The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1932-05-27


tWNU service)
4 LTHOUGH Roderick McKesson
\ was guardian for his 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 Ger
aid as too lacking in business ability
to ever really get on In the world
He was too light and airy In his talk
and behavior to suit old Roderick, who
was ponderous person and liked
solemnity and ponderosity in others.
of husband for Alice was Gilbert
Anderson. Anderson was hustler, al
ways 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 a plausible rea-
son why the particular scheme he had
been trying to put over had not sue
ceeded Gilbert had marked Roderick
as his own and deferred to him.
Alice detested Gilbert and told her
uncle she was going to marry Gerald.
Her uncle said emphatically that she
was not and she replied: "You just
wait and see." When she had said
mo" to Gerald upon his proposing,
he had replied: "Say, old girl, you
don't really mean that-do your To
which she had answered: "Why, Of
course don't, you silly. Only we
have got to wait. 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 If I marry before I am twenty
five without uncle's consent, / forfeit
my money, and I don't want to do
that. In six months you come and ask
me again."
This set Gerald to thinking. Six
months was a long time to wait; but
Alice was a 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 lot of
figures, of which he comprehended
only enough to know that they repre-
sented a 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. ooh, you?"
said Roderick what is 1t? Make it
short, | am busy"
ke n r,,1o Caral1 woe +,;Aa iond
in his dress; today he was attired So
berly. His manner was generally a
trife frivolous; today he had an air
of seriousness and suppressed energy.
You would have spotted him any
where for a business man accustomed
to deal with important questions. 1t
was not for nothing that Gerald had
been star in amateur theatricals.
Sir" said he gravely, 81 called to
ask if you could not reconsider your
objection to my marriage with your
niece?"
"No," roared Roderlck, 81 never re
consider"
Gerald saw a large envelope lying
on Rodericks desk In the upper left
hand corner of which was printed in
large type, "The Agawunsk Finishing
Company" "Have you-er-haye you,
if it is not an impertinent question,
invested anything in that concern?"
And he pointed to the envelope.
II haye,' snapped Roderick, what
of it?"
well" replied Gerald, II 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 Roderick, ''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
lilfish."
Il 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
Of all that was going on. Roderick
himself had been rather "out of 1t" for
some years, jogging along in old ruts.
He had been lured into the Agawunsk
scheme by Gilbert Anderson-and he
had invested ten thousand dollars of
Gerald Cuthbert's money in the con
Germ
+1O old ha1 n HrtG iC
Investigations he had grim look. The
first thing he did was to transfer the
AgaWunsk bonds to his own account
and deposit certified check for ten
thousand to the account of Gerald
"The young whippersnapper has busi
ness ability after ALL" he grudglngly
thought.
AS a matter of fact Gerald was so
intensely jealous of Gilbert Anderson
that he kept his ears open for any
thing concerning him. Having over
heard two business men mention Gill
! bert's name at the club in a sighting
| manner he had taken one of them aside,
| demanding further information. And
! it had taken Lester Craddock an hour
and a half to get through Gerald's
head a full comprehension of the
status of the Agawunsk company.
"Alice," said Roderick to his niece
| that night, "young Cuthbert Is getting
| to be quite business man. | have
changed my opinion of him."
"And he plays rattling game OF