The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-29
TIE EVENING STORY
Currency to Cookie

By Cecilia A. Loizeaux.1

by Cecilia A. Loizeaux.J
Mr.. Jared Barton leaned his gray head
YEARLY on his hand.
There they 60 again" he said aloud
IN distressed tone. And before she
came here they were thicker than
Of this mess"
The angry voices which had been the
cause OF this soliloquy became angrier
and nearer.
- and if I ever see YOU looking at
her again with that sick-cat expression
on your mug I'll injure it 50 you can't
grin for week,
That's Dick!'' said the father, laugh
ing in spite of himself at this threat.
'Bess says she's a bully nurse" said
the other voice. I'D have good care
Bert always gets ahead. He's just
What L was when was his age" chuck
lea the old man in the library Great
Scott! They'll kill each other yeti
Here, you young houndsn' he yelled,
rushing out into the hail. you pick
yourselves up and get out of this. II
you've got to fight you go out behind
the barn and fight till one or the other
of you gets killed. Look out there,
Dickl''
Dick had his brother down and was
sitting on him. He had just raised his
arm TO administer a good blow on the
up-turned face of Bert, when his faith
er caught his arm and dragged him
Bert QlO not take the IT0uDl6 10 get
up, but lay fiat on his back, looking up
at his brother with wicked one-sided
grin.
Get up. Bert" ordered his father,
and he shuf1ed to his feet. Very sud
denly Mr.. Barton's patience gave out.
Catching Bert by the collar and re-
tanning his grip on Dicks arm, he
shook both boys until his face grew
purple, and letting them go he leaned
1 against the banisters gasping for
breath. The boys made no attempt to
/ resist; they merely grew utterly limp.
I They were twins about seventeen, and
small for their age, with fair hair and
! dreamy gray eyes. All of the mischief
! perpetrated in the particular suburb
/ in which they lived was sooner or later
/ tracked to their door or to the doors
/ of their innocent accomplices. They
4 had one redeeming feature; until a Few
I months before this they had chung to-
4 gether through thick and thin. When
| one was punished the other was pun
/ ished before the rest of the family
| could live with him. It seemed, some
times, to their anguished parents, as If
the twins could read each others
/ minds.
While their mother was alive she
! had been able to control them to some
extent. and her last words were. Keep
4 the twins together" At that time they
were so thick "a knife blade couldn't
be slid between Them as Mr.. Barton
/ remarked. But that was some time
I'm ashamed of you, he said wear
I lily. and went back into his library
/ leaving the twins glaring al each 9TH
4 er. Presently they began to look
sheepish and then they grinned and
/ stuck out their hands at the same time.
] The argument was understood to be
closed for the present.
Mr.. Barton watched them go down
the street together, arm in arm, and
gave a sigh of relief. He knew he
| would have an hour or two of peace.
While he stood musing at the win
dow his little daughter Bess and her
! gOverness came around the corner and
in at the gate.
There's the bone of contention
now" he said. What does she mean
by encouraging those young whelps to
! fall in love with her?"
His daughter Bess bounced into the
/ room waving an envelope in her hand.
/ Letter from Bobi" she Whooped.
Hurry UP and read 'eri"
Quietly Bessiei" said Miss Gray,
/ who had entered behind the little girl
/ when you have finished visiting with
/ your father. come upstairs and I will
{ help you with your French for tomor-
/ row"
Mr.. Barton took Bess on his knee and
I opened his letter It was characteristic
( He was out in Colorado, seeing the
world and having the time of his life. =
Was well and happy and ready to come
! home at any time Love to Bess and
the boys and his regards to the young
lady who had succeeded in making in
4 dividuals out of the Sianlese twins.
4 Bess ran away presently and Mr.. Bar
ton let his thoughts wander out to his
] eldest son. Bob had been graduated
! from Harvard the summer before and
had come home a little more enthusiast
tic about Boston than he should have
been. knowing his fathers prejudice
/ against the place. The very nrst tnlng
4 he had done on his arrival home was
\ to announce his engagement to
/ girl from Boston.
4 TOMS head that Bob could be such
fool as to fall in love at %, and the
/ cool announcement took away MS
! breath. ,,-..,,,,-
babvi Pretty husband you'd make,
wouldn't you? Bessie's rag dolls coulo
/ marry and be about as olgnlaeu as
/ you'd be in such a nix .,
/ Bob merely grinned ana turned away
the edge Of the old mans wrath.
fsTt isn't because think you wouid
rot make money enough. You're a SUCK
of the same kind OF Woo gra ~ a.,t 2vset
/ father used to chop. You go ouL wess
Z for a year and III pay the pins, an
4 I'll bet you anything you Ike you Il
4 come back cured 49,, he
4 Bob thought for a Wnlle' anu 1iisii
sal ieI SOW III bet YOU currency to cook
- +ho+ can beat you at this game.
And he departed cheerfully TOT the
vest Nr. Barton thought Of all this
rather complacently and then sae
down and wrote a letter to BOD. II
was even more characteristic tAaH tiie
INV Dear Bob-'The time has
come as the walrus said, to speak OF
many things I'm in the devil OF
fix and I guess it's your turn 70 n llio
i ont your poor old dad Besides, you
go ne into It. It was you, with your
55qeo lou Boston ideas, that got ms. to
eenZape ?. governess for my tom-boy
girl. I blessed you profusely at hrst'
! and as far as Bess goes sun &c,
She Is getting quite tame. But the
/ sismese twins as you call your
i brothers. have set up a three-ring
! circ11s and I have to go around watch
l.. -. nrtrnaIs 80 they won't bite