The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-28
THE EVENING STORY
His Eye Teeth.
(By Walter NC. Williams


tie in the Waldron method. This was
not surprising when you consider that
fate had burdened the family with
four daughters, who. each and several,
were keyed in a discouraging medium.
They were neither ugly nor pretty, fat
nor lean, short nor tall. Notwithstand-
ing this they were not as like as the
proverbial peas in pod. Contrari-
wise, they ran aggravatingly the whole
gamut of compilations, hair and eyes.
Sarah was blackeyed. Ellen boosted
a fiery poll, freckles, blue eyes, and a
snub nose. Grace was in a sort, no
colored-had hair, eyes and skin of
determinate brown, whereas Maria
was flaxen.
There were like differences in fig
ure. Consequently the problem of
dressing the four with none too much
money in hand, was correspondingly
complicated. What wonder that Mrs.
Waldron was open and eager in hus-
band hunting. Unwise of her, per-
wisdom as law. She had brought her
girls up to marry-early and often, if
need were. Indeed, it is hardly toe
much to say the family motto was,
strangely enough. the Waldron sisters
were, in the role of Diana, distinctly
misfits. Sarah, for all her mothers
help, had let slip three excellent
airy, and made her family realize con-
cretely the consultations of religion.
Everybody regarded Elias case as
hopeless-no man would be reckless
presaged. There everybody reckoned
without Ella and her inner conscious
| ness. 1t was made up firmly to matri-
mony-even if it had to be on the
principle neck-or nothing.
When Silas Fem lost his wife, and
wept for solid week, Ella rose to the
opportunity-sat down by him at
prayer meeting and let him weep
him home with her-he was limp as
a rag spiritually. Before he got away
she had an understanding with herself
in a fortnight she had made him a
party to it, and in another fortnight
had married him.
After that those who had scoffed
became to a degree respectful. May
be, after ALL Sister Waldron's way was
missed in turn, the circuit rider, Law
sons new clerk at the store, and Billy
Doris, who was reading medicine with
| old DR.. Quale, heads were shaken,
over Billy. He was really worth
| while-had ten thousand coming to
| him from his fathers estate when he
was twenty-five, to say nothing of eX-
pectations from two maiden aunts.
| And he had at first seemed the surest
of sure things-had spent all his Sun
! day evenings at the Waldron house,
never eating less than nine biscuits at
tea, and saying they were Heavenly
especially when informed that Grace
| had made them.
He had stopped-suddenly- no
| sort of explanation. Everybody else
had explanations in plenty-it was his
mother, his aunts, the trustees, his
| grandmother-it was girl back home
it was another girl yon side the
county-it was the Waldron temper
| Ella had been leading poor Silas a.
| dance, indeed, since her twins came!
1t was the missionary connecticut
was prohibition-Pap Waldron stood
! up strenuously for free mans right
| to drink. 1t might we'll be forgiven
| him, since it was the only thing he
had ever been known to stand up for
These are but samples. Truth would
have stricken the explainers mo-
mentarily dumb. For truth was
Mrs. Waldren herself. She could upon
occasion be Spartan. She wanted
Billy for son-in-law very, very badly
but she did not want a leftover on
her hands. Unless he took Grace,
after all that had come and gone, her
chance of getting husband was prac-
tically nil. She had made herself a
spectacle about him-hadn't he given
| her reason to do it? Now, when his
vagrant fancy had turned to Maria,
with her yellow-white hair, her milk
white skin, her lisp and purring, kit
ten-y wayS-he couldn't have her. No
picking and choosing in her family
| thus Mother Waldron-the Lord had
| sent her daughters in the order pleas
! ing to Him. She meant to see to it
| they were married in the same Sc
| quence.
| When this had been said plumply
| to Billy he got very red, then white
angry, swearing he would rather die
| than marry Grace, yet would die if
| he might not have Maria. Maria was
younger by five years-quite young
enough to wait, though now nineteen.
She only giggled when Billy went to
away-they could marry out of hand.
20! I CANT. lit wouldn't be tot
| ing fair with Oracle. I see her side
of it mighty plain"
| Il wish you mine" Billy be-
gan holly.
Again she giggled. IF you had
real good sense there wouldn't a-been
the least trouble she said sagely.
Billy sat up dumbfounded; it was
upon criticism and counsel. Il don't
| understand he said stiffly-
| Maria tossed her head. Men are
! SO dumb she confided to the air
| Come here: stupid! Close. Now
I'll whisper"
| So said. SO done. In little while
Billy went off, also giggling. That
appear at Midlands for a matter of
| six weeks.
| He came-to find himself clean
supplanted. Mr.. James Cope, a
| travelling salesman of pretty well ev-
| erything from real estate-in Flor
| ida-to lightning rods and under
wear, had dropped down upon Law
| country round about well enough to
1 spend a month there. had got a