Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-27
Daisy Archibald''s
Intention
BY RUTH GRAHAM

a month on business. His friend Mr..
Molynoux is going to stay at the house
to protect us. heard papa ask him
last night while | was studying my
lessons and they were 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 at home evenings. He
could come in at any hour
How old is Mr.. MolynouxT
'He is thirty-four: but. you know,
I'll be sixteen next month. Besides,
I've always intended to marry a man
much older than myself. | don't care
a bit for boys. It's all fixed"
whats 6xedT'
why. about Mr.. Molynoux's coming.
to be sure"
"Oh. | thought you mean that it
was all fixed about your marrying
him."
And so 1t 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 change
the last two or three years had made
In her. Indeed, the last Christmas he
had given her a doll. She had receiv-
ed 1t affably. but as soon as her IA
theirs back was turned had taken 1t
up to the garnet, where she left it. As
for Mr.. Molynoux, he had no use for
schoolgirls, and his associates were
chiefly men. He was to take his
breakfast at the Archibald home and
his dinner at his club.
After having breakfasted for the first
time with Grandma Archibald and
Daisy. the latter said, with a smile:
mfr. Molynoux. which way do you
go when you leave the house?'
Fright down the venue Can | do
anything for youT'
"Why no. go down the avenue to
school,"
"Oh, you do"
1t didn't occur to Ned Molynoux to
walk to school with a 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 at him occasionally with a pair
of soft childish eyes. but with an ex-
preston in them that surprised him.
Now, IL 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 he Is
passing beyond the sphere Of young
ladies, even those who have passed
well 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 a companion.
"Granlma told me to ask you to
dine with us this evening"" she said
when their ways parted. This was
true, but Daisy had suggested the in
vitation.
"Grandma Is very kind. You may
tell her that I'll dine with her with
pleasure"
Molynoux dined at the Archibald
home that evening and a 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 a maybe all
the while, he falling under an 1nhu-
ence that he found very refreshing.
Occasionally when Miss Daisy. VINO
was lowering the while between child
and woman, would give flashes or the
latter Molynoux would be frightened.
for he had been asked to afford pro-
lection to a child. and anything like a
complication would be terrible. AT
such times he would contemplate leaV-
ing the Archibald nome for good, but
he didn't see how he could desert his
post, and yet if he stayed he feared
trouble. But he stayed.
What his friend Archibald learned
on his return of the proceedings at
home during his absence Molynoux did
not know. 1t may be that grandma
had been more obseryant than she ap-
peared; it may be that Daisy herself,
proud of having captured a grown
man, made no secret of what had been
going on. Archibald thanked his
friend for having accommodated him
during his absence. but said nothing
further. But Molynoux received a
note from Daisy stating that her ia
Their had decided to send her to board
ing school and she would go immedi-
ately. She said she vas broken heart
ed, whatever that meant.
For the next few years Molynonx
was in a condition of mental unrest.
His club, his men friends. were be-
coming uninteresting to him. He loved
to think of the evenings he had spent
with ''that little MINK Daisy Archi-