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your kindness gave me my start in
life. Comfort? 111 soon have the
rough corners smoothed down
around these roomy though neglect
ed apartments.
And Vance did. He set to work at
once, mending up old furniture, put
ing a new. A little amateur paper
hanging, a rug or two, some clean
curtains and the sunshine began to
seem brighter to the old man and
his soul's vision expanded.
"I declare!" he spoke one day, the
first he had been able to sit up for a
month, "I believe I am going to cheat
you put of being my heir, after all."
"Heir?" chirped Vance. "Partners
we'll be, uncle, and jovial good gnes!
Why today I made a contract that in
sures you $25 a month indefinitely."
"You what?" sputtered the be
wildered Uncle Peter.
"Just what I said. I suppose it
never struck you, but it did me, that
this particular place, passed daily by
50,000 suburban passengers is near
ly the best site for sign advertising
along the line. I saw a big billboard
company, rney are going to cover
all the upper stories of this old
shack with 12-foot letters, telling of
the vat merits of Soper's soap.
There is your contract and there is
your first month's rent Some busi
ness, eh?"
"You grand fellow!" cried the de
lighted Mr. Bond, and took a new
lease of life.
vln fact, by the end of two months
old Uncle Peter was able to get about
quite easily. One day Vance was
walking across the vacant space be
tween the old building and the plant
fronting on the next street, when a
light object struck his head, knock-
1 ing off his hat and failing to the
bag. Then he looked up. Leaning
slightly from the open window of the
office of the plant was a beautiful,
young lady.
"It's mine, if you please, and it fell
out," she called down with a divine
smile.
"You shall soon have it," replied
Vance, and two minutes later he was
around at the front of the plant and
up its stairs. He found the owner
of the handbag alone in a roomy
office.
"I was waiting for papa," she ex
plained with a pretty blush, "and I
accidentally knocked the bag from
the window. Papa is in a tiresome
consultation with his lawyer in the
office there," and she pointed to a
glass door, "and I got impatient and
sat down on the window sill and out
went the handbag."
She thanked Vance prettily. He
lingered. Her bright ways attracted
him. He stepped aside as a man, the
father of Lorna Bell, ushered his
legal visitor from his private office.
"Now get to work on this matter
at once, Downey," he spoke. "Old
Peter Bond is a hard fellow to deal
with, for he's a sticker, as shown by
his holding out against the railroad
company. Offer him $20,000, but, if
it has to be $30,000 I suppose I'll
have tosand it. You see, I can get
the ground lease extended and if I
can buy the old rattletrap behind
here I'll tear it down and build an
addition to the plant."
"Excuse me, sir," spoke Vance,
stepping forward with an apologetic
gesture, "but Ihave accidentally
overheard what interests me. I am
the nephew of Mr. Peter Bond, and,
as we are about closing a contract
for sign space it might complicate a
.purchase of the building at $30,000."
"H'm!" observed Mr. Jasper Bell,
but with an appreciative twinkle in
his shrewd but kindly eye. "You
have listened to your advantage, in
deed!" "It seems $10,000 worth!" put in
the lawyer. "I fancy, Bell, we'd bet
ter close without delay."
"Oh, papa, and all through my
dropping my handbag!" cried Lorna
Bell in mock dismay; and then, she
explained, and irrepressibly they be
came a harmonious quartet and the
business was quickly dispatched.
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