Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 March 1911 — Kate's Financiering. [ARTICLE]

Kate's Financiering.

>?. » ’ • ** r ■ i T f -* In these day* of commercialism they tell ns there is no romance, the one excludes the other—commercialism, no romance; romance, no commercialism. Perhaps this is so, yet there must be a few exceptions. 1 know of one, I, a real estate agent, discovered within a cold, prosaic real estate transfer the threads’ of a most, harrowing case of duplicity, erafti-* ness and romance. Tying these threads together and showing them to the guilty person—my cousin— l obtained full confession after prora r ising never to tell. The best of it is that th(B other interested person does > not suspect the romance in whch he figured. 1 About a year before these events, my cousin Kate had, to prove her independence, obtained a posltidW as stenographer for an < architectural firm in town. Here were employed several young draughtsmen, who promptly became interested in Kate, hut she treated them all impe? oou ally, except one. In this matter, among many others, Kate showed her queerness of taste, for Kate the fly-away, Kate the flirt, Kate the conqueror, chose to “adopt” Blllj Thome. Billy Thorne was a quiet, hardworking fellow, generally considered rather prosaic. He got a fair salary and saved most of it, never went anywhere and was never known to talk to a girl. Hence, there was great wonderment in the office when one, morning in walked Billy Thorne with the stenographer, lie repeated this performance several times in the next few weeks, and even went out to lunch with her. He carried on in this way until he became a regular caller on Wednesdays and Sundays Then Billy began to think Billy had ideas on* certain matters He 'thought that a man ought no f to propose to a girl till he owned a houte; that a man should never get in debt was another axiom. Inasmuch as his bank account grew, slowly he could see no possibility of further progress in his love affair, and he knew that he must go either backward or forward. Heace, he was not at all smiling when he rang the bell at Kate’s home on one balmy Sunday afternoon, nor did Kate’s proposition to take a walk cheer him greatly. They had taken walkb before and Billy had found. that contemplation of admirab.e building sites one could not buy was depress! ug. Although Billy had never spoken of building sites in a personal way, nor expounded his ideas on debt and marriage to Kate, she, being observant, had put this and that together and got a fairly good idea of the state of affairs. Hence she understood Billy’s glumness and let him walk along at her side, scowling and silent As they had done before, they stopped and read £ certain sign on a certain lot. Billy laughed—a little bitterly—and said: “If we con’d only have an earthquake I’d be happy.’ Kate looked puzzled and he explained: “An uncle of mine left me 200 acres of rocks on the Maine coast, and *a nice, accommodating earthquake might, in the general mixup, set a few acres down here, where I could use them.’ “What part of Maine are they In?” asked Kate. f “Other side of Calais. I’ve been trying to sell that land for several years, but nobody wants It.” “Did you ever advertise?” “les,” answered Billy moodily. "Nothing doing.’” Then they walked on. Here’s where I come into the story. Just because I had proposed four or five times to her—and been rejected each time —Kate used me for all sorts of errands, so I was not a bit surprised when Kate came into the office and sat down. "Well,” I asked, “what Is it now? Want me to circulate a petition a municipal theater or restore a lost dog?” “No, John; have you met Mr Thorne?” She even blushed. “No, but I’d like to—on a. dark night,” I. answered, looking as fierce as I could. “Don’t be silly, John; I want you to go to Mr. Thorne and buy some land he has for sale. It's near Calais Me. I’ll buy It from you—you know Aunt Emmy left me some money—so you won’t lose.” “What in the world,” I shrieked, "are you going to do with land up in that place; start a fresh air hospital or a Summer hotel?” “John,” she answered severely, “you were always too inquisitive Now do as*you’re told. And John, don’t mention me at all. Pay him a good price. I must go now. Goodby.” As usual I did as I was told. It was throwing money away, but it was Kate’s money. And now I go out of the story, for the next day—Sunday—after I bought the gold brick, Billy Thorne ran up the steps to Kate*B hyuse and hardly got inside before 'he announced Joyfully: “Sold the rocks In Maine to some fellow—names Marlow —millionaire, I guess, for he paid me a big price. And now I’ve got pomething else to say.” The rest, Kate says, was “perianal.’ Some time Inter Kate—l can imagine her loojt of innocence at the time—asked Billy: "Did you sell the land througlran agent?” Billy answered: "No, all b 7 myself ” I could tell him a tow things, but Kate won’t let me.—Boston Post * *> , ' "'\ ‘ ■ ———■ The port of London was entered in 1905 by 27,098 vessels.