Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-12

cent one, WHICH lac AiSASUCN l aSSSPb.
WE found MRS. Candy on Chestnut street, in
w shop which was entirely too expensive,
am sure She was a large woman with many
cheap bracelets which tangled as she raised ner
arm to shake hands with me. How d'you do?
Pleased to meetchu. John has said so much
about you feel know you already" She look
ed at me carefully, rather disappointed. am
afraid don't know what sort of figure Mr..
Candy had made me-and transferred her gaze
to the expensive goods on the counter, wnicn
she surveyed in blase manner. I just love
shopping" she went on, laughing. I'm going
to make John buy me these. They're marked
down."
For the rest of the afternoon my work at
the office suffered while thought of what MT
Candy had told me. know little about mar
ble but his idea seemed to me altogether at
tractive What troubled me was the fact that,
although he had lost his preoccupied air when
he talked of it, he still remained hesitant and
indecisive, as though he were not absolutely
sure that there was marble on the farm. as
though he were almost convinced himself that
what he called his one hope was only an air
castle I was irritated also by the way he mad
let himself be victimized, as 1t seemed 10 me-
by his wife. Owing to her ne mad spent pfac-
tically a lifetime in getting enough money To-
gether to buy this farm. had been wrong
when I had thought that he did not peiong
among us at the Arcadia; he fitted In this
Intellectual company of shabby, gray-nalreo
men; he also was marked lataHy Will 'aie
stamp of failure
whv hadn't he borrowed the money? So
simple a solution had apparently never oc-
Cured to him. knew rich man; II Mr.
Candy were willing to have partner. WIN
some pride saw myself transformed from q
chance acquaintance over restaurant taple
into friend who was going to accomplish
Immediately what Mr. Candy had falieo 10 90
in IS, 20 years
The next day, over stewed lamb on toast. I
opened the subject. why didn't ycu borrow
the money!"
There was something suddenly resigned and
weary in Mr. Canby's face as he looked at me,
as though to every conceivable question OF
mine he were already familiar with the an
swer "Yuh can't borrow money without yum
have security. OF course, We don't own our
house we rent, because every penny 1 could
get my hands on I laid away
NO" 1 interrupted, At mean friend or
partner"
Mr. Canby filled his mouth with lamb and
potatoes and chewed re1ectively, as tnougn
the food were more important than the oo-
vious answers to my questions. "Well, nave
tried to interest people in 1t, but OF course
can't be too definite without contract or
written agreement, something, or else they
could go right ahead behind my back and
leave me out. That time when / had the
money together, and Mrs. Canby's health tailed
completely, you might say, and was feelng
sorta down in the mouth, I did try to interest
a cousin of mine. But of course he'd nave 70
go into the proposition on my bare sayso-we
couldn't go prospecting around the farm WITH
out the present owner suspecting something was
up and then where would we be? He couldn't
see his way clear to going into 1t. and OF
course Mrs. Candy talked against it"
Listen" I said. "I know rich man. NOW,
If you want me to, Ill take you to see hlm'
and think"
Mr.. Candy laid down both his knife and
OF consider that mighty
friendly of you, mighty friendly. I appreciate
it. OF course, I don't think he'd want to go
into it. and anyway, there's one thing I
didn't tell you yesterday. He lowered his
voice eve just about got the money saved up
again, got my hands it, as you might say.
MY building and lean comes due in two weeks"
1.-TWO weeks" repeated, delighted. That's
fine. I'm certainly glad to hear it"
THERE was something of indulgence in the
smile with which he rewarded my words. as
though he had been too often deceived by en-
thusiasms like mine to be cajoled by them
again. well, all I hope is something don't
turn up the last minute. Now that it's get
ting SO near I'm sorta worried. I've had lotta
bad luck-and it's liable to happen to any
body, yknow.''
What could happen?" demanded "How's
your wifes health?"
..WelI I've laid my plans careful. Nobody"
MIR. Candy assured me with his patient earn
estness could lay their plans more careful than
have. But as you say there's Mrs. Candy.
She seems pretty good now but OF course shes
a big worry. I'm getting, as you might say,
pretty well on in years, and it's harder to
save money, what with everything goin' up, and
all. get scared sometimes matter how
careful I've planned something may turn up the
last minute You never can tell"