The Best Policy

With his second policy in his pocket, Harry reverted quite casually to the subject of insurance, although he had first taken the precaution to have a lot of insurance literature sent to Alice. From this she learned that nothing could quite equal it in making the future secure.

“I have decided,” said Harry in an offhand way, “that the best investment for a young man who has any one dependent upon him is life insurance. I have just taken out another policy for a thousand dollars.”

“How thoughtful of you!” exclaimed Alice.

“It’s on the twenty-year endowment plan,” explained Harry. “At the end of twenty years the whole sum may be drawn down or it may be left to accumulate. As provision for the future, I guess that makes any two or three thousand in the bank look like thirty cents.”

“You’re awfully good to me,” said Alice, for this apparent evidence of unselfish devotion, in addition to what had preceded it, really made her reproach herself for her capriciousness. But it was such jolly fun to keep two men anxious!

“The insurance,” Harry went on, “is payable to my estate.”

“What does that mean, Harry?” she asked.

“It means,” replied Harry, “that a girl has got to marry me to get a chance at it.”

“I always did like you, Harry.”

“Yes?”

“But you’re so impatient.”

Harry was beginning to develop a little strategical ingenuity.

“There is no need,” he said, “to make a secret of this. I’m not ashamed to have all the girls know that I am making proper provision for the one who becomes my wife.”

“Harry Renway,” exclaimed Alice, “if you make our private affairs a subject of public gossip I’ll never speak to you again as long as I live.”

Thereupon Harry demonstrated that he was not as “simple” as he was supposed to be, for he promptly returned the kiss that she had given him on a previous occasion. There could be no misinterpreting “our” private affairs.

“When?” he asked.

“Oh, pretty soon,” she replied, for the flirtatious instinct was still in evidence. Besides, under the circumstances, too much haste might be in poor taste. However, their friends were told of the engagement, and that was something. Tom Nelson was angry and disgusted.

“The fool!” he exclaimed. “A live man wants to have the use of his money, and he has tied himself up with insurance. That isn’t my way.”

“But he got the girl,” some one suggested.

“Not yet,” retorted Tom, “and you never can tell.”

In truth, it seemed as if Tom’s insinuation was almost prophetic, for Alice procrastinated and postponed in a most tormenting way, and Harry took it all in good part for two or three months. There was no particular reason for this delay, as the preliminaries of such a wedding as they would have could be arranged very quickly, and in time it tried the patience even of Harry.

“The semi-annual premium on that first policy is due the day after to-morrow,” he remarked one evening.

“Well?” she returned inquiringly.

“If the premium isn’t paid the policy lapses,” he went on.

“But you’ll pay it?”

“For my wife I will.”

She gave him a quick look and knew that he was not going to be swayed this time by her little cajoleries.

“But, Harry,” she protested, “that’s so – so soon.”

“I have the license in my pocket,” he said; “there’s a church within two blocks, and I saw a light in the pastor’s study as I came by. I guess we’ve waited long enough. Let’s go out for a little stroll.”

It was six months later that Harry again met Dave Murray, but Murray remembered him.

“Did you get the prize with your policy?” asked Murray.

“Sure,” replied Harry.

“Was it a good prize?”

“Bully!” said Harry. “A little hard to handle just at first, but you can do almost anything with insurance.”

“You certainly have made good use of it,” laughed Murray.

“You bet I have,” answered Harry with some pride. “Why, say! an insurance policy is the greatest thing in the world for family discipline.”

“For what!” exclaimed Murray.

“Family discipline. The first time we had a little rumpus she had me going seven ways for Sunday until I thought of the insurance policies. ‘Well,’ said I, ‘if I’m not the head of the house there’s no reason why I should be paying insurance premiums, and I’ll default on the next one. The head of the house looks after things of that sort,’ I told her, and that settled it. I’m the head of the house, and, if I don’t play it too strong, I’ve got the thing to maintain discipline.”

“Don’t you want another policy?” laughed Murray.

“Well,” returned Harry thoughtfully, “if I could get the same kind of prize with another, and if it wasn’t against the law, I rather think I might be tempted to do it. Anyhow, there can’t anybody tell me there’s nothing in insurance, for I know better.”

AN INCIDENTAL SACRIFICE

“I guess it’s all up with us,” said Sidney Kalin despairingly.

“It looks that way,” admitted his brother, Albert Kalin.

The father, Jonas Kalin, sat at his desk with his head half-buried in his hands.

“There is no chance for an extension, of course,” he said wearily.

“I should say not,” returned Sidney. “Telmer bought up the mortgage for just one purpose, and his only hope of success lies in foreclosing. He wants to get his hands on the invention.”

“Will he take an interest in the business?” asked Jonas.

“Why should he, when he can get the only thing he wants without?” returned Sidney.

“What does Dempsey say?” persisted the senior Kalin.

“It’s out of his line,” answered Albert, to whom the question was addressed. “If five thousand would straighten the thing out, he might risk it, but he wouldn’t put up a cent more than that, and he’d want a twenty-five per cent. interest in the business for that sum.”