Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1910-04-21
MARY McCANN'S
ASSISTANT
By LoRA GOODRICH

faded flap of awning. the little shop
was rather dark within. 1t was a very
little shop. indeed. tucked in between
two large buildings, yet because It
CHANGED to have that particular loca-
ton a good many persons entered 1t
In the course Of the day.
It was kept by a pale, big-eyed lit
tie woman who said little, but tried
to make up for her lack of words by
sociable smile. She was q very timid
woman, who never should have tried
to keep shop at all, and would not
have had to II her husband had not
lost both his legs and his Job Of brak-
ing at the same time in railroad &C
cident.
Marean had fallen into the habit Of
slipping in there every morning on his
way t6-his office for paper or mag
azine.
Marean was young lawyer strug-
Cling into practice. He had grit apd
vim and humor; he liked his fellow
nan better than he liked himself and
gave him the best Of his knowledge.
But he did not intend to be poor; he
intended to succeed and to win his
share Of fortune by his wits. Hitherto
he had not found time nor felt In a
position to consider marriage, but now
he had begun to look for the right
woman. He had a very clear idea Of
the kind of woman he wanted, but he
was certain that she was not to be
found among his acquaintances. The
sisters and daughters Of his colleagues,
given as they were to the spending Of
much money and frivolous habits gen.
orally, would not, he knew, make good
wives for men who were bound for
some years to go very carefully.
Marean did not talk about his ideas
concerning marriage to his friends; he
did not talk about anything that lay
closest to his heart. "Close-mouthed, !"
they called him, but rafting good
fellow" which last is the highest COM
pliment that can be paid from man to
man.
Marean was a plain chap, yet his
face was more attractive than many
a handsome one. His eyes were clear,
his color good, his teeth perfect. When
he looked at you. you trusted him;
when he smiled at you, you all but
loved him.
A heavy rain caught him one morn.
ing on his way to his Office. As he
CHANGED to be near the little news
store, he hurried in with the two-fold
purpose of getting his paper and be-
ing sheltered until the storm should
lessen. The bell above the door
tangled pleasantly as he entered. At
the farther end of the store woman
sat at the desk writing. She appar-
emily finished q sentence before she
rose and came toward him. Then he
saw that she was not the woman he
had expected to find there. The pale
little proprietress had been replaced
by q girl midway Of the twenties,
tall girl with very direct eyes, a good
color and smooth brown hair. She
wore a dark skirt and a simple shirt
waist, faultlessly Numbered.
Good morningl" she said. Her voice
was cheerful, as well suited to the
rainy dark spring morning as robins
song.
Marean selected a paper, paid for It
and made a remark about the weather.
After that the girl was always tend
ing shop when Marean stopped for his
morning paper. Always she wore the
dark skirt and apparently the same
exclusively laundered waist; always
her voice was cheerful, her smile
brIxht. Marean began to notice things
about her. Clearly she was an unusual
tyne. most unlike the ordinary shop
Eirl. One morning he asked her what
had become Of the McCanns that they
were no longer In the store.
''Danny's sick upstairs" she ex-
planned, 'and Mary is taking care Of
him. You did not, perhaps, know that
they live in rooms aboveF oh, It IS
not O real illness. though 1t makes
Danny Just as helpless. You see, he
has always had trouble with his legs
since they were amputated, and they
have been especially bad lately. !
think be has tried to walk too much.
So at last he has had to take on his
artificial limbs and 90 to bed. He is
discontented and restless and won't
let Mary leave him. So that Is how ]
come to be here tending the store.
In course Of time Marean found out
that her name was Viola Heath and
that she came from q little country
town, that she liked the city very wen.
but did not know much about It. az
cepting the churches. She went to .
new one every Sunday for variety. Il
have Sundays OF" she said.
Cant you take an evening on also
and 60 with me to the musical show
tomorrow nighti" Marean asked. he
was speaking after thoughtful consid-