The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1914-05-30
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
TOMS PERIL0US STATE
By ADA BRANDON.
: zee OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,

mother. 4 do wish she hadn't gone
away TO Europe"
Wen Teas father sroEe up fierce
Is, he ehant marry that Goodrich
aIrl as tong as / can prevent it."
You know, dear, Interfering with a
love affair Is dangerous" cautioned
To.a's mother ANY objections of
ours are liable 10 increase his ardor.
We must be careful"
How can he have any arJor fer that
ancient charmer2 don't see. III bet
chos nearly twice his age"
: What can We do" TOMS mother
Looked helpless as she asked the ques-
ton
We can pack him of to California
to yisis his Aunt Laura. She knows
thct he's cut of college this winter en-
account Of the trouble with his eyes
ard she'll be glad Of visit from him. ="
When the trip to California was
preached te Tom DE saia Ire would
rather have the money it would cost.
81 want to get ahead a BIT. dad" he
explained
Yea won't set ahead very fest TO-
king old maids to the grand opera
every few nights
If scu mean Miss Goodrich"
THAT was just fathers little Joke,
Tom" hastily Interrupted Toms moth
err Ecu know. son, that we think
two or three months on your Aunt
Lauras ranch would Be just the thing
for you We want you to stay out.
doors all the time and give your eyes
q complete rest Don't you think
you'd enjoy the life out thero?"
why, I suppose I'd enjoy II, al
right, but it viii cost a lot Of money,
going cut there"
well, l think | can scrape enough
together TO get you out and back"
said his father.
THAT economical e.rrat Of TOMS
was q little too sudden to he oally
credible Toms fatho" sail be- Tau'a
mother a little later TITS Just an cE-
cuse not to leave that Goodrich s!gl,
but it won't go with mo He's starting
for the coast tomorrow night That's
decided"
Tom had been gone just a month,
when letter from Ills Aunt Laura
brought CONSERVATION to Toms pa
rents.
After q little preamble, in which sho
declared her fordness for Tom and at
serted that she greatly enjoyed having
him with her, she begged them to re-
cali him at once, HE appears I'd be
simply infatuated with a gay widow
who Is staying at the hotel near my
ranch" she wrote q feel certain that
she Is a designing woman and that she
has made up her mind to marry Tom.
He won't listen to anything | say
against her and when I mentioned that
I was certain she was old enough TO
he his mother. he remarked bitterly
that age seemed TO be considered q
crime in our family / don't kno"
what he meant hut / do know that
II would be most unfortunate for him
to become entanglad with this dash
/ ing Mrs Gaynor ! advise you to send
for him Immediately, You needn II
have urged me to keep Tom from
reading or studying He hasn't opened
a book since he's been here. He
and Mrs. Gaynor ride horseback near,
" all day long. The flowers in my
garden aren't good enough for her.
and he orders dollhouse roses from the
city twice week and the quantity OF
candy that he buys for her is pro-
digious,"
"Woll, what do you know about
| that" asked Toms father. aghast IN
looks very much as if we had snatchod
| Tom out Ct the frying pan and dropped
/ him into the fire, doesn't It? Now we
must bring him back to the frying PAN
eh ?"
probably this designing widow has
! quite banished the thought of MISS
! Goodrich" said Toms mother $50
there may be some comfort in the stu
alton"
TITS amazing what an unmitigated
fool boy can be" growled Toms
father, as he began to write tele'
gram,
/ 81 don't sec why you sent me such
q hurry call" Tom remarked to his
father on the day of his arrival home
"But I'm glad you did send for me-
Nv eyes are better now and I'm tired
of loafng. Can't you take me into
your office, dad? I don't want TO 60
back TO college. I want to get to WORK
and begin to earn money"
: "Why?" asked Toms father, with
laconlo severity.
well, ! think I ought to tell YOU
though it's a secret. Still, Lucie Good
rich and Mrs. Gaynor both guessed 1t
and think you and mother really
ought to know. I want to go to worF
for Halle Lane The fact is, we be
came engaged before she went to Eu
rope"
! you did, did your" exploded Toms
father
II hope you won't be angry. We
kept it a secret because We though
you and all her people would say VIZ
were too young But We are engaged
all right"
/ We'll, I'm glad of It." said Tom
father. but you've had a funny way o
.hou.iny itf"