The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-27
TIE EVENING STOR r
ATary's Insanity.
(By Louise Jackson sfrong.1

in your Uncle Page to keep you for
months. III never spare you so long
again
That isn't the only thing Uncle
Page is unreasonable about" Mary re-
piled, following her mother to the
buggy.
Mrs. Briggs said nothing more until
they were jogging along the pleasant
road, then she turned with doubtfut
smile. I'VE may as we'll have It out
and done with. Molly. OF course, I
know you mean that your uncle IS un-
reasonable about that school teacher,
but he's a good judge of men.
He is too preJudiced to judge fair
/ ly,' Mary declared. And he pre1u-
diced you against Allen too If you
only waited until you had become &C
quainted with him, mother
/ 4 would never consent to your
marrying a mere school teacheri' Mrs
/ Briggs broke in.
ALLEN hasn't taken it up as a life
profession" Mary fastened to explain
Time he's pottered around at coun-
I try notwithstanding a. few years he
be spoiled for anything else, Mrs
Briggs asserted, land 1 can't have you
/ tied to that kind of man, dear
Mary was silent, and her mother
scrutinized her face, finding it thinner
/ than it should be, and pale, now the
excitement of their meeting had
passed. That made her anxious.
You can't really have cared for
him, Molly. so as to make you un-
happy! You had never seen him until
you went up there, and your father
and were two years, off and on, max
ing up our minds"
Il think it is different with some
Mary said shyly, her cheeks pinking,
! cit seemed as. if we had known each
other always, from the first, and I saw
! him constantly, you know, till Uncle
/ Page interfered. 1 care for him more
than can ever care for any one else,
but couldn't defy you, mother.
11n mo
letter." Mrs. Briggs said tentatively.
mo; he wasn't angry but he felt
! that you were unfair in not giving him
! a chance to show what was in him.
He went away. as you had forbidden
| me to see him. and I have known
nothing of him SINCE Mary said visit
fully.
Mrs. Briggs felt a sudden contempt
for the young man who had obeyed her
mandates so completely, without
/ struggle. However, it only proved him
a poor thing. unworthy such prize as
/ Mary. and the dear girl was young, she
would get over it and be happy in the
love of some man who was man.
Such one was at hand, and Mrs.
Briggs considered him so desirable as
a son-in-law that she already regarded
him as such, prOspectively.
We'll" she said finally, Il am glad,
Molly, that you hold no grudge against
me- 1 told you about the judges
nephew, a fine, smart young fellow.
Mrs. Brown has a couple of girl cousins
! visiting her, and the Hendersons have
several nice young men among the
boarders. Our little town viii be gay
this summer, and I've fixed up a bit
so you can do your share of entertain
Mary shrank. exclaiming: ooh.
mother. I want to stay quietly at home
With you'll"
and have people saying you're mop
ing over disappointment Mrs
/ Briggs spluttered.
! II don't care what they sayI It's nc
use mother. /. see what you mean Tor
me. but I can't forget Then with a
wan smile. Il am not behaving very
well, mother, but don't mind It, and
let's just go on as usual"
And don't fling me at the judge s
nephew" she added, mentally.
q have asked the nephew and Flora
for this evening" Mrs. Briggs said,
presently, but 1 can send John to tell
them you are too tired.
John? The new hand Mary com
mented absently.
Eyes. and he's a wonderful manager.
There he is Mrs. Briggs pointed with
her whip, as they rounded the home
Mary glanced indifferently at the
figure beyond the grove, then with a
low cry, leaned forward, gazing intent
"John2" she repeated, turning be-
wildered face to her astonished mother.
why, Mollyi What is it?" Mrs.
Briggs
The young man took off his hat and
tossed back his hair with a peculiar
4 gesture, and with shrek Mary Jerked
up Dobbin, plunged out over the wheel,
darted to the barbed wire fence.
dropped fiat, rolled smoothly under it,
and few, still shrieking, across the
meadow.
ParaIyzed with dreadful fear. Mrs.
Briggs gazed helplessly. There could
be but one hideous explanation of the
4 astounding secondary was suddenly
seized with mental derangement-she
lhad taken that miserable affair to
| heart; she had brooded over her trou-
BILE; her whole expression showed that;
and now. having it all brought up
again-oh, horriblei it was her own
mother who had
lmoaned. backing clumsily out of the
buggy and fluttering along the fence
like a hen at the garden ptckets; but
she could not roll her plump figure I'M
derneath. She would have to go around
land that poor child running headlong,
perfectly wild. She was now disappear
ing in the grove. In her frenzy she
/ would rush on down the hill beyond,
and the creeks was high.
eJohnl joint" Mrs. Briggs screamed
franticalIy "Catch her. Johni"
John apparently understood, and dis
u appeared in the trees, while Mrs.
Briggs, shaking with sobs. scrambled
into the buggy and slashed Dobbin
into a run with a suddenness that
hung MS HeelS 20 the top OF the 0dStl~
board. She slid to her knees in the box
and piled the whip. wailing aloud a,
every jump of the horse At the pas
ture lane she turned so sharply that
the buggy tilted against the post, near
tly tipping her out. but she only urged
the astonished Dobbin on, her imagin-
alton picturing her darling already at
the bottom of the swirling stream. She
dashed through the open gate of the
potato field. She could not wait to take
down the bars of the small cat patch
that interviewed, but squeezed through
and ran. painting breathlessly, too ex-
hausted to call. Soon she caught sight
of John He had Mary safe. Her
abused knees weakened at that, but she
struggled to them. John clasped Mary