The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-05-02

Just sat as quiet as a half dozen raw
and looked a hole in my pompadour
till Billy hung up the receiver of the
telephone and came over to me with:
"'Two-o-two wants you as soon as
you can CONE
IL never In my life saw anybody
light up the way that young fellow did.
All at once he looked like Coney on
opening night.
1.-TWO hundred and twol' he said.
Go right up to her. Don't mind me.
l can wait
IL glanced up at him and he looked
awfully good to your Aunt Bessie. His
face had turned a little bit pink anu
his eyes had lost that far-away look
in a hurry.
"Herl OF course 1t was a Her in
two-o-twol But from the way this
young fellow acted l could tell that
this was an extra special Her Of the
very best brand, the choice and pick
Of the whole Her flock so far as he
was concerned.
1T wouldn't take me but q little
bit to get through with you,' l said,
keeping my smile for in the elevator.
"'No, l can wait he insisted. I'd
rather wait. To tell you the truth, l
want to see you after you come back
down. and he stammered and slut
tered like a young married man doing
his wife's first shopping with girl
clerks. Finally he blurted out:
Would you mind taking a little note
up there for me?'
"a motel l said, putting on my
toppiest air. L don't think the house
would permit it. You can call a bell
boy from here, and he'll take 1t up
HE fdgeted again, and the more
he idgeted and the redder he got the
more l liked him.
"'You see, it's this way he ex
planned. There's two ladies up there,
and l want the younger n to get the
note without the older one seeing it.
Then he got SO red I began to feel
real motherly toward him. He reached
in his pocket and pulled out a roll OF
bills big enough to stuff a Teddy bear
Smother that, young man. l said
Once In a while 1 like to do a per
sonal favor just to jolly myself along
that me hearts in the right place. ]
tell you what you do. You scratch
off your note and give 1t to me, and
I'll think about what 1 ought to dc
on the way up. I'll be gone from three
quarters Of an hour to an hour. viii
you be here?'
would he! If l felt as certain Of
going to heaven as 1 was that this
young man would be right there when
l got back, I'd never worry about my
conduct as long as l live.
My! / do love to see a plot thick
en-, and when l got up to two-o-twC
you couldn't scratch this one with ar
installment solitaire; for there was
the girl with the complexion that
wouldn't come off, and she was pref
tier in a kimono than she had been in
her grand opera summers! Her mother
was there, too, and when l came IL
they were in a gab-fest up to theil
pompadours, and blowing and paving
for shore so hard they never noticed
me but went right on. Anyhow, you're
supposed to wear blinkers and ca
cotton around a hotel, so l went deaf
and got busy. The girl stopped loni
enough to give me a real human smil,
as she gave me her nails to do, ant
then she said:
"'But, mother, Just think! Mr.. Pas
say is older than father would hav
been at this time!'
mi Passay is young in everything
but years. her mother came back, il
that dead level tone Of voice the hard
hearted father uses in the Bower.
thrillers. He is reaping the reward
in his splendid preservation, of
clean, Christian life. He is a gentle
man, he is wealthy, and can give yor
social position. Why, child, he is tn
leading memberSof the famous Passa
family, first cousin to the Wander
cashes, connected by marriage wit
the Whiteners. He's devoted to YOU
and all his daughters are grown u
and out Of the way
Eyes, and they'd all take grea
pleasure in calling me mother!" oil
jected the girl.
"'They wouldn't dare show thei
faces near yours when they said II
snapped her mother; besides 20
could stand that for a few years.
"'That's the trouble said the CIR
He'd never die. He's proved that a
ready. l won't have him, mother, an
that settles it,
you're an u~ngrateful chill
Grace!' walled the mother. You
rather have that young adventure
that l forbade to bother Vi any NOR
You have no proper pride at ALL
"tAdventurer!' said Grace, and
liked the way her eyes snapped. M
Hardy has a ifty-thousand dolls
ranch, and a nice little house in
nice little city near by, and money
the bank. And he made it all himsel
t His social position is good enough fC
g me. It's better than fathers was whe
you married.
well, the old lady began to drip
I the eyes right away. Her daughtC
was ungrateful-again. She had L
D proper pride-again. She was 70
t getting a solemn obligation. Her fathC
on his very deathbed had told Graz
e to mind her mother, and what was 81
n doing now? And the old lady retire
to the bath room for first aid to Il