The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-24

house in which they had lived, and
they moved for econOmy's sake to a
small town where they had some little
property remaining. The stepdaugh-
ter-her name was Rosamund-had
had the most expensive tutors, but now
It was all Belinda could do to scrape
up enough money to send her to a
small convent school for the remain
ing years of her education. 1t ism
likely that things would have been
any different if the father had lived
or they hadn't lost their money, be-
cause Belinda had always had the
whole care of Roasmund anyway, and
money dOeSn' { make much difference
Belinda's theories ought to have been
just as good in the case of a poor girl
as of a rich one, but just because they
failed is no proof that they Weren t
excellent. Because they did fail and
BeInda's old friends could have had
their laugh after all, if they had had
the heart to laugh at the unhappy
wreck of her hopes.
It is no use to go into details. Rosa
mund was no worse and no better
than many others of her kind. She
went through all the phases that I'M
fortunate, or as Belinda had formerly
thought, badly brought up girls. pass
through. In spite of the fact that she
was the daughter of a PeytOn of Vir-
ginia and that her rearing had been
the one thought and care of a woman
with theories about such things, Rosa
mund was common and a little coarse.
She was never studious and not es-
pecially accomplished in spite of the
money Belinda had spent upon her
education at much sacrifice for her
self and she was not even good
hearted" (Which is sometimes said of
people when nothing else can be said) &,
nor loving nor aDDreciative Of Be
linda's love and care, for Belinda had
loved that girl as her own daughter.
She continued to be pretty, however.
for a long time, in spite of the fact
that she affected changable hair and
bizarre make-ups, and finally she ran
away with a book-maker. He beat
her, they Said-no doubt she deserved
it-and they were subsequently di-
vorced. The last we knew about her
she was in the chorus of the Alfalfa
Widows, and Belinda had not heard
from her in a long time.
OF course you are beginning to sus-
pect the end. How Tommy, the little
street gamin. whom Miss Belinda. had
rejected, fell in with a rich man, who
took a fancy to him, brought him up
as his own son. gave him a college
education and a partnership in his
business and how he returned to find
Belinda after many years. and took
her away from her poverty and lone
liness and misery forever. But If you
are, you are only half right It is true
that Tommy, who was always an en-
eyes and his winning ways, did find a
friend in another theorizing old maid
in another town. who unlike Belinda,
refused to listen to the counsel of her
friends. She adopted him with the
intention of educating him and rear
ing him according to rule, but he ran
away from her when he was fifteen
and never came back except OCCASION
ally when he needed the money, and,
as it Happened. he was the bookmaker
with whom Rosamund eloped and
from whom she was afterwards di-
voFeed.
Which proves nothing, except that
you can not always tell, and that is a
fact already thoroughly established in
the minds of all thoughtful people.
But perhaps 1t also means that nobody
who doesn't have to. should waste
affection and theories on ready-made
children, when poodle dogs are so
much more responsive and less expen-
sive.
A Topeka girl who rather overdoes
the city broke pose recently went over
to Wabaunsee county to visit some
country friends. The first night when
she sat down to the old-fashioned {
o'clock supper she noticed honey on the