Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-03-05

Was HARD TO PLEASE
ey MARY D. ARNOTT.

by "Sns -
did you read that" Numbered Sen.
ator Alcott throwing a note on his
desk.
His secretary picked 1t up and read
it. mol hadn't, senator" he said
quietly.
Amusing, isn't 1t? Very! About
the most humorous, the most heart
breakingly funny thing a girl can do
nowadays is to defy her parents and
elope with some good-for-nothing
mani"
The senator's apopletic c~ountenance
became more apopletic; his pacing Of
the soft-carpeted library floor became
more accelerated. He snatched the
note from his secretary's hand.
"Why-why! holy mackerel! she
hasn't even told me the idiots name
this time. That's the latest amuse-
ment of her set / suppose /" He
s%pluttered himself speechless and
sank into a deep leather chair.
John Craven stood quietly beside
the great fiat mahogany desk, one hip
partly supporting him as he leaned
against it. 1t was thus he always
stood while the storms that ragged
within the elderly senator spent them
selves. They never took long. but
their effects were telling.
Miss Virginia doesn't give his
name?" he asked quietly after the
A;v..~ - Al .I@aI, k-l konNr,a NM
notonous.
Senator Alcott stretched out a fec.
Bile arm with the crumpled message in
his hand. He heaved a deep sigh.
The secretary took the message,
smoothed 1t out on the polished sur
face of the desk. and re-read 1t.
Dear Father: I was sure you would
not want me to marry the man / love,
so l married him anyway. If you
think you can be nice to us, write
me a note-write to Virginia Alcott;
I'll ask for 1t in that name at the post
office-and I will bring him home. Az
~fectionately.
VIRGINIA"
Senator Alcott watched the secre-
tary as he read the note for the sec.
ond time. See any clue to his name
in that?"
The secretary shook his head. mo.
sir; l don't"
Pretty independent little note from
a girl Of twenty-five to her father-of
slxty-two Well. this time she's gone
too far. WhyAwhy-she never even
gave me a chance to object-just took
it for granted that I would. He must
be entirely beyond the pale"
"Or perhaps Miss Virginia just 7at-
urally knew you would consider no
one good enough for her, SENATOR"
ventured John Craven.
she just naturally knew nothing
of the sort. Craven; she's just natur-
ally spoiled and willful and-well, I'm
done with her. She can paddle her
own now"
Senator Alcott rose from the depths
of the great chair, walked toward the
door of the library, opened it, and
passed out. His morning mail lay I'M
touched saw the note which had
caused his distress, and he left not a
word as to its disposal.
MOI did he return to his desk that
day. This was a most unusual pro-
ceeding for the statesman and his Sec
rotary knew that the man was fight
ing 1t out alone; that when he did re-
turn 1t would be with his mind made
up as to his relations with his daugh-
ter in the future. The. elderly man
had been mother and father both to
his only daughter, but even the inex-
perienced eyes Of John Craven could
see that he had been a poor substitute
for the latter and a meager attempt a.
the former.
Il was not that the senator did not
have sympathy with his daughter, but.
that he had failed to show it; and
youth is not prone to search for 1t.
When he returned "a hours later to
his desk there was no sigh Of regret
for what he had done. no mention of
the incident Of the preceding day.
That he had written to his daughter
John Craven knew from the fact that
a letter addressed to her lay In the
mail basket addressed by hand.
But after his daughter was no long
er in the house, the old man grew
%perceptibly older. He became a trife
more irritable each week.
Senator Alcott," said John Craven
one morning after three or four
months had passed and neither OF
them had referred to the note Virginia
had sent, 81 am %resigning."
What" Numbered the senator.
:" am resigning my post as your
secretary. I-somehow l feel that
perhaps you would find a new assist
ant more neutrality-suspicious. one who
did not know who. perhaps, would
not detect the reason for your grow
ing irritability. Your daughter"
"All right accept. l told you not
to mention her name. 1t is best.
Good-by," Senator Alcott walked from
the room.
As soon as possible John Craven
arranged his affairs and left. Even
the way In which the senator had
taken his secretary's resignation was
indicative of his changed tanner. FOL
with men he had never been unsym-