Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-11-15
Great-Uncle to
Mary Louise
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD
(Copyright.l

OOoooOooOO0OOOo oOOOOOOOOOo
tCopyrightl
{" A ND so, after all these years,
"A am trying to make I'D for my
indifference by this method Of repair.
alton. The money is yours to do with
as you desire. When you receive It |
shall be dead and beyond the reach
Of thanks.
"Your belatedly penitent great
uncle.
Jonathan Benjamin Cowles."
This was the conclusion of the let.
ter which Jimmy Stiles several days
ago had signed with fourishing sig
nature and then re-read with grinning
satisfaction. Cleverly worded, that's
what 1t was. And darn bright idea.
How tickled Mary Louise would bel
And how unlikely ever to discover the
hoax
Now he sat at his desk and won.
dered whether Mary Louise had yet
cashed the Enclosed certificate Of de.
post.
Years before Mary Louise had come
to visit her aunt, who was matron OF
the County home. where Jimmy WIS
one of many lonely, blue overalled and
aproned orphans. Bashful. she had
hung back until he, Jimmy, had Of
fered her his end of the see-saw and
had stood by to see that no one played
the mean trick Of jumping Off and let.
ting her to the ground with a thud.
Mary Loulse's mother, because of
whose Illness she had been sent
away, died during her absence and she
stayed on with her aunt. And when
matrimOny with widower of small
means and considerable family claimed
the estlmable matron. Mary Louise
still fingered, merging with the rest
of the orphans until her origin became
as blurred rs theirs.
When the boy was fifteen the rec
tor of the church near the home found
in Jimmy evidence of an unusual In.
tellect and left no stone unturned until
the boy was given an opportunity for
unlimited schooling, with sufficient out
side work to keep him independent.
Jimmy rose rapidly-graduate bril-
liantly from high school-went Into a
lawyers office daytlmes and continued
study AT evening school. Ultimately
he entered the bar and became an
attorney with q reputation before he
was thirty.
Meanwhile Mary Louise had been
"bound out" to lonely farmers wife.
Growing attached to her, the woman
had done more than the stipulated
clothing and feeding Of the chlld-had
taught her what she could Of grammar,
geography and similar rudlments Of
learning, and there was implanted in
Mary Louise the yearnlng to acquire
knowledge.
These changes had meant separation
for the boy and girl, during which the
memory Of each grew dim to the other
buf did not utterly fade. And at Drift
Iiarbor their paths cOnverged again.
Mary Louise sometimes filed In at
the hotel, which stood mile or two
from her adopted home, in various
capacities from that Of clerk to walt
rPss. And It was Mary Louise who
had grown so bewitchlngly pretty with
the yenrs that Jimmy was hardly to be
blamed for passing up the feminine
guests at the hotel and spending what
ever Of his leisure moments cOincided
with hers In the company Of Mary
Louise.
"Are you happy, Mary LouIser" he
asked one day.
Mary Louise threw him a question
ing gnnce from beneath her curly
Iashps. "Just now" she said ingeni-
ousIy "Rut wInters-Oh, Jimmy, It is
very lonely. And-and | see no fu-
lure II only could AFFORD to go to
the city and have II couple Of years at
II normal school. Then-Oh, just think.
might he able to teachl"
she sighed bIlssfully, as though
tenchins were an achievement too
heavenly to contemplate. II dream
nights Of what l would do with thou
sand dollars. That's my favOrlte air
castle In Spain"
That winter Jimmy Unexpectedly
won u case which Melted him an even
thousand and the sight Of the check
brought back to him the words Of
Mary Louise.
Suddenly the Idea OF creating
fictitious great-uncle occurred to him
n grent uncle who would exist but for
u moment on sheet Of paper, but
long enough to bequeath to Mary
Louise thousand dollar legacy.
The letter had been written and sent
and now Jimmy SIT and dreamed In
his office Of Its reception by blue
eyed girl In lonely farmhouse near
Drift Harbor.
And us he dreamed the door Of his
Office opened. At sight OF slim fig-
ure Jimmy sprang to his feet.
"You fraud" cried a sweet voice.
''My great-uncle Jimmy"
Jimmy swallowed. "How-er-Why-
err"
swell. partly because ! read In the
papers Of your thOusand-dolla fee In
The Hitchcock case. but mostly be-
cause only one person in the world |
makes the funny Us that you do.
had only TO compare the j. Of iona
than with the j. on the hotel register
to have my suspicious confirmed. or
course couldn't"
"AInry Louise" interrupted Jimmy
firmly. "hnnd over that certlicnte"
And when she did 81 he folded II even
Iy and slipped II into his pocketbOok.
"Whni M IdIm ! was to give you a
chance 10 60 out Of my sight agaInl /"
And bis face wore the expression Of
one upon whom great light has brOk
IN sndd My "COmp straight Into my
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