Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1928-02-24
An Impromptu
Business Man
(Copyright.)
By H. IRVING KING

was Sudruldn IOr MS niece, ALICE
Randolph, and for Gerald, the son Of
his deceased friend, Simon Cuthbert,
he had no idea of allowing his two
wards to marry. He regarded Gerald
as too lacking in business ability to
ever really get on in the world.
Roderick's idea of the proper sort
of husband for Alice was Gilbert
Anderson. Anderson was a hustler,
always in business up to his neck;
full of schemes for making vast
amounts of money. He had not made
any yet but there had always been
plausible reason why the particular
scheme he had been trying to put over
had not succeeded. Gilbert had
marked Roderick as his own and de-
ferred to him, consulted him, received
all the old mans remarks as words of
profound wisdom.
Alice detested Gilbert and told her
uncle she was going to marry Ger
aid. Her uncle said emphatically that
she was not and she replied: "You
just wait and see." When she had
said "No" to Gerald upon his propos-
ing, he had replied: "Say. old girl,
you don't really mean that-do your
To which she had answered: "Why,
Of course l don't, you silly. Only we
have got to walt. Uncle is dead set
against you and Is touting for that
Anderson person. But I'll be twenty
five in six months and my own mis-
tress. Under the terms of fathers
will IL marry before am twenty-five
without uncle's consent / forfeit my
money, and l don't want to do that.
In six months you come back and ask
me again."
This set Gerald to thinking. Six
months was long time to wait; but
Alice was level-headed girl and quite
right to want to avoid sacrificing her
fortune. When Gerald had turned
twenty-one Roderick had called him
into his Office and shown him a lot
of figures, Of which he comprehended
only enough to know that they repre-.
sented considerable fortune, and he
had insisted that the old man go on
managing his affairs.
The next day Gerald went to call
upon Roderick McKesson. "Oh, your
said Roderick. "What is It? Make
1t short, am busy"
AS rule Gerald was q trlfle loud
in his dress; today he was attlreC
soberly. His manner was generally 6
trifle frivolous; today he had an all
of seriousness and suppressed energy
You would have spotted him anywhere
for business man accustomed to dea
with important questions. 1t was no
for nothing that Gerald had been {
star in amateur theatricals. "Sir,'
said he gravely, II called to ask l.
you could not reconsider your objec
ton to my marriage with your niece2'
mo-" roared Roderlck, 81 never re
consider"
Gerald saw large envelope lyinl
on Roderick's desk In the upper left
hand corner of which was printed II
large type 1.-THE Agawunsk Finishing
Company" "Have you-er-have you
If 1t is not an impertinent question
invested anything in that concern p
And he pointed to the envelope.
81 have" snapped Roderick, what
of it?"
"Well," replied Gerald, Il have been
taking rather an interest In business
matters of late; especially new enter.
prises, and the Agawunsk company Is
rather doubtful concern"
Nonsense" cried Roderlck, "they
have contracts ahead for twenty
years"
yes" said Gerald, land they show
these contracts to lure investors. The
fact is they are losing two cents a
yard on every yard of cloth they
finish"
II am too busy to talk further with
you today" said RoderIck. The old
man got exceedingly busy after Ger.
aid left, calling up credit concerns and
financial men who kept well informed
on all that was going on. Roderick
himself had been rather "out of It"
for some years, jogging along in old
ruts. He had been lured into the
Agawunsk scheme by Gilbert Ander-
son-and he had invested ten thou
sand dollars Of Gerald's money in the
concern.
When the old man had finished his
Investigations he had q grim look.
The first thing he did was to transfer
the Agawunsk bonds to his own &C.
count and deposit certified check for
ten thousand to the account OF Ger.
aid. 1.-THE young whIppersnapper has
business ability after ALL" he thought
As q matter of fact Gerald was so
intensely jealous of Gilbert Ander.
son that he kept his ears open for
anything concerning him. Having
overheard two business men mention
Gilbert's name at the club in a slight.
ing manner he had taken one Of them
aside, demanding further information.
And 1t had taken Lester Craddock an
hour and a half to get through Ger.
AIDS head full comprehension Of
the status of the Agawunsk company.
Anderson Is giving out that Roderick
McKesson Is backing him." concluded
Craddock. "0ld Roderick must be get.
ting dotty."
"Alice," said Roderlck to his niece
that night, "young Cuthbert is get.
ting to be quite business man.
have changed my opinion ( him."
"And he plays rattllng game Of
tennis,' said Alice.
Roderick frowned. "In spite of
that" said he, "you might do worse
than marry him."
They we're married and the Aga
wunsk Finishing company blew up
two months after their marriage.