The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-09-12
TIE EVENING STORY
The Make Believe Stepmother.
(By 4. Maria CraWfOrd.)

call quite informal. He scrambled
through a hole in the hedge after a
ball that he had thrown too high to fall
! back on his own ground. in a frock,
the color of a blush rose, she sat sew
ing in a swing under a big maple tree.
At sight of her he pulled the cap from
his curly brown hair.
II came to get my ball. he be-
gan, apologetically. Il threw it higher
than 1 ever did before
Il hoped you We're coming to see me-
said the girl. Wont you sit in the
swing with me? 1 have a box of candy
here in my sewing basket. After a
while we'll hunt for your ball.
Billy was a very little boy and the
inducement was too much for his re-
swing and climbed in, sitting down OPP
posite her.
Il like your Dress he said calamity,
helping himself from the open box be-
side him. L think pink is the prettiest
color there is. Miss Susie says she is
too old to wear it,
And who is Miss Susie?" inquired
his lovely neighbor.
she keeps house for US. I'm Billy
Burton, jr. My father is the big man
with gray hair that lives over there
where 1 do. He is a perfectly splendid
lawyer. Everybody says So"
II am Miss Anne and 1 have been
expecting you to come to see me for
long time. We're such close neighbors,
you know"
well, you see I didn't know any girl
lived over here. Miss Susie said there
was a woman here and if she met my
daddy she might marry him and then
Id have a stepmother. They're awful
things, too" The brown eyes were
very wistful as they looked across at
her. "Stepmothers put little boys to
bed without any supper and they Won't
give 'em but one piece of cake. They're
mean. Miss Susie said So
L have a stepmother," confded Miss
Anne, but she is lovely"
Where did you get her?" Billy
promptly demanded.
My father brought her home when
I was a little girl. and she gave me
big doll and a trunk full of clothes for
it and a locket on a chain the very day
she came"
DO stepmothers bring you things?"
Billy was interested.
They do. Now let's play that 1 am
your make-believe stepmother.
laughed Miss Anne, land I'll show you
how they do
"That'n be fine" cried Billy joy
ously. Then the smile suddenly faded
from his eyes md lips. But you
won't be like a real one. for you're
too little, and anyway, you've got a
stepmother yourself
Let's play the game, Billy. It'll
be such fun. Come, let's hunt your
BALI"
She caught his little brown hand
| and away they raced, looking every
where for his lost ball. Finally they
found it under lilac bush.
The charm of secrecy was upon
Billy when at last he went home with
many a backward glance at the pref
| to him from under the maple tree.
Goodbye until tomorrow after
noon" she called.
"All right. Don't you tell a SOUL"
admonished Billy.
She stood watching the little figure
in blue rompers cross the lawn slow
ly toward the big empty house. A
mist blurred her eyes at memory of
Billy's confession of awful loneliness
when daddy kissed him goodnight and
went away and Miss Susie made him
say his prayers and then went to sew
in her own room.
Day after day Billy kept his ap-
pointment with Miss Anne, but they
moved their trysting place from the
ma pie tree to the other side of the
grounds SO that they could never be
seen by Miss Susie's keen eyes. On
rainy days they went to the big gar
ret and there Miss Anne told him
stories and made up all sorts of games
for them to play At such times Miss
Susie thought that he was visiting
little Charley Browne who lived down
his napkin at supper when he heard
her tell his father about the good in
fluence the Brownies had on his little
boy
''since he's been going there so
steady, Mr.. Burton" she remarked
one evening, hes as good as gold.
He don't have cross spells like he used
to have, and he thinks about me get
ting tired sometimes and don't bother
me then"
ard yx-11 Io h fo{1,
sat together on the wide porch, he
heard Miss Anne singing one of her
sweetest songs. He wanted very
much to tell his father about the
lovely new game of make-believe step
mother, but Miss Anne had warned
him never to tell and he determined
to keep the happy secret at any cost.
So he gripped the big hand over his
own and listened to the music, wish
ing with all his heart that he could
take his daddy through the hole in
the hedge.
Once he asked Miss Susie why she
didn't gather the flowers in their gar
den and put some of them on the
dining room table and bowls full in
the windows. so that the summer
breeze would carry the fragrance
through the whole house But the
housekeeper had told him that she
had enough to do without any extra
foolishness, so Billy held his peace
One day when he went to see Miss
Anne his face was SO flushed and hot
and his head hurt so that she called
her real stepmother and asked her
what to do for Billy
You must get him right home and
send for doctor I'll go with you"
Couldn't I keep him here until he
is well?" she begged.
His father might not like it. Anne. 1t
wouldn't be fair if anything
"Oh don't. mother. dear" sobbed Anne.
and held Billy tight to her breast as if
she would ward off all disease and pain
from his body.
So Miss Anne undressed Billy and put
him In his own little bed, while Miss
Susie, quite overcome by the presence of
two such lovely ladies, stood about want
ing to wait on them. The doctor came
and gave Billy some powders and told