| Show money to burn tou can t miss what you have never had said elmer clarke when asked how be would feel if he learned that the story about his inheriting a million dollars were all a myth pretty good basis in that for a philosophy to meet the ups and downs of life if one has wealth and loses it the thine to do Is to forget that one ever had it more easily said than done and that tact has given I 1 eter K kyne the central idea tor one of the most sprightly and joyous of the many tt ifer vi mettr kyne clever tales he has turned out tor the delight of readers elmer vas a cigar store cleric in a small town in california he was young and such a human live wire that anyone with halt an eye could see he was not destined tor long to spend his time handing out ropes and plug cut smoking tobacco to a clientele none too discriminating it elmer in the same at all it would be to own his own emporium and it would be no hick affair but in the latest city style and a credit to the town something in the nature of these preliminary ambitions was about to be worked out hen news came of the death of a relative and elmers being made sole heir to a million dollars something was lost to economics and progress for a natural hustler now found himself with no incentive to bustle ou may think it Is the old story of the new rich or of a beggar on horseback but it isn t our llmer was a quite level headed citizen with plenty of savvy and a backbone that was built for carrying burdens and also acting as an efficient power station for the generation of courage but with all these qualities he would most certainly have flipped had not a manager suddenly arisen to take him in hand and guide him from the pitfalls which his money blinded ees tailed to see it vi as a girl 0 course but what a manager and what adroitness she used to put her management into effect she had been trust officer in the town s bank and from behind her wicket had een more of the foibles of life and had absorbed more human nature than elmer had come into contact with during his whale career she had a strong hand even it it were encased in a delicate soft glove but no muscling stiff armed methods or her 0 o indeed you will have to learn how she worked it by reading the story one of the happiest efforts of one of the nation s best story tellers CHAPTER I 1 mr absolom Mc Peakes secretary came into lier employers office alti an unpleasant announcement mr hiram butters orth was waiting in the outer office and desirous of seeing him keep him waiting half an hour the lawyer ered I 1 haven t fin dished reading the morning paper and a half hour wait will have a good psychological effect on that old razorback it will add to my importance and diminish his finished reading he paper and lighted a algar when the cigar was consumed he opened the door leading to the general office and bowed hiram butterworth in with a cheery good morning and a polite in aulry as to the state of the butterworth health im done for his visitor replied agitatedly and sank heavily into the overstuffed over stuffed armchair which absolom reserved for his clients yes done for I 1 I 1 wouldn t say that mr butter worth soothed him you are alwaes pessimistic try being op for a change butterworth flared in sudden impatience why you say it he growled and answered the question himself because yon dont know anything about it why and I 1 do I 1 ought to ive paid out enough good aish money to find out ive been to six specialists in six cities and have received six identical verdicts I 1 m done tor I 1 tell you and don t you try to tell me I 1 m not I 1 guess I 1 know when im done for cost me enough to find out he shuffled hla feet and glancing down observed that butter shoes were old clieaf and worn and the thin threadbare suit cheap and ready made old and coupled with the saw edged collar and the plain black ready to wear necktie still further heightened the atmosphere of misery and neglect which this old man radiated replied without irritation im very sorry to hear this disturbing report mr butterworth what did the doctors say nas the matter with you hardening of the arteries and heart disease the old man barked three years ago I 1 found myself getting a pain in my chest so I 1 called an doc aelter to cure it aelter told me what was what and six others have since confirmed his diagnosis he bored into with his gimlet eyes im liable to die at any moment be said then in a low sad voice so I 1 ve some to set my bouse in order frowned but kept his temper you will recall pardon me for reminding you that for years I 1 have been urging you to make a will mr butterworth right right the miser complained youre one of those I 1 for two cents id have mother lawyer draw up my will blut would please me greatly abdol oi replied serenely 1 I or ices than that I 1 d decline to draa your will als feevish client subsided instantly lut tut youre too quick on the trigger you know mighty well its too late for me to quarrel with uy lawyer now and besides you know moie about my affairs than anybody else the lawyer glared at him tor a halt minute drew a pad of legal size bilow scratch paper board him and eby iso klyne km prepared to place Butter bouso in order to whom do you wish to bequeath your estate be queried butterworth pursed his lips well absolom ive only sot one blood relative I 1 care to leave it to and my late sisters son elmer butterworth charke but vou leavo other nephews and nieces mr butterworth les my sister two girls and two bos husband left them mighty well axed but they went hog wild once they got control of the money d d adint basteri let cm work for a now like I 1 did catch me leavan cm an thing id die first according to alie doctors verdicts you probably will hat inclines ou toward elmer charke CI arke ell in alie first place I 1 thought more of his mother than any other member 0 my family she never bothered me with her troubles hy her husband was dead two years before I 1 heard of it she never asked me for a dollar and I 1 never gave her a dollar I 1 don t suppose wed written to whom do you wish to be your estate he queried to each other for twenty years before mabel died on account of me not thinking much of her husband good enough cuss but no git up an go to him the old wretch chuckled pleasure ably as he recalled his futile brother in law hever laid eyes on elmer he went on esever heard from him in my life and wouldn t know him from adams off ox it I 1 seen his photograph absolom hes the dead spit of his uncle he handed the lawyer a photograph studied it a moment and gave it back you flatter yourself he re marked that boy resembles you as much us he resembles a wart hog but go on he resembles me when I 1 was his age the miser persisted and I 1 know all about him ha ha 1 you bet never made a move in my life until I 1 knew just why I 1 was making it yes sir he fumbled in his pocket and brought forth some envelopes absolom opened the one his client banded him and drew out a sheaf of typewritten pages the first page was a carbon copy of a letter muscatine Muscat lne iowa july 10 1024 gentlemen A valued customer of tills bank Is desirous of ascertaining in the strictest confidence the mental physical social and moral status of his nephew elmer butterworth charke of your city any information you can give us as to his character habits occupation the degree of application he exhibits in his pursuit of a living how he Is regarded by his associates and any other information you may consider will enable our customer to form a vivid picture of elmer charke will be appreciated and reciprocated whenever possible please bill us for any expense incurred in securing the information desired thanking you in advance we are tours very truly bank of muscatine Muscat lne by geo 0 david cashier the lawyer grunted disdainfully catch ou spending any money for a report from a detective agency when your banker will do it tor nothing he remarked this letter attached Is the report I 1 take it hum ml he nad dear sir ve have tor our letter of the irth dinst that we furnish you with a confidential on sir elmer but clarke of this alt ail llmer B cl irke Is well and intimately known to us and hus been tor the past fifteen years ahe great register of voters of this county in forms us that mr clarke is a kepul alcan and that he was bom october 10 1898 in selma fresno county athla state he Is ahe only of the late prof james J clarke and the late mabel butterworth clarke professor clarke was a graduate of the university of california and was verv eminent in the field of ills research work con tributes tri buted much information of tremendous value to the fruit growers of tills state lie perished of a fever con while in brazil studying the life and habits of a pest known as the brazilian fly which had succeeded in dinv inv adang the territory of hawaii his wife died of pneumonia as a sequel to influenza contracted during the cal demic of she was a woman of great intelligence probity and force of character and like her husband was held in the highest esteem here we enclose herewith a photograph of llmer clarke which we succeeded in securing from a local photographer at a cost of for which we would be pleased to have your remittance elmer clarke was twelve years old when his father died As Is the case with most professors and particularly those in federal employ professor charkes clarkes Cl arkes was never commensurate with his ability also he was careless in the matter of providing life insurance for his dependents with the result that the care of his widow fell immediately upon elmer at twelve years of age therefore elmer clarke played his last game of ball and became the sole and efficient support of his mother a burden lightened somewhat by reason of the fact that professor clarke had left his widow a comfortable six room bungalow on a lot of feet frontage on 0 street of this city elmer clarke graduated from the union high school here at the age of sixteen and was no 1 on the honor list of ten pupils he immediately went to work in a local fruit cannery where the of employees Is regulated by their industry when the canning season closed he had three hundred dollars in the saving department of this bank the following season he bought fruit on commission tor various packing houses and proved himself an uncanny judge of fruit values and crop tonnage however realizing the drawbacks of a seasonal occupation and faced with the necessity of insuring the care of his mother he learned in his spare moments and secured a position as assistant station agent in the local office of the southern pa railroad he had just been promoted to station agent at the outbreak of the world war he enlisted at once and served with the division as a radio sergeant until october of 1918 when he was commas stoned a second lieutenant he was wounded twice and slightly gassed tor the three years following his discharge from the service mr clarke a health due to bis wounds and the gassing already referred to was too precarious to permit of his acceptance of his old position as station agent at he therefore accepted a position of less responsibility and lighter duties as assistant to the proprietor of a local billiard and pool hall with a cigar stand in connection with same no has gradually recovered his health and the last time the writer spoke to him on this subject he stated that he was now as well as be hal ever been mr clarke Is a very ambitious young man never satisfied with what he has always scheming for something better he Is well and very favorably known in this city As commander of the local post of the american le glon he Is a strong force for better citizenship in our community he Is profoundly interested in politics but too shrewd and tar seeing to desire a political office mr clarke Is unmarried and there are no immediate prospects of this status being changed he pais cash foi ever thing and has a savings account in this bank of approximately twenty five hundred dollars at the present time he Is endeavoring to negotiate with us a loan on his C street property his object being to engage in business for himself ue Is a member of the rotary club the club the hundred per cent club the optimists ti club the advertising club and president of our local chamber of corn merce ue Is a go getter and too big for this town and it Is our opinion that he will leave it for wider and greener pastures we regard him as a model young man and worthy of every con fide respectfully yours commercial trust and savings bank by N C cathcart trust officer absolom looked up and caught a gleam of pride in old butter vv orth s piggy little eyes pretty flattering report I 1 should say mr but lie takes after me the miserable ruin persisted god forbid 1 said absolom me peake don t get nasty absolom the boy takes after me I 1 tell sou A oung feller like that who knows the value ot money Is the man who ough to have my estate he 11 make it grow hell do things with it I 1 want to leave everything to him and cut hat ties children off at the pockets ery well then elmer clarke draws the capital prize however I 1 suggest that you leave his cousins something also bisot a penny absolom they re w alteri I 1 tell i ou well well leave them five dollars each just so be remembered in the will and that will block a lawsuit you bet absolom I 1 want you to make that will airtight do you desire to make any other specific bequests mr butterworth yes five thousand to bunker only five thousand to old bun ker looked and felt surprised why hes been as faithful to you as a dog for a quarter of a century I 1 think youre a miserable ingrate to cut bunker ritt with five thousand you ought to give him fifty thousand at the very least get some other lawyer to draw your will I 1 m through handling your business youre a wolf get ne youre not through now absolom you hold your horses you git fresh me and I 1 II 11 name somebody else executor of my estate oh so you want me to be your executor also do you well I 1 dont want the job now how does that strike ou absolom youve got to accept the loure the one man I 1 can trust well take it provided you leave bunker ten thousand dollars very well ta please you but not a cent more final we will not quarrel about it further any other specific bequests the misers gaze sought the carpet and it was evident now tint he was embarrassed absolom he stammered finally 1 I got a confession to make some forty years ago I 1 had a farm in illinois III give you the full legal description later and I 1 mortgaged it to a man for forty thousand dollars I 1 wanted the money to put into the worst investment I 1 ever made and that wis a nevada silver mine consolidated virginia I 1 bought stock with that money during the days of the big comstock excitement I 1 could have sold out and doubled my money two weeks after fd made the investment but I 1 held on and on taken more an more profit on paper until that underground river busted into tho comstock lode on the two thousand foot level and ruined the mine and me well I 1 lost the farm I 1 repay the mortgage absolom and after there was a flood and the river changed its channel and ruined that farm I 1 want to repay the loan of course the man who loaned me the money lost his forty thousand and the interest he got a deficiency judgment against me but I 1 dodged it for twenty years and then his widow or his executor permitted the judgment to lapse and well absolom I 1 reckon I 1 d ought to have paid the widow that money however I 1 an now I 1 want to fix it in my will so that every dollar both principal and interest doe under that judgment to date shall be paid to the widow or the legal heirs of her body mar mfr peaks cut in professionally TO BB co aa va |
