The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-29
THE EVENING STORY
Out of the Frying Pan.
(By Cecilia A. Loizeaux.

4
There's not much use in our plan
ming anything" said Mrs. Halsted a
| trifie petulantly. you don't know
| Mary; she's too contrary to agree with
nerself, and the minute she finds out
| that we want her to meet Ben, she'll
go off at tangent and everything
| VIII be spoiled"
Thers are more ways than one to
Kill a cat, replied Mrs. Markham sue
clnctly. why do you let her find it
out then? Just let him take her by
surpr1se-1'u arrange it so that he
stops mere on his way up to Wisconsin.
where he goes for his vacation. He
viii just drop OFF for day to see ms
aunt-and then our troubles will be
over. There is no doubt whatever that
sney might as we'll have it over WITH
II We're You, I'd have the wedding In
October" she finished complacently.
well" said the other douot1uiiS
And then ''how does Ben feel about 1t !
After all, it mostly depends on no"
ne takes it. Is he interested
Indeed he is. He feels little shy'
I think-but he's willing to be SHOWN.
Says he's from Missouri. think ne
even anxious. But as far as tnat soes
Mary is interested, too, only she is 700
Independent to show it. Just give her
a chance to meet him accidentally or
Unexpectedly and everything will be
all right =
"Is that sol" calculated girl IN
the dimly lit hall. though she sup
blue ribbon tied about my neck ana De
exhibited to this eager young man
from Missouri. am 1 p
Once in her room she turned the
lights on at either side of her dressing
table and looked at herself in the
glass. Her glowing dark face was any
thing but meek, and she turned the
light off again with a little vicious
snap, and then sat down in the open
window. She was angry-very angry,
she told herself
nv me off to a man I've never seen an
never want to see- It's positively
But presently the humorous side of
it came to the rescue as was usual
with her, and she laughed as she I'M
dressed.
F,arly the next morning she wrote a
long letter to her best friend. who was
spending the summer ut the lakes, and
laughed gleefully as she ran down
stairs to put it in the box. Early as
she was, however. some one had been
there before her. A letter was stick
ing out, and thinking that the postman
must have passed already she pulled
it out to see if it was hers
"Mr Ben Markham, Des MoineS,
Iowa" she read, and rammed it vi
ciously back into the box. "They
aren't wasting any time. at any rate.
But 1t takes two to fall in love, MI
Ben Markham, and I can't get away
to marry you today. she sang, nor
this October, either"
She went to breakfast in mischiev-
ously happy mood, which aroused her
mothers suspicious
For two days she watched the mail
closely And on the third day the
pnstnan- on his noon trip put into her
outstretched hand the letter for which
she was waiting. It was in a mascu-
line script and addressed to Mrs.
Markham. She carried it up to the
lady in her room and then went on
into her own, leaving the door open
a crack. She was rewarded by hear.
ing the guest say to her mother. Hes
coming Thursday. He has tried to
write ln6efferently. but" and then
she banged the door.
"He probably was indinerent-he
would be IL he were anything but
petticoat man! I should think he'd
hate the sound of my name as badly
as do his-he would if he were any
thing but a mollycoddle!" And she
wrote another brief note to Madge,
telling her she would be down on the
noon train Thursday.
On Wednes lay, while her mother
and Mrs Markham were out driving,
she got large trunk safely away from
the house.
without anything to wear" she phil
ct shall probably see other
people quite as wonderful as Mr.. Ben
1amin Markham. and a great deal
more interesting"
She thought she understood the
chances which the older wo-
men gave her.
''They think they've got me
trapped she said to herself. And she
spent the evening talking sweetly. to
Mrs Markham until her mother
came out to the piazza and asked her
to run over to a neighbor's for some
thing When she came back Mrs.
Markham was at the telephone in the
hall and her mother shut the door
and kept her talking until the other
came out. Mary grinned in the dark.
''They are planning some more little
SURPRISES I presume" she thought.
The next morning no one seemed to
notice that she was dressed in her pom
gee suit instead of her usual house
Gown. and she strolled down the street
cutie unconscious of the fact that the
two women on the porch were having
a good time at her expense.
at hope to goodness that Ben didn't
miss that train" said Mrs. Markham.
'"That makes 1t twice as funny for
him TO be on the same train
And Mary coolly entered the chair
car. settled herself with deliberate sat
Isfaction. Mary. my child. you are
too young for such deceit" she chuck
led as she pulled down the shade. But
think of the eager young mans dis
when he finds that little
Mary has fown.'' Then she became
aware that the strange young man
across the aisle was regarding her with
much interest in his glance, and she
lifted her chin a little and began to
read her magazine. The young man
went back to his paper, and after a
little she looked him over surrepti-
He was evidently college
nan, she decided; clean cut, big and
vigorous, with a clear brown skin and
gray eyes. And presently there came
% her a haunting sense of familiarity.
She thought she must have seen him
somewhere.
The young man looked up to see her |