaming with colors that mingled
and melted and faded into q great pur-
pls dome In which the stars came ont
and we were young"
eyes," replied Mary I'm n scftened
voice, II remember It."
"And I asked you to be my wifi" "
went on Lorenzo; "and you laughed
nc me and said not TO talk foolish !;
I was only a boy; TO wait until I
was grown up. In the meantime
would probably find some one liked
better-as you were very sure ron
would End some one ron preferred TO
me. I haven't found anybody Hksd
better, Nary-have your
@Wall, no, don't think / have,
Rem" replied Mary blushing. sBut
ycu have been back three years now
and nsver-and I was hoping ycu
wcuid-to tell the truth
II was afraid to speak. Mary" no
answered gently. The rink was DO
great YUu treated mo I'm mch an
eGhah manner. i was TOO ecwaFdly
TO take the plunge; II meant % much