The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1931-02-06
CHAPTER II

Pilarcitos, Calf, hears of his un.
cle's death, but not of his legacy.
CHAPTER II
MRS. MATILDA BRAY, famil
1VI iarly known in Pilarcitos as
Old Lady Bray, who came on duty
at seven o'clock a.. m. to handle
the night letters arriving at the Pill,
arcitos telegraph office. closed her
key, sat back and read with inter
est the message she had just re-
ceived for Elmer Clarke.
twill wonders never cease !" the
good soul murmured-and reached
for the telephone. When ii re-
'sponded she asked to have Miss
Nellie Cathcart called to the tele-
phone. A long wait then Miss
Nellie said "Hello."
Nellie! What do you suppose
has happened? This is Mrs. Bray
of the telegraph office, speaking. Ell
mer Clarke's uncle, Hiram Butter
worth. died back in Iowa yester-
day. You knew that didn't you?"
Eyes, Mrs. Bray"
well, just this minute | took a
night letter from a lawyer, directed
to Elmer. of course, and Uncle Hi
rams will has been opened and Ell
mer's been left a million dollars |!
Do you hear me, Nellie? A million
dollars! Isn't it wonderful, Nell
lie?"
I'm very happy at Elmer's good
fortune, Mrs. Bray"
"Elmer's good fortune !" Old
Lady Bray practically shrieked the
words. "What about your good
fortune?"
Have you just received the mes
sage over the wire, Mrs. Bray?"
Nellie Cathcart's voice was calm.
"This very minute!"
"Well. then, Mrs. Bray, why moi
send the message to Elmer imme-
diately and permit him to be the
one to tell the world of his good
fortune?"
But | thought-why-I-I-I
thought you'd want to know it
first"
81 fear you think too much about
other peoples business, dear Mrs.
Bray" The telephone clicked; Mel
lie Cathcart had hung up.
"Miserable. ungrateful little cat"
snarled Old Lady Bray. and imme-
diately called Rev. Mr.. Claude
Goodfellow. pastor of the First
Christian church. of whom Elmer
Clarke's mother-now deceased
had heen a member. To Mr.. Good.
fellow Old Lady Bray-in conf
dence this time-related the news
of what she termed Elmer Clarke's
windfall. Mr.. Goodfellow prom
Used to respect her confidence and
Immediately returned to the break
fast table and told him wife and
eldest daughter.
Five minutes later his eldest
daughter Alice telephoned Ansel
Moody. president and sole owner
of the Pilarcitos Commercial Trust
& Savings bank. Mr.. Moody was
the treasurer of her fathers church,
and as q banker he would naturally
be interested in the prospect of a
new account of such magnitude.
Moreover, Miss Alice vas Ansel
Moody's bookkeeper and was aware
that some months previous Elmer
Clarke had approached her en-
ployer with a proposition to lend
him five thousand dollars on his
house and lot on G street. AT the
time old Ansel had turned a cold
ear to the request and Elmer had
left the bank disappointed and
angry.
Now old Ansel told Alice she was
a sharp girl and as she hung up the
receiver she was afiutter with the
prospect of a salary raise.
Immediately upon hearing from
Alice Goodfellow, Ansel Moody tele-
.honed to Old Lady Bray and or
dered her to withhold delivery of
the telegram to Elmer Clarke for
one hour. The banker was the tel
company's principal custom
and Old Lady Bray would have
trembled for her position had she
Jailed to obey his order.
At half past seven o'clock that
morning Elmer Clarke left his home
and set forth to the locus of his
abors in Sam Haskins' Smoke
Shoppe at the corner of Main
and r streets. Elmer Clarke
vas Sam Haskins' principal assist
INT and for his services drew a sti-
bend of forty dollars a week-a
sum regarded in Pilarcitos as truly
.)rincely.
At the corner of G and Main
streets Elmer paused before a va
ant store. Above the portals a
AIDED blue and gold sign informed
whoever might have been interest
ID sufficiently to wonder what local
Industry had on this spot taken
DOT, withered and died, that once
pom a time H. W~asservogel had
ere dispensed Choice Stall-Fed
beats.
Every morning of his life, ell
QUITE to the Smoke Shoppe, Elmer
,larke was wont to pause before
dusty and forlorn arena of Fl.
V~asservogel's despair and in his
lind's eye make it over into Elmer
larke's Smokerie. the Pilarcitos
anitary Barber Shop and the Non
areiI Billiard and Pool Parlor.
Inner knew to the last tenpenny
all exactly how it could be done,
rovided he could borrow five thou
and dollars on the lot and bunga-
IVY he had inherited from his moth
:. Five thousand, together With
is savings, would enable him to