The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-09
THE EVENING STORY
Choosing a stepmother.
(By Gerald Prime. }

FOunQ what BOD ASKED.
''The girl designed by Providence to
become your wife,
The young man drew the oars
into the boat, shifted his feet into a
more comfortable position and took
out his pipe. Don't speak a word
he said, land then I'll tell you what
1 think of you
The other, sitting at the stern and
trolling with the air of one who has
of the fishing tackle about his right
leg and raised an umbrella. The
promise of sport was too remote to
counteract the immediate effect of
the SUMS ardor.
The boat went on drifting down the
feeble current and the young man,
with his pipe now in active service,
did not resume his oars at once. He
made sure that his pipeful of weed
was properly alight and then pro-
ceeded to fulfill his threat.
Dan Hunter he began, removing
his pipe from his mouth and pausing
to convince himself that it was not
about to trick him, eff you were not
my father-the very .giddiest parent
a man of my years and discretion ever
had should be tempted to call you
an old humbug."
The other man smiled amiably and
shifted the umbrella to the other
shoulder.
Bob, I defer to your judgment"
Perfectly right that you should"
Bob went on severely. Il was wrong,
though, in calling you old. You are
your age-forty-two last April. That
is because you paint pictures for
living With my twenty-one years and
self-supporting position in the auto
mobile business, I am your senior by
a dozen years. I don't mind that. I
don't mind that you are the howl
ing beauty of the family. I don't
mind that everybody looks at you
twice before seeing me at all. 1
don't mind that strangers decline to
believe that I am your son until they
have to-
"All this because I undertook to in
terpret the design of Providence"
said the father, with a sigh which
was almost the real thing.
your attempts to interpret the de-
signs of Providence are most dismal
failures, DAN" his son declared, pune
tuating his speech with various unsuc-
cessful dives into his pockets in search
of a match. "You haven't any more
than-than this Internal pipe"
st don't seem to follow you, my
boy" said the father.
"it's my opinion that you're in love
with Hope Terriss yourself
"Merciful heavenSP
One sharp glance made it clear to
Bob that the mention of Hope Terriss
was not responsible for his unusually
placid fathers outburst Whatever
if was the excitement had passed off
with the exclamation. With the ut
most elaboration the fisherman low
cred the umbrella and laid 1t careful
" in the bottom of the boat.
"I wonder-something's pulling on
nv leg like mad"
1t was Bob's turn to show excite
ment and he did.
pull him in, Dan! Don't let him
get awayt" he fairly shouted, rising
to his feet at the risk of overturning
the boat.
age him" counseled his father, reel
ing in his line as calmly as if thirty
pound fish might not have attached
itself to the spoon hook at the 9TH
er end.
1t was only a pickerel, but it's five
pounds or less of electrically animated
matter put up a gallant fight, and
to have killed it was glory enough for
one day for an artist who did not pro-
TESS even to be an amateur.
That is what Hope Terriss said when
she met them at the landing and
walked with them to the camp, hold
ing one end of the forked birch stick
on which the men had strung the af-
they sat on the bath house veranda
after dinner
"And I've been fishing every day
for week and haven't caught a
thing, she added SO pathetically
that all unseen in he dark, Bob kicked
his fathers foot to call his attention
to it.
Don't you get any bites?" asked the
artist ingenuously.
at hardly know. Sometimes 1 have
| fancied that I was getting queer lit
tie nibble, don't you know, but Moth
| ing came of it.
"Remember the advice of the i'm
mortal Sir Izaak-fPersevere and keep
on persevering.' counseled Bob,
wickedly.
"Perhaps 1 will follow Sir Izaak's
ADVICE she said, rising. I'm the
meantime I am going to play lot
| of Schumann for your father accord
| ing to NV promise of this morning.
Hes the only person in the camp
whose musical taste scars above rag
| time"
1T don't mind Schumann at all
when-when I'm in good health, {"
For an entire week the subject
which had been brought to such a
sudden interruption by the pickerel
was not resumed. Hope Terriss was
| the life of the camp, and even old
Mrs. Vechton, who had ceased long
ago to speak in unqualified praise Of
| anybody or anything on the foot
stool. was greatly taken with her, and
admitted it openly.
THAT girl is of the right Sort" she
1 declared. shes got more manners
! and more common sense than all the