The Topeka state journal., 1908-04-18
me. I do love music and have never

me. do love music and have never
heard Madame
most businesslike flourish of his PEN
Gil, as cash girl came running up
And Cupid laughed for the first time In
many days.
That night the deluge. In her de-
light at the prospect of hearing won-
the distinctly feminine problem of an
Easter hat. Laying forth the wonder
Iul new blue-green bows, she ransack-
ed every trunk in the house for a
But dye and rain had done their worst.
No shape was forthcoming. In twelve
hours Carter Douglas would call-and
she would be hatless!
m worse than a three-dollar-a-
week cash girl. OF course can go in
my winter hat. 1t may turn cold ana
stormy"
Easter morning proved balmy and
sunilt beyond her greatest fears. She
loked at the velvet hat. its black
feathers the worse for various dyeings,
and her feminine pride was touched.
She spent the last 15 cents of her ten
dollar millinery fund to send a small
messenger with word to the Douglas
mansion on the hill that she. was too
Ill to attend the services at the pro-
cath edral.
1t did seem as If never in all her life
mad she wanted to go out as she did
that day. The little cash girl in the
hospital would be glad to see her. the
children would no doubt enjoy some
candy Easter eggs. But again pride
forbade. She would live out her mis-
cradle line.
At In the afternoon. glancing out
the front window, she gave a gasp OF
dismay and ran from the living room,
leaving her mother to admit the tall,
correctly garbed Carter Douglas. A
few minutes later the puzzled little
mother came upstairs.
He says he's sorry to hear you are
nl-and oh, Marjorie, such Easter
lilies as he has brought! Just like
when your poor dear father lived. But
you didn't tell me you were i'll. Oh.
my DEAR, you are SO self-sacri-
Marjorie fiuffed her hair and patted
her nervous mothers cheek in a
whirlwind of unpleasant emotions.
Then suddenly she flung up her head
and ran lightly. downstairs. pausing in
the doorway before the astonished
young man. vision of slim, graceful,
healthy young womanhood.
Il owe you an apology, Mr.. Doug
las" she said with a lovely flush. 81
was not ill-just foolishly proud about
trife. IL failed to make connec-
tions with an Easter hat and So"
/ Carter Douglas had wisdom beyond
his years. He did not laugh. He just
dropped the Easter lilies on the old
mahogany table which had been in the
Davis family for seven generations and
took both her hands.
Il don't care about the music. ]
don't care about anything except that
at last I am here with you. You are
the most wonderful girl; the old man
thinks SO, too. 1t would just tickle
him to death If we hit it off. Do you
think you could care about me?"
Marjorie withdrew her hands from
his firm clasp and for second or two
gazed at him in startled wonder; then
something in his face, in his honest
gray eyes, sent the color flying to her
face again.
"Oh, you funny, funny boy" she
said, but her tones were not full of
laughter. They rang with tender joy
BUSINESS. And she hid her face in the
lilies, great masses of faint-scented
beauty. the price Of which she realized
with feminine humor devoid of ro-
nance would have paid for two hats!
1908, by Associated
Literary Press.)