The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-10-31
TIE EVENING STORY
Halloween and Helen.
(By Dorothy Blackmore.)

u
men now. Tom" Ben Roberts argued.
"a feel ridiculous playing Il Hal
| loWeen prank at my age
you're all of rs and it must be
1ully ten years since you did such a
thing, said Tom, sarcastically, but in
good humor.
True, Tommy, my boy, and this
visit back to the little old home town
| that 1 can't remember I'm no longer
a kid
'"Then-prove it. Let's lift the
first unattached thing we come across
| regularly every Halloween with old
/ Farmer Fishers delivery wagon and
| deposit it in the sand pile near the
| river?' Tom laughed out in the old
boyish way at the memory of the
wrathful Fisher.
! I'VE must be near his old house
now, aren't we?'' asked Ben, becoming
enthusiastic. Would we dare to steal
| his wagon now? Wonder if he has a
new one-if not, I'm afraid the old one
might fall on us!''
They were walking down tree lined
| avenue in the new progressive town in
which they were born and brought up.
A homecoming celebration had
brought them back and this was their
| first evening.
Ben" cried Tom suddenly, catch
ing the arm of his friend here we
are. This is the very place. 1 know
inside the fence. The house is not
much like old Farmer Fishers shack.
though. He must have become pros
perouS.'
The two stopped before a fence-en-
closed yard and looked about in 81
lence trying to locate the old land
marks.
Yes said Ben after a moment,
its the same place, but spruced up,
like the whole dear town. he added.
There's a baby carriage, but don't
see the delivery wagon, Benny, do
you?" Suddenly he laughed outright.
''Be game and help me pinch that per-
ambu1ator. Well wheel it down to
the corner and leave it on the stoop
of some unsuspecting neighbor. AlPs
fair on lloween-everything that's
not tied down is likely to be carried
off, sang out Tom, trying the gate,
quietly.
Ben held back. Better be care
full, Tom
you've developed a bump of eau
ton since we left here; remember
well when you wouldn't have hest
tated to take off a half dozen shut
tiers and a gate or twoI"
Ben's memory ran back to those
days "AH right, I'll do tive may
never be home again. Who knows?
and it's no harm anyway. But
be careful
The two stepped off the graveled
walk onto the grass and walked eau
carriage stood. Its dead easy"
whispered Tom.
Folks have become careless since
we left. No one in Boone would have
left a baby carriage out on the porch
on Halloween when we were boys, Ell.
Tommy"
mot much! The youth of today
must be slow in Boone!"
Tom tiptoed to the porch and
caught the handle of the perambula-
tor which was toward him. Its
rather heavy" he whispered. Here,
take hold and don't wake up the,
family. Old Farmer Fisher must have
moved. Babies were long out of his
line even when we left here
Taking both ends of the perambu- |
Iator, the two overgrown boys lifted |
it carefully down the three steps |
from the porch, and began. ginserly, |
the big gate.
Mighty heavy, I call it," whis-
pered Ben. in the dark.
Tit seems to have something in |
it, cried Tom, in strfdent whisper. |
He had the front of the carriage In
charge. Ben-it-it-moves!"
"what?" cried Ben, forgetting to
whisper.
At that moment a baby's cry rent
the air. Both men stood aghast!
What had they done? Suddenly a
light flashed on the porch and the /
baby cried the louder.
WnaI-WndCeVeT Shall we 90
Were kidnapers" gasped Tom,
a gitating the carriage.
asked Ben, and he, too, began me-
chemically to dance the carriage back
and forth.
Then their blood seemed to stop
running through their veins as a
voice came from the direction of the
porch.
ooh, mother! mother! The babys
gone! He's been Acknowledgment!
nrff hi re ind
Ben took firm hold of the carriage
and began to wheel it toward the
porch. Tom, seeing his duty, ran on
ahead.
light from the porch he saw a beauti-
full young woman wringing her hands,
calm yourself and let me explain"
Our boys been kidnaped-from
this very porch" she cried; kid
and its mother will
be wildi''
I'VE have your Child Tom said
Hes safe and sound"
The young woman pushed back her
tumbled hair, drew her gown more
closely about her and looked at him
in the darkness. Then, as she looked,
Ben Roberts doomed up in the shadow
pushing the carriage. The baby had !
stopped crying with the motion of the
perambulator.
"Oh, you precious infant" cried
the girl dashing down the steps and
bending over the child And you
you two dreadful meni WHAT {
how
Ben came to the rescue. Let me
explain, please
"Yes=do wait a minute, madam" |
Tom interrupted. We've are not ,
kidna,ers. We didn't know !
here was a baby in the carriage
The young woman looked from one 9
% the other as she pushed the car {
-iage back and forth. They did not
OOk criminal =