Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

MR. STOKES’ ACCOUNT, Edward Chesterton French’s incumbency of the job of president of the Sands County Trust & Savings antedated by a couple of months the selection of his little school- mate, Beth Benson, as head of the com- peting institution. Ed was a Templeton boy, son of President Thomas French, of “the University.” After finishing college he had gone to New York and devoted four years to the banking business—four hard and fruitful years. He was a brilliant young man; and he added to his ability a whole lot of aggressiveness, self-confidence and ginger. He was expected to make the Sands County Trust & Savings a bigger bank than old Joe Benson’s, and had gone about the job with earnestness and enthu- siasm. But somehow, while the volume of his deposits had increased, he hadn’t been able to gain on the Benson to any noticeable ex- tent. Seemed strange, too. Ed couldn’t convince himself that it was all due to Beth’s management, although he knew she had put over some pretty clever stunts to get business. There was that series of talks she had given in outlying farm villages and to some of the women’s organizations in Templeton on “ Banking Convenience for Housekeepers.” That was all right, if it didn’t bring in too many small accounts. Ed liked big accounts. He figured that the average small account meant a loss to the bank. In New York, now, the banker would almost always insist on an average daily balance of five hundred, or three hun- dred at the very least. Then there were the loans. County was carrying a lot of local paper, some of it at seven per cent. Templeton was a town of several large and many small industrial concerns. Templeton’s mer- chants were up to date and well patronized. But, somehow, Ed felt sure the Benson had done a‘ big business with the farmers this fall. He saw four, six, eight of their muddy automobiles parked at the curb near the Benson almost any time he wanted to look out his window. French was a good mixer, but he had as yet failed to find a way to the heart of this rural business. Of course he got some; but it didn’t seem to increase much. He knew Beth Benson was passing The Sands out loads of money to the farmers at six per cent to heip move their crops; and in this part of the country it was a compara- tively new thing with the farms to do much borrowing. Of course Ed knew only a part of the story—and that by hearsay—of Beth’s long motor trips into the rural districts, of her carefully cultivated following :mong farm- ers’ wives, of her shrewd exploitation of old Joe’s name—a name known all over the State and synonymous with rigid honesty. Occasionally some one at the club men- tioned Beth and her methods, which amused the sages of the town in no small degree. But the amusement was always tempered with respect because of the success that fol- lowed. “Funny thing,” remarked Amos Clark, one of Ed’s directors. “ That little snip—” Beth Benson was far from a little snip. “That little snip has some of the dog- gonedest ideas. She says a bank shouldn’t be primarily a money making ins’tution; it’s a public util’ty; kind of a guardeen of the people’s fi-nancial welfare. Now ain’t that an idea? Bank not a money making ins’tution! Huh!” “Well, Amos, you haven’t heard of the Benson losing any money, have you?” “‘ Well, now that you come to speak of it, I don’t b’lieve I have.” “T guess you haven’t. Did it occur to you that little Beth’s protestations of solici- tude concerning the public welfare have a certain advertising value?” “Huh? Adv—well, now I dunno. Might be something in that, too. Don’t know but you're right, Ed.” ‘“Of course I’m right.” Til. Tuat evening Mr. Edward Chesterton French presented himself, quite formally, at the Benson residence. Yes, Mr. Joe and Miss Beth were both at home; and Mr. Elmer Curtiss had been dining with them. Wouldn’t he step right into the living room. “ Why, Ed French!” cried Beth. “ How perfectly dandy to have you drop in. Now we can play a little bridge—you play bridge, don’t you, Ed? Joe plays very well, COMicbHOOKS- co! a