SETTLING IN... or down or something like that (Part 116e)

SETTLING IN... or down, or something like that (Part 116e)

When I counted it out there was over $800. My first thought was "finders keepers". Elle had been up at the school for a PTA function that her friend Pat had dragged her to so it was just me to contemplate my "find". That was the money I needed to pay Rex off for the new Sunfish plus. I was so excited and happy that I forgot the girls were asleep right across the hall. I let out for a yell and woke them up. I had to calm down myself to get them back to sleep. By the time Elle arrived home I had it all spent... in my mind. She was excited as well but insisted that I make an effort to find out who it belonged to. There'd only been two owners of the house which would make the search fairly simple... or so it seemed.

I took the money in to work and told Hobie all about it. I respected him because he seemed to never get excited or flustered. I showed him the actual bills and after a few minutes he called me over to stand behind him. He pointed to a place on some of the bills. His finger pointed at a signature on the bills and as he did he turned and looked up at me with a knowing smile.

He'd been a collector of old bills for a long time and had a working knowledge of the people who signed them. His guess was that all the bills were from before WWII based on the names showing for the Secretary of the Treasury. It gave him a clue that it might belong to the original owners. That made it a bit easier for me because I knew that Monte, the Chairman of the Board of the first bank I'd worked for, had married one of the sisters who had built the house. After telling Hobie about that he suggested that I call Monte and ask to meet with him. I guessed that was the proper way to go.

When I called Monte I didn't go into the details of why I wanted to see him. I just told him I'd discovered something in the house that I thought he'd be interested in. He asked if I could be there by 4pm and with an OK from Hobie I was off. I had mixed emotions as I drove there. Driving though the town where I'd spent my first six months in banking I could only thank the good Lord that I'd "escaped" and was where I was working now. When I drove past the drug store and boutique that Judith, the friend I'd made while working there, owned I hoped I'd get a chance to stop to see her on my way home.

Monte had someone I didn’t recognize waiting for me at the back door. As I headed for his office I took a look over at the teller line and saw a few new, younger, faces. Missing was Inez. Once inside Monte’s office I asked about her and was told that they finally had to retire her. It was a bit bittersweet as I knew she didn’t really do anything but was a dear, sweet person. I remembered the night of the big snow when she’d put  Stasia and I up in her house.

Of course Monte was intrigued by what it was that I had discovered. However, he asked how I’d survived my first snow in the house and smiled as I described it. Before I got started on the money he let me know that he’d never actually lived in the house. When he married his wife he already owned a house. He stated that he’d only been a visitor there when courting his wife. Then I told him my story and that I’d come across an envelope behind a small drawer in the bottom of a cedar closet. He had a frown on his face and made the comment that he didn’t know anything about such a closet. I pulled the now ripped envelope out of my brief case and placed it on his desk telling him about the money inside. His frown continued as he reached over to pick it up. As he pulled the money out I told him how Hobie had deduced that the money was pre WWII. As he flipped through it he commented that he could smell the cedar. After a few minutes he picked up the phone and called his wife and asked her to come to the bank.

They lived at the other end of town, not more than a ten minute walk. About 15 minutes later a well dressed, stately looking woman appeared at the door. After introducing me and getting seated Monte told her the story and I distinctly remember her shaking her head from side to side, finally stating that she knew nothing about it. She did remember the cedar closet but that was all. Turning to me she said that after she moved out her sister had moved their father into the house and that he died soon after WWII started. Her sister died a few years later and the house was empty for a few years until the owners who sold it to me bought it in the late 40’s. She had no idea who the money belonged to.

It was at that time that Monte jumped in. He reminded his wife that her father had been hurt quite badly by the depression and that when he moved into the house there was a lot of talk about the situation in Europe. He hypothesized that her father, concerned about what would happen if there was a war, had hidden the money to protect it. I didn’t say anything but just sat and listened. There was some back and forth between the two of them and then the wife, I think her name was Belle, turned to me and said there was no way to know the real story of the money. Then, abruptly, she started asking me about the house and how Elle and I liked it. I obliged her and she seemed pleased that we really liked it. As abruptly as she’d changed the subject from the money to the house she blurted out that I should keep the money but give half to charity. I remember glancing over at Monte and seeing that his face was expressionless. Then she stood up and reached out her hand towards mine. I stood up and shook it not fully realizing what had just transpired. At that point she looked at Monte and told him she’d see him at home, told me it was nice meeting me and walked out the door of the office. Monte had gotten to his feet and after she departed he stood there shaking his head as if in disbelief. He reached out his hand and told me it was heartening to see that there were still people out there who tried to do the right thing. My first thought was that it really hadn’t been me, that it had been at Elle’s urging that I’d changed from my “finders keepers” mindset. I shook his hand and followed his wife towards the back door.

To be continued...