The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-28
The EUening Story
Molly Stops Payment.
(By Jane Osbern.l

course, that he liked to be IN her
company, but that he actually wanted
strange, so novel, so unexpected, that
she would have to have time t. think
it ever. That was what she planned
to say. but when the moment came 1t
was dusk in the garden and she was
showing him the first rose of the sea-
son that had come into bloom that day
Molly, in her excitement, forgot all
her plans and told the undoctored,
plain truth. In a few timid, half SEN
fences, and not with the easy nom
chalance she had planned, she told
him that she had loved him always,
thu. she had hoped he loved her and
that now that she knew he did she
was the happiest girl in Bennington,
And isn't it wonderful" she said.
''how everything 1 have dreamed
about and waited for comes the same
day-May 2O-the greatest day of my
life?'
why the very greatest?"
besides this most wonderful day,
she sand, still forgetting the role she
had planned, there's the" Then
she stepped short. No, she wouldn't
about the check she had received
from the magazine that had accepted
her little story well, then, besides
this" she added, confusedly marking
off the events on her fingers, the hrst
white rose bloomed today, and we got
the new vacuum cleaner and the COOK
left 1t was a pretty lame ending,
but it saved a confession, and Brad
was probably not listening any too at
tentiyeIy to the actual words that
Molly spoke at that particular moment
of his newly created happiness
Molly had literary ambitions, which
had been famed prodigiously three
years before when she had received
check for "a cents for recipe Tor
pattv cakes. Molly knew that that
wasn't exactly literature, but the &C
ceptance of it was suspicious, and Tor
three long years she had been work
ing, dreaming and scribbl1ng with her
funny little ambition always upper
most in her thoughts. 1t was because
she was afraid that Bennington people
would laugh that she had kept her
aspirations secret and hadn't even told
her old friend, and new fiance, Brad
Simpson.
The next day Molly went to Brad
ford, the nearest sizeable town, to be-
gin to buy the things for the trous-
seau, for she was as eager as Brad
to hasten their marriage Molly would
not have been so eager to buy those
laces and ribbons and lawns with
which to make the fluffy things need
full for her chest had it not been for
the check. To be sure, the check was
small, for Molly's first story had not
brought a fortune. But it made
good beginning and Molly started out
of shopping followed, and Bradford s
| big department store was ransacked
| before she had made her small pur-
| chases She had forgotten to have
the checked cashed in Bennington be-
fore she started, so all her little pur-
| chases were sent c. o. D.
| No wonder Molly Bell was not quite
| herself that morning. No wonder she
said good evening to her mother on
going down to breakfast and favored
her coffee with salt instead of sugar;
for Molly had never been engaged be-
fore and that wonderful letter that
came in the morning mail was the
first real, true love letter that she had
| ever accepted as SUCH So what hap
pened was quite excusable.
When she arrived home after the
shopping trip it was two o'clock, and
her cheeks were flushed with excite
ment and happiness. Later, when the
packages came from Bradford-for
she had requested special delivery
MOLLY realized that she had still not
cashed her check, SO her mother
would have to foot the bill after all.
Then Molly thought of the purse
with the check Where was it? 1t
could noc be found, but where had she
lost it? The purse itself was old and
it contained little of value but the
check, which Molly had foolishly
| enough Endorsed after she had asked
Brad the night before how checks
should be signed. She had felt her
way carefully so as not to arouse his
suspicious, for he was to know moth
ing of the sale of the little story. Brad
she was sure, would know because he
worked in Bennington's only bank and
knew everything about banking, Molly
was sure.
First she telephoned all the way to
Bradford, to the store she had visited
but she heard no news of her purse
Oh folo 70 rIo
of the car company and still no good
news, and another set of telephone
calls the next day only confirmed
her fear that the check was truly
lost. The man who answered he1
call at the department store listened
to her tale of woe with interest and
suggested that since the check was in
dorsed she had better write at once tC
the editor who had sent it and request
him to have payment stopped. An6
this Molly did without, of course
knowing what the words meant
Once or twice that evening wher
Brad came to call he accused Molly o,
being distracted and surely she was
1t would have been so comforting tt
her if she. could have asked Brad Il
explain just why it had been best fol
her to write this strange request tt
the editor of the magazine, but thi:
would mean a concession of the los
of the check and a full account of hel
sale of the story.
1t was two evenings later that tn,
tables were turned, and when Brat
: calIeo that evening il was he who wa!
accused by Molly of being distracted
1T isn't that you have actually dis
pleased me- Brad began quite ser
iously after Molly had coaxed him t,
tell her the cause of his anxiety. 'bu
1 am afraid 1 don't understand you
That's ALL 1 would be so happy if
thought 1 had your confidence"
Molly blushed a little as she though
of her secret ambitions.
You see,'' Brad continued, and i
was evident from the way he spok,
that his little speech was premeditat
ed, you see when engaged peopl
| don't have each others confidence
, they can't be as helpful as they woul,
otherwise. Now'-and here he tool
Mollys hand, which, with the mex
statement. grew cold-"now, suppos
[ had some secret some had habit