The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-27
The Epening Story
When Daisy Darned.
(By Jane Osborn.l

let h1mSelf into his own apartment an
hour before his usual evening arrival
He went straight to his own room
his room and Daisy's, and with fur
tive glances to see that Daisy was
not in hiding, opened the chiffonier
drawer.
There they were, the shapeless piles
| of minated, undarned socks, just
where they had been for the last
| month. Harvey seized the afternoon
paper he had bought on his way
home, bundled the socks into it and
! then rolled it into parcel He cast
about for string to tie it. His eyes
caught sight of a piece of Daisy's pink
| lingerie ribbon lying in her bodkin
holder on her dressing table. He
seized this and in a minute his bundle
was firmly fastened.
Then, with guilty side glances, he
| hurried out of the apartment, closed
| the door noiselessly and, avoiding the
| apartment elevator, passed down the
narrow winding stairs. Once out in
the open, he turned the corner sharp
| ly. jumped on the nearest street car
| going down town and breathed a sign
of relief. Daisy couldn't possibly see
/ him now.
On his way down town, Harvey
opened his cardcase to find a clipping
| torn out OF his morning paper.
For Busy Women and Bachelors
| Darning and mending of all sorts
done. Anything from a pair of socks
to a lace gown mended and renovated
| by experts. The Mendery, &c Bristol
street.
When the car reached Bristol street
| Harvey slipped off with his bundle
and in a few minutes reached the de-
! sired number. 1t was such a very
little shop that Harvey would not
have seen it but for the brightly
! painted sign which dubbed it the
Mendery.
1t was a charming silken-voiced
young matron wearing an osprey
trimmed hat, with a veil drawn back,
who received Harvey'S package and,
giving him Il numbered ticket, PROM
ised to have the work done within
three days.
Harvey traced his way back to his
office. For the first time within the
year that he had been Daisy's hus-
band he felt as if he had deceived her.
He sat staring into the inkwell on his
desk and fumbled with the pens. He
had broken into his own house when
she was away, and still, he unused,
they were his socks and any man had
a right to dispose of his own socks to
suit himself Still Daisy had given
him some of the socks-tle bright
colored socks that he wore only with
high shoes were all her gifts. Per
haps he ought to have loft those. Still
a man couldn't go with holes as big
as eggs in his heels. He had bought
new socks, but he couldn't so on do
ing that always. And then there was
sorting of the socks-that alone was
accustomed to having mother or
wife attend to such details
But what had come over Daisy,
Daisy who had up to two months be-
fore regarded the slightest detail of
her wifely duty as a joy and a de-
light Daisy who had sat at his side
in the evening he read putting the
tiniest stitches into those socks of his
and telling him every five minutes
what a joy it was to do it? Daisy had
changed. Daisy had met some old
school friends who had filled hel
mind with new interests. Now in the
morning when Harvey went to search
in his chiffonier drawer for socks
Daisy was already in the dining-room,
dressed half an hour before he was,
and was calling him impatiently to
come as Jenny had breakfast all wait
ing. Daisy always seemed to be eag-
er now to have Harvey leave the
apartment in the morning, and only
a few months ago she had begged him
so tenderly to stay Just minute
longer.
Harvey rondered over the change
that had come i'll DaiSy'S attitude to- |
ward him. She seemed happy enough, |
but clearly something or some one |
was coming between them.
Harvey half expected that Daisy |
might notice the absence of the socks, |
but when, after week of the new ar |
rangement, she said nothing, he real |
lied that she didn't even put the |
socks in the drawer. Jenny, the faith |
full maid of all work, probably did |
that after she had Numbered them.
Harvey sent his office boy to the |
Mendery the first time, but the next |
Thursday afternoon he went himself
with the weeks installment of work |
This time he took more than. socks. |
Buttons were missing and rents need /
ed staying in an increasing number of
other garmens. And Harvey took /
them all. To be sure, the price for |
olzc Cd 1-lf I7Or
high. Harvey meant to mention this |
to the charming young woman behind |
the counter, but this time there was
another in charge, black-gowned.
pompous individual who looked at
the offering he brought through her
Iorgnette with condescension and
handed him the numbered card with
g1oved hands
money in mending," he said to himself
as he made mental notes on the quail
ity of her grooming.
But the mending was entirely salts
factory and the socks We're nicely
mated, SO that never again did he
have to spend ten minutes in the
morning trying not to wear gray and
green striped sock with mate of
raspberry cOlor-theSe were both OF
Daisy's choosing.
For months this satisfactory ar
continued. One day Daisy
the subject rather timidly
at the breakfast table Harvey,
dear" she said, s'it is a shame I
have been so busy lately that haven't
spent much time on your mending-
But 1 thought if you needed anything
done you would tell me. wouldn't
YOU dear? And / knew you had
bought some new socks"
Harvey felt the blood rush to his
face as the matter of his secret was
suggested
s.Of course, Daisy he said, its all
right know YOU are busy" He
Ionged to ask her what kept her SO