The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-05-28
THE EVENING STORY
Daffodils in Town
(By Henrietta Crawford

because she had poured the one and
dispensed the other steadily for the
She leaned back in her chair he
hind the tea table absently watching
the little crowd of fashionably dressed
men and women that We're moving
ABOUT the parlors. yet conscious, new
ertheless. that the man beside her
was observing her and ENJOYING her
experience from his own standpoint,
winch was so different from her own
that she often wondered how he could
1lnd anything in her to interest him.
IN a low voice he was telling her
ABOUT the people before her eyes
now the woman in gray velvet had
recently come itno a fortune; how an
other woman in rather shabby silk
with wonderful silver furs had lost
ners; now Mrs. Poynter had been
leased her. and how the girl in blue
was sadly puzzled as to whether she
would be happier with an Ameri-
can because she loved him or with an
Engllsh eldest son because he was
heir to title.
She listened carelessiy, scarcely re-
plying. In reality her mind was busy
with its own affairs. What did she
care about these people, most of
whom she had not seen before and
they care about her?
She was merely their hostess's
country cousin who poured tea and
to whom Hills Hubbard was some
what attentive. Cousin Nell had seen
that her frock was appropriate and
she herself had been long enough in
the gay world to learn that the ma
1orfty judges one by ones raiment
mainly. Yet Hills Hubbard seemed
to Judge her in different wise.
You must be. very nice to him"
Cousin Nell had advised the first day
Mildred was in the house
"And, why?" the girl inquired
because he is good match, as
good as there is to be had. That
counts very much in my world, Mil
dred. 1t may be that you will charm
him, being a type that he is unac-
quainted with
Certainly it seemed that she had
charmed him. Since the first day
she met him he had been attentive to
her, sending her flowers, taking her
to ride in his motor and to lunch at
the best places. Cousin Nell was de-
lighted. And Mildred thought it fas-
cinating business to be thus sought
after by man whom so many girls
had tried unsuccessfully to capture.
She had been quite frank with him
from the first, in spite of Cousin Nell
telling him that her father was only
a poor country doctor that this was
the first time she had been asked
to visit her cousin. He had seemed
not to mind. Perhaps he had so much
money himself that he did not care
whether the woman he married had
dowry or not.
AS she leaned back in her chair
she was wondering how 1t would seem
to always have plenty of money, to
buy ones frocks at the best shops,
to live in a house where the work was
done as by magic, to go about in a
blue and gold motor and be able to
hear all the best music.
Tee RI,-% sd T.II
had said when she came in to In
spect her toilette:
you understand, Mildred. that Mr..
Hubbard will have something to say
to you before you go home. There is
but one answer for you to make and
I am sure he expects that one"
"But-but I'm not certain I care
for him enough" Mildred had STAN
mered. Nell had stared at her.
my dear child Do you think that
any one in these days marries for love
aIone?"
humbf nlon Then enow she thought s of her
cousins elderly husband, who was sell
dom visible save at breakfast
time, and the hitherto concealed rea-
suddenly revealed to her.
Mildred had indeed experienced
much since coming into her cousins
house. None of the golden rules
which her parents had taught her
were applicable here; other ideals
sight At first it had been very mys-
tifying to the girl to find that the
teachings of her whole lifetime were
of no account. It was as If she had
taken great pains to acquire Latin i
manded of her.
Her father and mother had mar
ried for love; money they knew to
be a great good which one could yet
be happy without; the poorest person
was as good as the wea1thiest, pro-
viding he was of moral character. Yet
after all. when one was constantly
meeting strangers how could one
know more about them than their
whether Mrs Poynter's first husband
was living?
She was the wife of notable rich
man and very agreeable. In Harlin
she would have been looked upon
with suspicion, but here she was
full thing. 1t brought one so much.
Even if she did not love Mr.. Hub
bard she could no doubt be very hap
py with him. To be able to wear
dress like that gray velvet, and black
furs with long silver hairs in them,
each one of which represented
purseful of money, and rubies like
Mrs. Ogden's!
The girl drew a long breath and
stirred uneasily. What would her
faher and mother say What would
Tom think? She bit her lip as the
memory of his brave yet tender face
possessed her; she could almost hear
him saying:
Now, look here, Daffy-Down-
billy. you are going up to town to
visit your fine cousin, and she'll have
some fellow picked out for you,
know. He'll be rich and different and
that will end my chance, which al
ways was mighty poor, wasn't it,
dear? If it wasn't, you'd say one
word, and then I wouldn't feel SO en-
tirely down and out as I will be If
YOU go without saying it."
She had not said the word. and so
she was quite free, as far as Tom was
concerned. to marry Hills Hubbard
If she chose. With a start she came
fh1 nf