Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-11-12

education, should have neglected a
branch of social culture 80 essential
! To the welfare Of the community.
don't see why you have not established
GLASSES for the training OF prospective
l stepmothers. | have just lost the
chance of securing a most loving kind.
and indulgent husband said Miss Con-
nor-through the failureof society to
pay proper attention to the education
OF the stepmothers Of the land And
then she told me about you"
You got that far along once before"
remarked Dwight, impatiently. "will
you kindly tell me what she said about
me?"
! Certainly. ! am coming to II, II
you will only give me time. She told
me how you harped necessarily on the
extraordinary virtues Of your son, and
what you intended doing for him, and
what a great man you expected him to
be- All that, imagine, must have be-
come deadly tiresome, but you finally
made amends by proposing in very
neat manner.
| And that, Of course, frightened poor
Miss Conner out Of her wits. She had
MT the faintest idea of how stepmoth-
er ought TO treat such a pctted darling.
and being TOO conscientious to lie In
so serious Il matter she had to say
No
81 am sorry. too, says Miss Conner.
I should have liked very much to
marty you"
I Miss Bailey stopped and laughed.
Dear me" she said, how very droll
} think II the most absurd situation /
ever heard Of
1T is absurd" growled Dwight
"amusingly so"
Il daresay," said Miss Bailey. that
1t strikes you as much more comical
now, when you hear II related by a
third person, than II did at the time 4"
"Oh, yes, very much more. But tell
me-" Dwight added, what finally pc
came of Miss Connor?"
she became a pupil in my school
She graduated last week with high hon
ors, but Is still staying with me, tax
Ing a postgraduate course until she
gets a situation. shall hate 70 let
Miss Conner 20 when her time comes
She is n charming lady. owe much
to her. without her suggestion
should never have thought of starting
my school for stepmothers, which. I
row see, is most useful branch Of
learning. The people at large view It
in the same light. The idea appealed
20 the public at once, and | had no
trouble in forming a class. Women
OF all types responded to my call for
pupils. and ! now have in stock step
mothers ranging in age from twenty
to fifty years. StepmOthers of all sizes
and compilations, stepmothers OF all
nationalities and religions. The in
struCtion has been practical through
out. | hired from bereaved families
children who stood in danger of aC-
quiring stepmOthers of their own for
my pupils to practice on, and for four
months the ladies of my class listened
daily to the infantile prattle of their
charges and studied out the most sat
isfactory answers to the thousand and
one questions all children are likely
to PROFOUND TO stepmothers at inOppor-
tune moments. Since you need step
mother, you cannot help being suited
at my establishment. or course, !
should prefer you to choose Miss Con-
nor, for the sake of the past, but IL
you would like TO interview the other
sixteen before making a choice, | can
manage II for you. Since know who
you are, can dispense with prelim-
mary investigations as to character in
your case and arrange meeting with
out delay. Will you see the stepmoth-
ers now?"
Miss Bailey reached out her hand to-
ward an electric bell neal her desk,
but Dwight caught her fingers in his
own before she had a chance to ring.
Hold on minute, please" he said.
Il am not quite through with you yet,
|! you will grant me little more time.
| want TO know how you ever came to
set so mixed up on me and Miss Con-
nor? There is something mighty funny
here. ! don't know the lady-neyer
even heard OF her, consequently can
HOl nave ldlhtu W ltl uDOul my Sun
AZ has been reported The fact is II
have no son"
No SOM" cried Miss Bailey. Then
! what on earth do you want a step
mother for"
For myself" said Dwight. Il told
, you that in the first place, but you
, seemed determined TO get things mixed
, so thought would just let you mud
, die along till began to see light my
self DO you understand, now? / am
, looking for stepmother of my own
; My old man has had 1t in his head
for some time TO make me a present OF
, such household treasure and when
got your letter ] decided to facilitate
r matters by looking up a lady worthy
of filial as well as conjugal regard.
. or sudden Miss Bailey lost conf,
dence in her own infallibility. 81
wonder" she said, III could by any
chance have made a mistake? What
IA your fathers name"