Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1915-06-17


old one day toward the middle Of that
memorable senior year at college.
Molly was different from the other
girls in the college town. None OF
the boys knew her. II was said that
Doctor Dare had refused to allow Mol
ly to waste her time with the college
boys, and wasn't this very fact added
to the golden hair and the bewitching
smile, enough to fire any college
seniors spirit Of adventureH
But that first door-the front door
of the rambling old mansion was
the wrong way to find Molly. To be
sure, Lee Bateman was received into
the stately old mahogany drawing
room and Mrs. Dare talked to him
with unenthusiastic courtesy and had
even made out the check that patron
esses were expected to contribute to
the senior dance. But Lees expecta'
lions OF seeing Molly were disap-
pointed. His only glimpse Of her was
a feeting vision through the window
as she went out for an afternoon
drive.
Still there are other DOORS" he
thought. molly doesn't come out OF
that door when she goes driving. She
uses the side door," But the hext
day when Lee tried to approach that
door in the disguise Of book agent
he found that the door was guarded
by Molly's pet bulldog. who treated
Lee with the usual canine cordially
toward book agents,
Then there was the back door. All
houses had back doors, Lee knew, and
perhaps II he made his entrance that
way he might find Molly making fudge
In the kitchen. Luck had been against
him so far and It was bound to turn.
It was not hard to induce the grocer
boy to let him deliver the rice and tea
and coffee; and little change In the
way Of q cap and q coat transformed
him to the part. But Molly wasn't
making fudge that afternoon. To be
sure the cook was kind but Lee had
no satisfaction In the encounter.
The fourth door seemed the most
difficult. It was the doctors office
door. But somehow Lee went directly
into the doctors private office, and
before he realized what had happened
he found himself being questioned by
the doctor as to the trouble which
had brought him there.
"Sprained ankle" said Lee on the
spot and the doctor Immediately got
TO work with bandage and liniment.
Ten minutes later, when Lee paid
the doctor his fee, there was q twin
kle in the old doctors eye.
Lee jumped out through the pas
sage into the hall Of the house and
there-the fates had relented at last
he saw Molly, the gold hair and the
sweet smile and the merry gray eyes.
and even the pet dog who accepted
Molly's recognition Of Lee as sufficient
reason to abandon hostilities.
Molly Knew Mr.. Bateman, and she
was sorry that he had sprained his
ankle and she opened the front door
and watched him with concern as he
limped down the front steps. It was
only two minutes encounter, but 1t
was enough to fire the ardor Of Lees
devotion.
Lee limped-when he thought Of It
around the campus for the day and
the next day he was one Of the first
afternoon patients waiting for the
Doctors professional services. There
were more bandages and more lini-
ment, and then there was that won
derful passage through the house to
the front door, where Molly again ap-
peared. The next day the ankle was
no better. The doctor agreed with
Lee that 1t needed daily attention,
and Lees limp was so affecting that
Molly drove him back to the campus
in her pony cart.
The ankle had to recover. Bandages
and Imminent would, of course, have
their results. But there we've other
complaints that q senior might in
vent. There were sprained wrists and
strained eyes and strange unaccount-
able pains, and always the kindly
doctor discovered symptoms that Lee
had not even dreamed Of, and always
he accepted Lees spot payment with
the same apparent satisfaction In
money we'll earned. And always
there was the passage through the
house, and always there was Molly
who seemed to hover near the passage
way at Office hours. Still Molly did not
ask him to come by the side door or
the front door, and Lee did not dare
to ask her for the privilege. Some
times Lee stayed a half hour and some
times he felt that in Molly's smile he
caught a faint reflection Of the devo-
ton that had inspired his daily visits.
Then one day-it was nearing final
examination time and Molly had been
especially eager to know Lees plans
for the future-Lee had the long-an-
ticipated opportunity to tell Molly Of
his love and to feel in her glance the
response he had become so eager to
receive.
"And now" said Molly, with a laugh
that was contagious. daddy can