The Waterbury Democrat., 1934-07-21
SYNOPSIS

thS enEHkemcnt Jane had forced
 upon him and married Amy. In
 New York Jane obtains a posi-
 ton in a real estate office and
 soon is making a large income.
 She has an affair with ROGER
 THORPE who is married but
 tires of him. When fie oaers to
 pear the expense of their child
 she contemptuousIy diSmisses
 him. She confides in Amy, reaIiz-
 ing she is her only friend. Jane
 insists on giving her daughter
 away and Amy takes the child.
 promising never to reveal its
 parentage. The baby is named
 For two years Jane stays away
 from Marburg. Then, on a busi-
 ness fr1p, she goes to Amy's
 home and asks to see her daugh-
 ter. Amy is afraid Jane will in-
 sist on taking the child.
 CHAPTER XXIII
 Amy and Howard exchanged glances of discomfort. but moi of 1ndecision. We don't mean to be cruel" said Howard. We can only do what we think is right. Of course a professors salary is no great shakes, but I have a small personal income. We even have some savings, and Nancy isn't likely to suffer any privations. You gave the child to Amy, Jane. You've not concerned yourself about her since then. And we can't let you concern yourself about her now. It would only mean a-a re- newal of-of interest-which does- mt seem advisable"
 Jane smiled, her sudden winning a chance. "You certainly talk like professor, Howard. You make me feel as small as Nancy. Now look here, you don't want any money from me. That's been made clear enough. But would you mind if I put you in the way of making some money yourself, on your own capi- tai l mean, so that you'd not have to pinch or scrimp yourselves for the--the child? It happens that l can do it, right away. I'll tell you. it's one of those queer unexpected things that come along once in a blue moon. A man named Sears drifted into my office one day and said he wanted to sell house, a big uptown house, and he wanted to do it quietly, no publicity, and if he could he'd let it go for about a third of what it was worth. I saw he'd been drinking and at first l was just going to ease him out and then, 1 decided to look into it."
 She was, she thought, regaining her rightful importance. Howard was listening historically. She went on more dramatically: T dug up the truth a scrap at a time. It was a spite sale. He and his sister are the last of a family that was once quite solidly rich and they live in the house. She's a widow with sev- eral children and she's older than he and has been trying to manage hign and keep hold of what money and property that's left. He's never done any work. All he wants in lifO is excitement. He's crazy to go over and get in the war, but his income is all tied up with his debts | and he wants bunch of money for | special reason before he goes. So | he made up his mind to sell his | equity in the house before his sis ter could stop him and get away"
 What was the special reason he | wanted the money?' asked Howard. |
 "oh. that" Jane tossed it off lightly. Nothing creditable. The mans rotten, really. It's for some 1 girl he's interested in. He wants to set her up in a dress shop, or beauty parlor, before he leaves, you see. I don't know the details | of that. They didn't matter. The point was that he could actually | make a legal sale and it's a chance | piece of property and after I'd got my facts I made up my mind to l buy it myself. It's against the law | for a, broker to do that unless the | buyer knows it, but I explained all | that to MT Sears and pointed out | that 1t meant one less person to be | let in on the deal, and was there | fore just that more private. I'm | making a very long story, but it | comes dowN to this: Sears has | signed the contract of sale and has | accepted a small payment, so that | binds him. I'm having the regula- ton title search now, and we'll | close in couple of weeks.
 And in the meantime I'm ar ranging for the money. He wants | cash, if you please, the whole thing | in his hand, and he's going to get | it. And I know, positively, that the | day after take title I can sell that | equity for three, or maybe four | times what I paid for it. Now. do | you see? If you want to put even | a few thousand dollars in it, I | can treble it within six weeks. I'll | treat it as part of the investment, l not as loan, and you'll make ex- actly the same profit, proportional ly, that I will. It will be absolute ly your own."
 She looked at Howard expectant- ly.
 She had enjoyed reciting the Sears transaction. She would have loved to go on and tell about her business, her profits, her sales, pea cooking her own ability and clever ness before him. But this was enough to make him see how clever she was to share a great op- portunity with her friends.
 1T suppose he said considering ly, that if this fellow Sears sue ceeds in selling the house and hands over the money to his girl friend, his sister and her children will lose a good bit of what they ! would naturally have inherited, won't they?"
 "Of course. That's why the sis ter's tried to hold on to the prop erty. But that has nothing to do with it. He's bound to sell, and if he doesn't sell to me, he will to someone else"
 T don't doubt it."
 There was an odd silence. Jane was puzzled by his unresponsive manner. You don't understand,' she said. This Sears is simply no good. The family's run out. It used to be quite distinguished, l believe. He's going to kep ehis sister from getting that money because he's so fed up with having her try to con- trol him. If l don't take this sale, someone else will. I can't pass up a good stroke of business for my self simply because there's bad feeling Tn the Sears family"
 "No," said Howard, II suppose not. But. frankly, it's just shade too ironic to me to have young Nancy profit by sale which isn't fair to ornehodY elSe'S children.o