E.G. Marshall really nailed it for me when he asked near the end of the epilogue; "How many people out there lament what they consider their lost opportunity?" God knows that I did as I thought back to 1999 and the year of the "Dot.bomb" euphoria that was going on in the stock market. I'm sure that there many posters here who have similar stories as well. But this story really wasn't about gaining riches monetarily. No, it actually rose above that as it's meaning was trying to convey that true riches came from within and not something as superficial as financial wealth.

Here, we have a story of a couple looking back on their lives when they were younger and the chance to strike it rich with a little financial windfall that Luther's wife, Agnes, received in the form of an inheritance back in 1907. Luther was given sound investing advice from a professor who happened to be an aquaintance of his at the faculty club. At three different points in the story, the professor tried to convince Luther to invest the inheritance in automobiles, airplanes, and electrical power. Knowing as we all do now, either one of these investments would have payed off handsomely for the two if only Luther had listened to the professor.

The fact is that Luther didn't listen, preferring instead to leave the money in a savings account. It wasn't until near the end of the story that Luther had almost given into the idea of investing since Agnes, too, was pressuring him to do something with her inheritance. That night, after Luther had told his wife to do with the money what she wanted, he had a bad dream of being filthy rich and living a grand life full of luxury. The professor (who was also in the dream) had shown him what his life would be like if he would only consider investing. The problem is that Agnes was not a part of his life in this dream, as it was explained to him by the professor that she had left him after Luther met another woman because of the money.

Luther wakes from his dream and decides once in for all to keep the money safely in the bank while keeping Agnes safely in his life.

It was at this moment of the story that Luther realizes that his life with Agnes, even though a much poorer one financially, was far richer than a life full of wealth and her removed from him.

And isn't that what life really is about?

Now take that and put it in your pipe and smoke it...