The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-04-18
The Man, the Mission
and the Maid
BY George Randolph Chester
copyrlght By the Mcclure Newspaper syndloate)

Look at that, nowl" said Grand
father Gilman. Honestly, / feel like
1 wanted to paddle that boy! There
he sits, as stiff as a poker, talking
to the prettiest girl in Oakdale with
no more life in him than if she was a
sack of potatoes. Did l, 1t his age,
ever sit like a tailor's dummy on any
girls front porch?"
ADAM" retorted Grandma Gilman,
my distinct recollection is hat at
twenty-five you we're the biggest fool
in the county"
The mailman came up the street.
Miss Blanchard ran down to the gate
and he handed her a large, fat, square,
cream-tinged envelope. Mr.. Gilman
had followed her.
Have you anything for me?" he
asked the mailman. Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman"
The mailman looked up with a
start.
why hello, Harry!" he cried heart
lily and held out his hand. 81 didn't
recognize you. How you have grown"
Mr.. Hatred Joyce Gilman was too
digniied to vince.
There's scarcely any change in you,
Mr., Powell" he said with lofty gra-
c%iousness. The years treat you very
kindly. indeed"
Getting gray-gray at a rat" And
the mailman jerked off his hat a mo-
ment. Let me see. You asked about
a letter. 1 got one here, but l hadn't
any idea hat Hatred Joyce Gilman
could be you"
The letter he hunted out was a
long, legal envelope. 1t bore, printed
in one corner, the address of the Tene-
ment House Sunshine league. Mr..
Gilman took it with reverence, while
the deep frown of concentration
creased his brow.
II shall have to ask you to excuse
me-" he said briskly to Miss Blanch-
ard. 81 have been waiting with some
ton. 1t is-well-the call of duty"
He glanced at the fat envelope. You,
too. will be naturally anxious to see
what Uncle Sam has brought you"
II know beforehand she said.
These envelopes bring me no sur
prises. They are my only rays of sun
shine"
He smiled sadly and shook his head.
He intended to devote himself solely
and undoubtedly to humanity, and if
he ever married at all it would be to
some good woman who could aid him
in his settlement work; even Their only
If he was convinced that they could
do more together than they could sep
arately.
You must come over often" invited
Miss Blanchard. 81 am interested in
your work"
II should be glad indeed If I could
interest you seriously in it." he as
sured her. II shall consider it my
duty to do SO if l can"
In the pursuit of this duty he came
over nearly every day and most Of the
evenings. Miss Blanchard did not go
out much. The fat, square, cream
tinted envelopes kept her at home;
made her refuse many invitations that
she might have been glad to accept
had she been the unsettled, frivolous
girl she used to be when she was
young-say, seventeen or eighteen.
IT was not long until Mr.. Hatred
Joyce Gilman knew all about the en-
velopes. She told him, one evening
when the family had gone out and
they we're alone on the Blanchard
porch in the moonlight.
MIR. Gilman" she observed tremu'
lousy. 81 may trust you. We have
known each other all our lives, and
never knew you to betray a confidence
even when we had our worst spats
MI. Gilman"
You may call me Hatred" he inter
rupted with quite elderly g~entleness
laying his hand protectingly upor
} hers, where it rested upon the arm o
, her chair. You have no brother. Yo'
l need one"
; Thank you, Hatred" she grateful!
replied. 81 am going to confde il
you. Hatred. my parents are bent OIL
running my life. l have an attach
ment, a deep and lasting attachment
and they frown upon 1t. l have neve
|, met him but twice, but we have cor
: responded ever since. At first 1t wa
: only the ordinary boy and girl col
respondence, of course; but as 1t grew
: 1t deepened and ripened into some
thing far too precious for them to un
derstand. You, however; are a man o
I, the world. You can, perhaps, appre
ciate how vital an attachment like thi
becomes" And she q~uoted'four verse
|. from the "Rubaiyat" of Omar Kha9
q yam to prove it.
YES, l know, l know" replied Ha
y fred, with dreamy emphasis. Il ha
also, when / was younger, an attacl
!, ment that might have altered tn
A course of my entire life, but 1t wa
r nipped in the bud. She" he choke
n up a little bit very successfully-'sh
t proved faithless."
81 am sorry, brother" she sal
k turning her hand palm upward I
Q clasp his strong and supple finger
s with a grip Of understanding.
/ would not have r~e-opened your woun
d for worlds"
k ut is nothing" he replied in a he
i! low voice, leaving his hand In her
J. Nothing whatever. The same dew
"A compositor did his hour of Balzs