Show T Y T rr 0 NEY T THE STORY butterworth miser decides to leave his fortune to elmer darke a poor young nephew U tells absolom hla lawyer of a deal forty years ago in which he swindled a man out of and arranges tor payment with interest butter worth dies suddenly through a gossiping telegraph operator the town of hears of elmer fortune before he does nellie cathcart elmers sweetheart tells him his inheritance is more than a million colorado charley and his partner mac decide to pluck elmer nellie insists that elmer eee more of the world before their marriage unknown to elmer nellie Is heiress of the man butterworth swindled CHAPTER V continued she sat down at her typewriter and attlee oft a letter of thanks to ab olom incidentally she in armed him that her mother had been lead five years and seven months and hat her estate had never been pro abed for two very sufficient reasons ncr because she had nothing to pro ate and two because she had taken he precaution some two ears before demise from a lingering illness armally to give assign transfer and ct over unto her daughter nellie catheron cathcart all of the right itle and interest which she biad in merited from her father in and to that ertain mortgage and deficiency judg nent et cetera nellie opened opined that the fatute of limitations in lier case was n perfect working order and thit van the wolves at washington could lot by any possible interpretation of he federal income tax or federal in leri tance tax laws construe a gift as in inheritance Inherit ince under a will now figured the interest at I 1 per cent annually annu illy compounded cal annually on 40 from au us 10 1882 to august 10 1924 laving completed her computations he was aware that in forty two years mothers gift had grown to be borth oh masterpiece of ion exactly 1 the author of this tale has figured ils sum he knows the figures ire correct nellie knew that her fig ires were not the product of a bisor imagination she knew that if jaram butterworth s estate could at ord to pay her that sum it would un ler the definite terms of the will have 0 pay her there was room tor delther legal quibble nor compromise upon completing her computation went into the vault ostensibly 0 put her cash away but in reality to bed a few briny tears of sympathy or elmer butterworth clarke pres antly she bucked up and her acal mind leaped to the problem of approximately the sum hat a rapacious and predatory govern nent would bite out of elmers share f the estate when she had made a airey airly accurate if rough estimate of his she wept again upon recovering emotions she deducted a further mm which might reasonably include he funeral expenses of uncle hiram he probate fees the appraisers fees ind executor s fee the specific bequest t ten thousand dollars state and bounty taxes and ordinary debts of the state she was still further appalled at this total and wept a third ame poor elmer 1 she sobbed to hank that he was shot twice and gassed wee fighting for his country and now ook what his country does to him ab darling darling your poor dear bead Is going to be all bloody but if rou 11 only keep it unbowed how much more your sweetheart is going to love aul wul before she emerged from the vault she remembered the joke which fate a her case had played on the wolves t washington she at least was gong to get out of the wreck nd the howls of the wolves would be sweet music to her ears they bouch her with a buggy whip as elmer would have expressed it let fate do its worst to flmer clarke 1 what did nellie cathcart care when the tumult and the shouting died then the smoke of battle drifted from the scene it would reveal little faithful smiling happy and confident the possessor of elmer clarke and a bank roll that a greyhound jump aver CHAPTER VI meanwhile rimer clartis final pe mod of service at the smoke ras drawing to a close during that two weeks one incident alone itself in elmers consciousness as a pleasant variation from the orderly procession of morning noon and on the day following the treat news alie editor of the clarion fathered a thought truly bucolic remorse for the light manner in which w had once offended elmer clarke in his local brevities brevi ties column now over took him what it elmer take a notion to back gome smart metropolitan journalist in a new paper and run the clarion out of busl horrible I 1 A vacancy occurring on the board of trustees of the union nigh school at this time the clarion came out with an editorial blast in bold brevier with a three column head tte election to the board of that sterling and distinguished catl ten flmer butterworth clarke the of another candidate to the lynlch without by peter B kyne by peter B kyna service promptly pointed out the of shattering an ancient and well es custom of electing to the school board only those men and worn en who had demonstrated their fitness to superintend the education of the young by providing the community with young to educate in an indefinite and roundabout way elmer sensed a covert slam in this at any rate it aroused all of his newborn antagonism to provincialism I 1 aged on by his friend he decided to demonstrate to that a young unmarried man should and would function on that board or know the reason why immediately he an bounced himself as a candidate for the office nellie was delighted because this evidenced on part a subconscious decision to continue to live in and grow up with the town she advised him to conduct a furious campaign against the mossbacks moss backs of oh of exactly the community to prove that he had its interests at heart as truly as did his opponent henry tichenor Tl who was the father of twelve children indeed in the midst of her subtle blandishments blandish ments she suddenly conceived the idea of making elmer the leading citizen of the county if not of the state in one illuminating instant she caught a vision that caused her to tremble As the sole proprietor of elmers place she knew her man be elected town dog catcher but as president of the corn mercial trust and savings bank she could elect him mayor at the primary election from mayor to the state legislature from the state legislature to lieutenant governor from that to governor to congressman to united states senator to the vice presidency to the white bousel its a big dream she reflected but only those who have the ability to dream big dreams ever amount to anything just as easy to dream big dreams as little ones and ansel P moody has battened on this community long enough elmer Is right hes a pawnbroker not a banker and a banker should be the big man in any community he should know better than any other man its needs its aspirations pi rations and his duty toward it when the time comes ill tell ansel P moody where he gets off hell sell bis controlling interest in that bank to me at a fair price or start a new bank and run him and his competitor out of business in ten years with difficulty she repressed a cheer ill open my bank with a hundred thousand dollars capital fully paid up III start with my own deposit of at least four hundred thousand dollars and III become a member of the I 1 ederae reserve bank which no banker in this town has sense enough to become ril take over every loan anse moody has as it falls due cut the tn terest rate on those two bloodsuckers blood suckers and lend money on honesty ability and industry in the long run consolidate the other two banks in this town with mean elmers and mine oh elmer darling you re playing into my hand and that means you 11 wear out your life not drag it out and rot it out I 1 and nobody shall ever know who put up the money at their next meeting after incel caling in llmer such a sense of power as he hid never known before nellie adroitly shifted the conversation to a subject which Is never very far from pleasing to nine men out of ten to wit himself dearie she chirped suddenly do you know that suit oure wearing Is beginning to look just a little bit by I 1 don t like to see my rimer letting himself go like this you should be the best dressed man in town and usually you are im afraid been trying too hard to save money to equip elmers place lie squeezed her hand gratefully the idea of that business of my own obsessed roe nellie he admitted 1 I have been scrimping more than usual lately I 1 wanted to get going to be independent and make enough money to enable me to marry ou and give you even thing you desired dut darling I 1 would have married you jonir less I 1 would anve been a help to you not a source of expense 1 I know it old lovable but you j i t J fc s were doing as well in your job as I 1 was doing in mine and it a particularly ticul arly of unselfishness when a man asks a woman to give up financial independence to scrimp and save and sacrifice with him I 1 t want vou to do that mv mother had to do eliat all her life and it hurt me I 1 swore that when I 1 married my wife should never have to siy to me elmer dear may I 1 have a dollar and a half to pay the gas bill or rimer id like eight dollars to buy a new hat calle cl lle that sort of thing Is als graceful I 1 want iou to have your own private checking account and I 1 never want to know what you do with the money now squeezed his hand never fear rimer have my own checking account and nobody shall ever know what I 1 do with the money I 1 agree with you there hut flinch were off our subject I 1 want yon to go up to san francisco and get yourself a complete wardrobe iou must take n vacation rimer 1 I will if vou 11 tike it with me 1 I not on a vacation id be a nuisance be working hard just to assure yourself that your wife was having a wonderful time and I 1 m not ready to marry you yet dear Ile alli you must not bother yourself with a wife and her trunks and bags not to mention your own sure you can t be persuaded to change your mind and marry me before T go nellie timer charke iro not even en to you et remember that I 1 have already explained to you why he surrendered you re a mein woman hut I 1 love vou so I 1 suppose all of my life be giving vou your own way about the only comfort draw out of thit will be the knowledge eliat youre wiser than a tree full of owls and probably know more about everything than T do omit the compliments mr clarke please are you going on eliat vaca tion les after ive cleaned up henry in this school election by the way I 1 ve made one new resolution since that me peake wired me I 1 was a millionaire I 1 e decided not to cook mv own break fast hereafter and to refrain from eating my luncheons and dinners in res tarrants tau rants I 1 ve a smart gentleman of color to look after me and the dogs ills name is jasper and he swings a mean skillet he can buttle drive a car and play the banjo good flmer I 1 think you ought to buy yourself another nice present youve been good for ever so long and you deserve it you 11 want a new house of course if you intend to remain in long enough to corn your term of office as and member of the board of trustees of alie union high school what do you want for your bungalow and lot ten thousand dollars got a cus tomer for me elate ell te acs but im afraid my customer cannot meet your terms I 1 know a party who might be induced to buy bour house if you will accept two thou sand dollars down with a first gage for two years on the remainder at seven per cent sold 1 the word popped out of elmers mouth in much the same man ner be formerly employed when giving orders to his patron I 1 suppose you II 11 want a commission nellie he eug with what anse moody would have termed concealed not from yon she replied breathlessly they were lunching at the time in a booth at the palace grill nellie glanced around saw that for the moment they were unobserved kiss me she commanded fiercely elmer dutifully obeyed ow go forth and make your fight for school trustee nellie ordered see to it that you win it youre defeated cry CHAPTER VII nothing else to do that after noon elmer concluded to 1111 two birds with one stone lie resolved to go fishing en route to the stream and back he planned to visit half a dozen farmers and solicit support at the coming school election lie received assurances of support from every voter upon whom he called and four out of the six expressed profound satisfaction at this signal evidence of aimers intention despite his recently acquired million to remain in take an active interest in civic and grow up with the county in fact one of them went so far as to hit him a hearty swat on the back and say elmer youre all right iso swelled head about you I 1 m for you all the way I 1 you re just plain folks like the rest of us an your money spoiled ou a mite the accolade brought on a coughing fit but elmer did not mind lie was beginning to discover in these piping times of peace the true inwardness of something he had gone to war to fight for and that was the gentle art of making the world safe for democracy in that moment he caught a glimpse of the class consciousness and class re sentiment sent ment sleeping perhaps but never dead even in a free republic he knew he must be careful not to appear any different hereafter from what he had always been that jealous minds in back of keen eyes would be quick to attribute to him now the ideals and impulses which would be their own did they but stand in his shoes he was thoughtful and subdued as he drove into his garage late that evening ills newly acquired person of color jasper came out of the kitchen and met rimer as the latter was locking ane garage door deys a young lady walten fob you suh in de parlor he confided she done call about foh an when I 1 told her you all had gone she said shed set aroun an wait twell you got back vi ho Is she jasper jasper handed him a card which read miss doris gatewood special correspondent the american weekly new york city rampart boulevard bios angeles calif telephone oh loidl elmer groaned so im still what sort of person Is she jasper jasper grinned shiah aint hird to look at mintah clarke well you tell the lady I 1 have just returned and will see her as soon as I 1 have had an opportunity to clean up some ten minutes later when elmer entered his little parlor in which no woman aad sat since his mothers funeral he found miss doris gatewood seated at the ancient square piano softly a strauss waltz at his approach she turned gracefully on the revolving stool and advanced to greet him with outstretched hand and a shy embarrassed smile there was about her a charming combination of frankness and shyness which quite robbed the friendliness of her glance her smile and her hand shake of a faint note of boldness rimer who was hypersensitive to first impressions noted all this and told himself it was perhaps characteristic te of lady correspondents he had gathered an impression from his reidling that all writers were a bit jolly and bohemian bohe so glad to meet you mr darker the girl announced deep mellifluous tones seemed to reverberate in the room and challenge the dying voice of the last note she had struck on allmers old piano 1 I am doris gatewood elmer bowed over the outstretched hand jasper gave me your card miss gatewood consequently I 1 can guess the reason for your call please be seated he indicated a horsehair sofa and sat down opposite im sorry you ve had to wait ao long for me oil I 1 haven t been a bit lonely mr clarke 1 ive been playing with your fox terrier and when be ran away I 1 played the piano I 1 found some books and ive been reading also you did quite right to make yourself at home miss gatewood TO nn CONTINUED |