The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-20
TIE EVENING STORY
Fates Romance.

brown hair-you know the KIND
| mean.''
of course III be good to her. you
foolish boy" she laughed. Don't you
know how glad I shall be to have
little child about the house?"
Linden blushed. It was one Of his
mothers greatest regrets than he never
had married, but he was absurdly bash
Iul, and he hated the thought. F'oi
that reason he had welcomed the sug-
gestion that he should loan his mother
| to Billy CoTson's motherless little sis
ter. 1t would help her to forget his
own refusal to wed.
There had been great preparations
made since the letter of acceptance
| had been sent Linden had almost
| bankrupted himself in the purchase of
toys and the little room where, IS 2
| child, he had played was overdowing
with all sorts of dolls and things.
Daisy was to come on the noon train
in the care of the conductor, ana Bobby
Linden could scarcely wait until he
| could get his most pressing affairs
| Strengthened out before he rushed off
to the station to take the train back
/ home.
On the way he stopped to pick up a
few more toys, and it was with his
arms loaded down that he hurried down
| the shady street ard into his own gate.
Then he gave a gasp. On the porch
/ sat girl in summery costume talking
TO his mother. It could not be the
nurse; she was Tar too well dressed for
| a nurse; it must be one of the local
girls calling. He thought of the toy
store package that had come undone;
! and from which dolls legs waved
! pinkly and unrestricted, and the per-
spiration beaded his forehead.
He had always tried to appear digni-
fed before the girls; it kept them at
distance But how on earth could =
/ look dignified with those Internal toys
dangling beneath his elbow
The two women rose as he ascended
H. 7 -
| the other.
Miss Corson p he echoed, blankly.
Dick always spoke of me as his
little sister," she said. as she came
forward: Il hope you are not disap-
| pointed"
Disappointed-that he should be the
| companion of such glorious girl
Bob chuckled; and in the saving grace
Of humor he lost his bashfulness.
| Ou are most welcome" he laugh
ed. as his hand closed over hers tSinee
1 you are Daisy Corson these are for
you and he waved those ping abOm-
| nations under her eyes with an audac-
ity that surprised himself.
It broke the ice all around, and in
| the little interval before dinner they
chatted as three old friends. Since she
was to be a permanent guest there was
no sense in being afraid of her, so Bob
exerted himself to make her feel at
home, and his mother, sitting quietly
back and watching the animated pair,
who were truly her grandchildren, and
who had Bob's eyes and Daisy's hair.
In the days that followed the dream
seemed to grow more real The little
| nursery had been converted into a sit
ting room for the girl, and Bob had
entered into the furnishing of this with
even more ardor than he had shown in
the planning of the other.
He and Daisy were together con-
stantly when he was at home and in
the long evenings while they sat out on
the piazza in the cool dusk a bud Of
romance grew into sturdy plant.
Bob's success in business had been
due to his directness and commanding
qualities, ana these he brought to bear
| now Before a week had elapsed the
questioned he longed to ask seemed
| certain of a favorable answer.
He decided to ask her Saturday after
noon. and had come out early for that
| purpose. Daisy and his mother were in
the yard looking after the flower beds.
/ They waved their hands to him, expect
| ing him to come right out, but he caught
| a letter from the table on the way out
and the contents brought him to dead
| hal on the back steps. 1t was from
Billy Corson and ran:
Dear old chap: I suppose you are
blessing me for my stupidity, but really
1 am not to blame I had to leave
town for a few days and in the interval
my maternal aunt swOoped down on US
and carried poor Daisy off to the very
murement in the desolate little town
where I suffered so when l was a
youngster. No one had your address
SO they could not notify you. I am
| sorry that you have been put to this
trouble needlessly, but hope that you
and your mother will forgive me-
Bob tucked the letter into his pocket
and went toward the pair. There was
/ some mistake, that was evident. Per-
/ haps he would lose Daisy after all His
those merry eyes reassured him and he
went manfully to work helping them
with their gardening.
It was not until after supper and they
had established themselves on the
| piazza that he mentioned the note.
I had letter from Billy today" he
said, "a very funny letter.
What did he say?" she laughed. He
has not written me-"
THAT he was sorry he was not able
| to send you to U.s." he said quietly.
4 don't see the joke" she seolded.
You are not nice to speak in riddles
There is some mistake, - he explained
Billy did not send his sister here, so
you must be some other Billy's sister
He handed her the letter and she read
It through with changing color. Then
! her eyes caught the business card in
the corner.
but this is from Mr.. Corson. not
Gorson,'' she explained.
That's Billy he explained, Billy
Corson.''
my name is Gorson,' she ans swered.
81 thought both you and your mother
pronounced oddly But, why should
I have made mistake, you are Robert
Linton"
How do you spell it?" he asked.
s.Is-i-n-t-o-n," she spelled slowly.
ssIs-f-n-d-e-n,v he corrected. Funny
that there should be q double mistake
4 I don't know any Linton in town.
II have It on d letter upstairs she
said, as she rose from her seat Pres
/ ently. she returned and held out an en-
velope. Bob glanced at the card.
..That's Bellport. not BellviIle." he
said .'Bellport is in the northern part
/ of the state
THAT'S a triplet Of doubtless she
laughed- .It seems to me as II ] were