The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-01-08
The EVENING Story
The Fairy stepmother.
(By Marion Cook.)

| Won't you please talk to me?'
Anne Trayner had just established
herself in her section of the Pullman
and opened a magazine when she heard
the question. She looked at the small
boy, steadying himself against the arm
of her seat waiting for her answer.
"Of course 1 will talk to you. 1 ex-
pect / know stories about elephants
| and bears that you would like to hear"
She held out her arms invitingly, but
Tom scrambled up on the seat oppo-
| site her.
| q don't sit in laps less I'm sleepy"
he said apologetically. Anyway, I'm
heavy. 1 guess 1 weigh about a hun
| bred pounds
! Dear me! You are a big boy, aren't
your
"Yes'm, and I'm going way off to
| live with my Aunt Molly. I don't
want to leave home cause my dogs
| there and a pet donkey that eats out
| of my hand without biting me. But
daddy, says he can't bring me up right.
bet he could, though, if he'd just
| try. I've never seen my Aunt Molly
Anne felt hot tears sting her eye
lids. He was conscious of the trag-
edy of life in strange home that
not even the promise of stories
could make him forget.
| Tom was staring out of the window
where the dun colored plains stretched
away. to meet the sky line. Anne leaned
| over him impulsively, tenderly.
II can go back home when I get
| stepmother if she likes me- He faced
her, sadness in his eyes. Mr..
| MCGOWAN, he's the man that runs dad
| dy's ranch, told me SO. But Tiff
my stepnother don't want me I'll have
to stay at Aunt Molly's forever.
guess.
Anne gulped down the lump in her
throat.
Come over here and sit in Miss
Anne's lap so that you can hear all
about the little boy who was sick and
couldn't go to the circus, SO the cir
Gus came to him."
Tom was ready then for her wait
ing arms Inconsistencies was stealing
over him, and he wanted to be held
close against that evil day when daddy
would leave him with Aunt Molly and
go back to Texas alone.
s'Tell story about fairies, Miss
Anne.s he urged when she had finished
the circus story. 'Will the fairies who
bring dreams under their wings and
shake them down on my pillow at night
know about me moving to Aunt Molly's
and bring 'em on there just the same?''
Yes indeed. The fairies know all
about where boys live, for they bring
all the lovely things that come to u.s."
could they bring me nice step
mother?" questioned Tom.
Yes" said Anne, comfortingly. "Of
course they can, and 1 am sure that
they will, too"
.Ten a story about a fairy step
mother!'
Anne began her story:
''Once upon time there lived a
young princess with her queen mother
in a palace high in the mountains.
One day, as the princess sat in the |,
old apple tree sweet with delicate pink ,
blossoms. she looked over the garden |
wall and saw a boy riding by on
white horse. He was riding slowly. so
the princess broke spray of the apple
bloom and tossed it over the wall. The |
boy caught the blossoms and. refining !
his horse, looked up in the tree and /
saw the beautiful princess. He asked |
if she were a fairy. and she laughed |
and told him that she was just a live, |
healthy girl who lived in the palace. |
Then the boy told her his name was |
Michael and that he was the son of the !
master artist who painted wonderful !
pictures high on the mountain.
Michael and the princess Elaine |
grew to love each other as the days
went by, and they met. again and
again. under the old apple trees that |
leaned over the garden wall. When
they were old enough to marry, Michael
asked the queen mother for Elaine, but
the queen mother said that he could not
have her daughter, because she was
pledged to a very, very rich old prince
who lived far away. Michael begged
Elaine to run away with him, but she
would not grieve her mother. so
Michael left the mountains and went
to another country to begin life over
again, he said. The queen mother died
before the very rich old prince came,
so when he did get to the palace Elaine L
told him that she did not love him and
sent him home again. She waited and
waited for Michael
Didn't he come back to see his
beautiful princess" questioned Tom
eagerly. please let him come. Miss
Then one day." went on Anne. ''as
Elaine sat in her garden, little boy
came in through the open gate His
hair was in brown curls all over his
head and his brown eyes were so
much like MichaePs that Elaine ran
to him and gathered him up in her
came to visit the Princess
Elaine; and when he begged her to go
and see his father who was sick,
Elaine went with him to the big
MichaePs father had lived There
sitting by a window she saw Michael
himself.
1--WE found my fair stepmother,'
the boy called to Michael.
Then Michael told the princess
that he had believed she married the
very rich old prince, so he tried to
love somebody else. Little Michaefs
mother died and always the little boy
had been searching for beautiful
1.-THE Princess Elaine married
Michael and the young dreams of her {
life came true after all. They lived
together in the palace on the noun
tain forever and ever. So one of these
days." said Anne, holding little Tom I
close, you'll find your beautiful step
mother, too. and you and daddy and {;