Smyrna times., 1932-03-30
WEEKLY STORY
AROUND TABLE
Reading to While Away Time
Under the Evening Lamp
When Days Work is Done
INTERESTING READING
"HE PUT IT OVER"
BY H. Irving King

a THOUGH 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 allow
ing his two wards to marry. He
regarded Gerald as too lacking in
business ability to ever get on in
the world.
Roderick's idea of the proper sort
| of a husband for Alice was Gilbert
Anderson. Anderson was 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 be had been try
ing TO put over had not succeeded.
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 emphat-
ically that she was not and she re
piled: 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 you?" To which she
had answered: why, Of course j.
don't, you silly. Only we have got
to wait Uncle is dead set against
you and is touting for that Ander
SOD person. But I'll be twenty-five
in six months and my own mistress.
Under the terms of fathers will If
] marry before | am twenty-five
without uncle's consent, forfeit
my money, and | don't want to do
that. In six months you come and
ask me again"
This set Gerald to thinking Six
months was long time to wait;
but Alice was a level-headed girl
and quite right 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 represented a consider
able fortune. and he had insisted
that the old man 60 on managing
his affairs.
The next day Gerald went to call
upon Roderick McKesson. "Oh,
you?" said Roderick. what is itf
Make ii short. am busy"
As a rule Gerald was a trifle loud
in his dress; today he was attired
soberly. His manner was gener-
ally trifie frivolous: today he had
an air of seriousness and sup
pressed energy. You would have
spotted him anywhere for a busi-
ness man accustomed to deal with
important questions. 1t was not for
nothing that Gerald had been a 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 Roderick, Il never
reconsider"
Gerald saw large envelope ly-
ing on ROderick's desk in the upper
left-hand corner of which was print
ed In large type, The Agawunsk
Finishing Company" Have you
-er-have you, If Ii Is not an i'm
pertinent question. invested any
thing in this concern?"
Il have" snapped Roderick.
what of it?"
aWell," replied Gerald. Il have
been taking rather an interest In
business matters of late; especially
new enterprises. and the Agawunsk
company is a rather doubtful con
cern."
Nonsense" cried Roderick, they
have contracts ahead for twenty
years"
Yes" said Gerald, "and they
show these contracts to lure invest
ors The fact is they are losing two
cents yard on every yard of cloth
they finish"
I'm too busy TO talk further with
yOu ibudgs Sdlu hOutifCh. lue Olu
man got exceedingly busy after Ger
aid left. calling up credit concerns
4 and financial men who kept well In
formed 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
George Anderson-and he had in
vested ten thousand dollars of Cuth-
bert's money in the concern.
When the old man had finished
4 his Investigations he had a grim
/ look. The first thing he did was to
transfer the Agawunsk bonds to
his own account and deposit Ger.
4 titled check for ten thousand TO the
account of Gerald THE young whip
| persnapper has business ability
after ALL" he grudgingly thought
As a matter of fact Gerald was
so intensely jealous of Gilbert And
erson that he kept his ears open
for anything concerning him. Hav.
\ ing overheard two business men
! ,,aantio, n.Iharfsc namo ~ .ba ni.h