The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-01-14
Tom 6 Interest
BY JOHN MARSHALL
G Associated Newspapers.
WNU Service.


would. One hundred dollars in five
dollar gold pieces in a little channels
bag, lost between Ninth avenue at
East Twentieth street and Seventh
avenue subway station at Twenty
third street, last night Please,
please return to Miss Vail-West
Twentieth street, l need the money
awfully."
Tom Blake read the advertise
ment in his morning paper through
twice. Funny way to word an ad,
And funny, in a way, to need the
money badly enough to write such
an ad.
Poor old thing-probably some old
maid and her life savings. He
worked up quite story about her.
Maybe she was on her way to an
old ladies home and that was her
entrance fee. Maybe the money be-
longed to somebody else. Maybe
she'd have to slave and slave to get
another hundred again.
AS Tom folded his paper and
pushed back his chair after his
breakfast in his favorite restaurant
he had made up his mind. When he
reached the street, he turned left, in
the general direction of West Twen-
tieth street, instead of right, as he
should have done if he had been
going to his office.
Nobody" he thought to himself,
"is going to return that money.
She'll never know"
He VIC; to his bank, put through
a little transaction, and then went
on to the address given in the adver-
tisement.
1t was, as he thought it would be,
an inexpensive rooming house. He
pushed the button marked Miss
VAIL" and as he heard steps coming
to the door he pictured to himself
the weak, fading old lady who would
answer him. But of course it wasn't
a weak, fading old lady. 1t was a
charming young one.
''Is Miss Vail at homer" he
asked.
I'm Virginia VAIL" said the
young lady.
Then perhaps it's your aunt. The
old lady who advertised about the
lost money"
"Oh!" The voice of the girl was
excited. You didn't find it," She
pulled him inside the hall. Tell
me-you didn't, did you? It's my
money!"
Here it is" said Tom, pulling a
stout paper envelope from his peck
ct and presenting it to the girl.
Twenty fve-dollar gold pieces
you see?"
There was a puzzled look in her
eyes. Il was carrying an umbrella.
And l had some parcels-and that's
how l came to drop the bag"
"Yes-so l owe you another
channels bag. III send you one as
soon as l can get one" Pretty well
done, unused Tom, as he watched the
girls utter happiness and relief. But
as Virginia told her story Tom found
that he was just as happy as she
was.
"You see," she said, Il just had
to have that money back, and l
thought if l wrote that kind of ad
whoever had my money would have
to return i'll mean, even if it was
somebody like you-not somebody
poor or thief. And here it is now"
Virginia had come to New York
few days before with her precious
horde of savings by herself from her
hard-earned salary.
"You see," she said cheerfully,
I'm live on it until l can find job
here"
From those first dark, chill mo-
ments in the lodging house hall, Tom
knew that Virginia was the girl he
was going to marry. But he didn't
tell her so for several weeks. And
then, because her funds were getting
low and New York didn't seem as
anxious to give her a job as she
was to find one, they were married
without any long preliminary en-
gagement.
1t was the first anniversary of
their wedding and they were just be-
ginning to know the secret sweet
ness of true companionship that was
to increase with time. For Tom and
Virginia were truly happy.
Il have something to show you,"
said Virginia that morning. cts
an anniversary present to you. It's
a secret, too, that I've been keeping
all this time It's your secret from
me, too, and the fact that you kept
it showed me from the first that you
we're as big and generous as l
thought you were"
She held out her hands, with the
little channels bag-Tom had bought
it the first day and returned to her
with it that evening-containing 20
five-dollar gold pieces.
I've known from that day you
brought them to me that they
weren't mine. A woman returned
mine before you came back that
highland | gave her a reward,
too. There were lots of things
your bank couldn't have been open
at seven in the evening when you