The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1909-10-29
He's Silent Partner.
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Dedham smiled forlornly at the
friendly little waxen face which wore
the perpetual smile that doll makers
infict upon their creations. Dedham
always had thought it foolish to paint
all dolls with a perpetual smile, but
tonight he was glad that it was so.
| The house was intensely still, and
though quiet, he told himself, was
what he needed, yet a sense of lone
illness overpowered him, when he
looked across the desk at the doll and
vaguely chered.
It was an Easter favor, half rabbit,
half doll, and beloved of Maudies
heart. He wondered how the child
had come to leave it behind. She had
been playing in the study the night
before, all unconscious of the i'm
pending separation, and she had left
her treasures on the desk when his
wife had come to carry her off to bed.
Toodles, he remembered, Maudie
called the little creature and now he
ard Toodles had the study to them
selves.
Il guess you find 1t rather lone
some without your little mistress"
he said half-aloud, for the sake of
hearing his own voice break the still
ness. You're a faithful little soul,
Toodles, and we'll get along together
first rate. You won't come breaking
In on me when I'm trying to get the
Internal books Strengthened out, will
your"
He read an assent in Toodles' 81
lence and he ran on.
"Of course, you won't" he de-
clared.
"Yoall understand that when
chap works hard at the office all day
and then brings the books home to
work over, that he can't be inter-
rupted thousand times an hour.
You won't get mad either and-well,
you won't get mad because you won't
set me going by breaking in on me.
1T was absurd of your little mis-
tress' mother to leave me Just be-
cause / was cross at times, wasn't it?
OF course, used lot more language
than there was any use for, but, all
the same, I guess most men have
times when they are cross old bears,
though perhaps l was cross more Of
ten than was right. Perhaps 1 was,
Toodles, but all the same
His voice trailed and broke. He
did not want to admit even to his
waxen-faced companion that he was
terribly lonesome.
IT'S all right, Toodles," he went
on after moment. II suppose that
it does seem pretty quiet here to-
night with Maude and-and her
! mother gone, but We'll soon get used
to it. If we don't, we can move to
some hotel. Therell be people
other people-in the house then. and
they won't come in unless we ask
them to. Wen get along famously,
little rabbit lady, and I guess you'll
be as glad as I am that Maude forgot
you. It's funny that the kiddie for
got you, though, she was so devoted
to you"
Dedham nodded again and then
took up the books over which he was
accustomed to work in the evenings.
He knew that it was a bad practice to
bring his work home, but he had
formed the habit in the early days
when he had had only an office boy
to help him out. The old habit chung
in spite of his wife's remonstrances
Night after night he pored over the
long columns of figures that showed
an ever-increasing profit, and he
turned deaf ear to Ruth's demands
that he give part of his evenings to
her and the child.
When Maudie had learned to tod
die about, she had formed the habit
of making for the library where
there was rug in front of the fire
and where she could prattle to her
father. Dedham. ever at a nervous
tension, had exiled her from the
room, and when Ruth had protested.
he had turned On her the walls of his
senseless wrath.
At last even her patient spirit
broke, and that morning she had
left the home he had built opposite
that of her parents, and had gone
back to them. She was not to be
moved from her datarDinotiov -