Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1914-01-09
Daisy Archilbaild's
Intention
By RUTH GRAHAM 1

Molynoux is going to stay at the house.
to protect us. heard papa ask him
last night while | was studying my
lessons and they VIE smoking to-
gether Did you ever see Mr.. Molly
noux? He's awfully handsome. Papa
! told him that he needn't trouble him.
self to stay ut home evenings. He.
could come in at any hour" q.
"How old is Mr.. Molynoux"
''He is thirty four; but, you know,
I've always intended to marry a. man
much older than myself. l don't care
a bit for boys. It's all fixed"
whats fixed?'
why, about Mr.. Molynoux's coming,
to be sure" 1.s ..=.::
"Oh, thought you meant that it
was all fixed about your marrying
| him"
And so it was. Nothing was further
from the mind of Mr.. Archibald. who
had seen his daughter grow up from
a baby and did not realize the charge
the last two or three years had made
in her. Indeed. the last Christmas he
had given her Il doll. She had receiv-
ed it affably. but rs soon as her IA
theirs back was turned had taken it
up to the garnet, where she left it,, AS
| for Mr.. NIolynOux, he had no use Tor
schoolgirls. and his associates were,
chiefly men. lie was to take his
breakfast at the Archibald home and
his dinner at his club. Il y
After having breakfasted for the first
| time with Grandma Archibald and
! Daisy, the latter said. with a smile:
"Mr. Mo!ynoux, which way do you
20 when you leave the house, .
Fright down the avenue. Can l do
anything for you?'e ~
"Why. 10. go down the avenue to-
school, RI. :s.~.
"Oh, you do IT.:
1t didn't occur to Ned Molynoux to-
walk to school with Il little girl. but
!! when he came to leave the house the
| little girl left it at the same time. She
chirped at him like a bird. as they
walked together, doing most OF the
talking. incoherently, herself and look
ing up ut him occasionally with pair
of soft childish eyes. but with an ex-
preston in them that surprised him.
Now, if there is that in certain girls,
which attracts them to men much old
er than themselves there is that In old
er men which renders them apprecia
tive of very young girls. A man ap-
preaching forty is conscious that be is
passing beyond the sphere of younS
| ladies. even those who have passed
! we'll beyond the teens. and he is be-
ginning to be highly appreciative of
any notice whatever or attention
| from them 1t was not what Miss
| Daisy said to him; it was the fact that
she looked very proud of having him
for companion. a.*
"Grandmu told me to ask you to
dine with US this evening" she said
when their ways parted. This was
! true. but Daisy had suggested tile in
| vitati0n.
Grandma is very kind You may
tell her that. I'll dine with her with
| pleasure ..
Mo,ynoux dined at the Archibald
! home that evening and number OF
Other. evenings. After dinner he sat
chatting with the grandmother. some
times smoking and reading the even
Ing paper till Daisy had studied her
lessons-she didn't give them much at
tention-then he would play checkers
: or dominos or: some other game with
them. she chatting like maggie a.!
the while. he falling under an tndu-
ence that he found very refreshing.
Occasionally when Miss Daisy. who
was lowering the while between child
and woman. would give flashes OF the
latter Molynoux would be frightened.
for he had been asked to afford pro-
lection to child. and anything like
complication would be terrible. At
such times he would contemplate leav-
ing the Archibald home for gtN'd. but
he didn't see how he could desert his
post. and yet if he stayed he feared
trouble. But he stayed. :s.5s
What his friend Archibald learned
on his return Of the proceedings at.
home during his absence Molynnnx did 81
not know. 1t may be that grandma
had been, more o!,Servants than she ap-sss
peared: it may be that Daisy herself. 3
proud of having captured a grown +
man. made no secret Of what Ind hpen
going on Archibald thanked his
friend, for having accomm"ditetl him %
during his absence. bnt said nothing 8
further. But MolynonX received q #
note from Daisy stating that her ia
Their had decided tn send her to board
ing school and she would 90 immedi
ately. She said she was broken heart .
ed. whatever that meant.
For the next few years M0lynOnx
was in condition of mental unrest.
His club. his men friends. were he
coming embarrassing tn him He lOvp1
to think Of the evenings he had spent L
with that little nlillx.''. Daisy Archt Il
bald. still thinking Of her az little II
mink. Her father kept her ut school.
but she returned ut last. and he IN
vited Molyno,x IT, dinner. ss4S
Daisy was much changed. but Realm
ed the same characteristics. She was 81