The Topeka state journal., 1905-10-03
TIE EVENING STORY



I'm convinced that matchrnaking IS
not my fOrte,' remarked young MIS-.
Candy, as she and her caller talked oV-
er the events Of the last summer
Why, did you try your hand at tnat
dangerous occupation %
WELL 1 suppose every woman mas
the fever some time or other. ny at
tack came on in August when Lucy
Owings was visiting me at Seemore
cottage. Y on know she is an orphan.
1 have thought for a long time sne
ought to marry and have a home OF
her own, instead of living with her
guardian and his cranky h0usekeepef.
It occurred to me that she and thaL
other. / concluded that if they could
only be together for a time they would
become engaged. So sent him an IN
vitation to come for week or two 10
Seemore cottage.
when 1 told Lucy that he. was COM
ing she seemed very much startled
She asked, at once, Why, how did you
happen to invite him 2
''She looked at me 50 searchlngly
that feared that she saw through my
little plan and I was quite embarras-
sed.
''I couldn't tell whether she was
pleased or displeased at the idea of his
coming. When they met their greeting
was SO stiff and formal that began 10
think they disliked each other. But
IGuGClEQ LAldL Il lAEy 0A0 II WOAA0 ~
all the more credit to me if 1 made
them see each others good qualities
1.-The first evening young Everett was
there he and sat on the porch after
Lucy and the children had gone up
stairs. I took the opportunity to tell
him my opinion of Lucy. OF course, L
had sense enough not to bore him by
gushing over her charms. I just remark
ed in an off-hand way that l thought 1t
remarkable that a girl who had received
er1 afFdrfF077 a57o7F1d mt he En0ilR0.
/ said, too, that any man who wanted
her would have to look sharp, for she
had had too many admirers to be easily
won. He seemed quite impressed and
said that he had always understood her
to be a very popular girl.
st was afraid that I had said too
much, SO 1 added that was sure the
right man needn't despair Of getting
her. He glanced at me keenly, and L
felt that I had already awakened his
interest in her by my judicious remarks.
''Well, without making it too marked
I tried to leave them along together as
much as possible I gave them the use
Of the boat and pony trap, and warned
the children not to follow them about.
But they didn't appear to get on well
together, and began to think they
would never come to an understanding.
They treated each other with q Tor
mality that was almost coldness. ANY
effort on my part to put them on easier
terms seemed to send them both into
a panic. 7 began to believe that there
was a strong antipathy between them,
and I regretted that I had ever thought
of having them at the cottage together
''Whfle in this state of mind / went
out to our little summer house one
evening with a lantern to look for a
book I had left there. To my un-
bounded surprise I found it occupied
by Lucy and young Everett. Lucy had
gone to her room early in the evening
1xrar I E1InDOGnF-
smoking on the side porch. They
sprang away from each other and,
looking very guilty and embarrassed,
got into the farthest opposite corners
of the tiny house.
ct tried to appear unaware OF any
thing unusual, but Lucy began to cry
and young Everett looked so uncom-
Portable that I asked, rather brusquely,
perhaps, What's the matter with you
two innocentS 2?
we are mar-married, and we
didn't want any one to know it, sob
bed Lucy.
g Married. 1 cried.
YES, married. said young Everett,
coming out of his corner. There is
no reason why every one shouldn'
know it. We were married in Michigan
the week before Lucy came up here,
but she didn't want it known until the
approval. You know he went to Eur
ope and left her with that fussy old
housekeeper. Do you wonder that
made her marry me?'
You've been so good to US, said
Lucy. I was almost sure you had
guessed our secret. If you had only
known it, what a lovely time we could
have hadI' she sighed"
Weren't you Indignant asked the
caller. what did you DOR
Il just asked them to stay another
week and have real honeymoon.
While they were there a kind message
came from Lucy's guardian and so we
had the marriage announced in the
newspapers I think they'll be happy
ever after, but I can't fatter myself
that I made the match. Chicago