David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure StoryHarney, George S.
General
David Lannarck, Midget: An Adventure Story
Harney, George S.
Adventure stories; Circus -- Fiction; Western stories
"Mrs. Gillis." Davy was the one now affected by the recitals. His
voice was lower and slower. "Mrs. Gillis, after reading that message,
I hadn't the tears out of my eyes nor my voice cleared up, until I was
making that will. Gaynor did the work, he knew how, that was his
business, and he made it read just as Mrs. Lannarck had requested. The
Trust Department of the bank was made the trustee. One-half of all
income from my estate was to be paid to the church, the other half for
orphanage entertainment. It stands just that way yet, although the
value of the estate has doubled.
"The Lannarck estate was what the bank folks called Income Property.
It included two suburban store rooms with apartments above. There were
three very good residences, five shares of bank stock, bonds and notes
and a considerable bank deposit. I made a resolution then and there,
that I would never touch a penny of it, and that resolution has been
kept. The income has piled up until it now nearly equals the
principal. Poor old Gaynor, the next-best friend I ever had, keeps the
income collected and invested, and if this depression would only let
up and give him a chance, he could build those Presbyterians a new
church and give the orphans a picture show every night.
"Of course I've earned quite a lot of money, meanwhile, but Gaynor
keeps that as a separate checking account; says circuses and
vaudeville are not a dependable source of income and that I may go
broke. This Ralph Gaynor is a wonder in his line, but it's not my kind
of a line. He talks of interest, margins of safety, of unearned
increments, corporate earnings, and things like that. His is not the
big bank, with its long rows of figures. His is just a little
'Dollar-Down' concern, and he owns it all. Just now, in this
depression, the Big Fellows are running to him asking, 'What to do?'
And he's telling 'em to trim sails and stay close to shore.
"Ralph Gaynor is the second helpful man to come into my life, but when
I grew sick and tired of being gawked at, during all my waking hours
and resolved to duck away from the mob, I didn't go back to Ralph
Gaynor for advice. He just wouldn't understand. The word 'recreation'
is not in his vocabulary. Colts, dogs, kid-saddles, horseback riding,
Landy's wisecracks, and my present-day joys have no listed values with
Ralph Gaynor, and I passed him up. If it were Mrs. Lannarck, she would
understand and give it sympathetic approval.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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