The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-17

so you have for the time being. dis
proved my ability to judge human
nature But 1 am still confident
have been studying you lately, and L
| have been thinking about you"-here
| he stopped and looked at her with his
penetrating unimpaSsioned, yet SYM
pathetic eyes, eyes that seemed to
Patricia to be as old as the world
have concluded that you are untitled
for office work. You are of the do
mestic type. The type of woman who
makes the successful wife and mother.
If you continue in office work you will
continue to be a hopeless failure. If
you are fitted for domestic life you
will be a success. / now propose to
send you to a school of domestic
science, to learn the business of home
making. The small cost is an incident
to me and the satisfaction of having
placed you in the right sphere will
more than repay me. After that you
will be able to fill a useful position
you will be able and fitted to marry
some Industrious young man, who will
find in you one wife in a thousand.
Patricia was too surprised to pro-
test and, wishing only to live up to Mr..
Craig's good opinion of her she con-
scented, telling her mother and sister,
as he suggested, that scholarship had
been given her. Every month while
she was in the school she brought
signed report from the principal of the
school to Mr.. Craig's office, who, in
turn, signed it to assure the prfn-
cipal that she had reported to him,
and Mr.. Craig looked with growing
interest at the neatly marked Excel
lent" and Perfect" marks written af-
ter every subject taught at the school.
AS the months went on he became well
acquainted with his young charge and
the timidity she originally felt in his
presence soon gave way to feeling
of spontaneous friendliness.
1t was the last month of Patricia's
term at the training school and Pa
tricia had brought her last report card
to Mr.. Craig for inspection.
This is the end of the course" she
said when he had seen the card. II
don't know what you want me to do
next. I would like to teach domestic
science, but I haven't been to COL
1ege-"
What did I tell you I wanted you to
do?" Craig reproved her.
Patricia hedged for a moment. You
told me you wanted me to marry and
make a useful wife, but I don't see
how CAN
A smile broke over Craig's face.
Perhaps it is an unusual way to go
about It," he said, but I have made
up my mind within the last few months
that want you for my wife myself
He came over to her chair and looked
down at her with a helpless, pleading
look that Patricia had never seen be-
fore.
ct have always been a queer, awk-
ward sort of man, Patricia, but if I
wasn't such a bear, do you think you
could want to marry me? We have
a long way to go before we will know
each other we'll enough. I want you
toto stop being afraid of me-play
with me and take the gruffness from
me, I know you can do it. Will you
try?'
Patricia in her most extravagant
dreams had pictured to herself the
woman whom Mr.. Craig might marry.
She had imagined how delightful it
would be to have the task of coaxing
him out of his usual gruffness and
she had even made up her mind how it
might be done. but she had never,
even in her widest thoughts, dreamed
that this person might be herself. 1t
seemed like an eternity as Patricia
sat there with Craig standing over
waiting for her answer, and then a
feeling Of exaltation came over her, a
feeling as if she had always known
that she would some day reach this
pinnacle of happiness. She put her
hands out to him just as she imagined
the woman whom Craig would marry
would have done, and though she for
got the speech that she had imagined
for the occasion. Craig understood
Copyright, 1913 by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)