The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-13
The EDening Story
All Because of Bruin.
(By Catharine Cranmer.

An early morning walk in the park
was Dorothy's springtime fad, but one
morning she set out without prospect
of her usual enjoyment. Her eyes
were red from weeping But the most
confirmed case of blues will fly in the
face of sunny spring morning, espe-
cially when the sufferer is a pretty
girl of twenty.
In gray corduroy, with touches of
vivid green, Dorothy swung along
over the smooth slopes, STOPPING often
to gather wood violets or to listen to
the singing of the birds. When a gray
squirrel peeped down at her from
big tree the last clouds left her face
and she smiled.
It's too lovely a world to be un-
happy in" she murmured. The squir-
rel lowered his head in a sidewise
glance of scrutiny and gave a harsh
and saucy bark. That's right. little
fellow" retorted Dorothy, seating her
self on park bench; just scold when
things don't suit you. I'm going to
scold, too, and give mother and daddy
to understand that I don't care how
blue John Mowbray's blood is or how
big his bank account or how good his
chances to become governor, 1 won't
marry him because he's forty-five.
and, besides, he hasn't even said he
wanted me-
Suddenly, the chorus of birds ended
ing a quavering chit-chat. The squir
rel scampered up the trunk of the big
tree. Dorothy, sensing something
strange, looked about her and her eyes
and mouth opened wide in surprise
she saw a full-grown black bear leis-
urely sauntering toward her. There
was no fear in her first surprise, but
when the bear gave a snort and start
ed forward in an awkward sidewise
gallop, she sprang from her seat and
ran for the nearest roadway, hoping
that a passing autoist might rescue
her.
She looked back once and saw the
bear still galloping toward her. but
she did not see two park laborers
bearing down on him. Neither did she
see a lone young golfer strolling city
ward until she rushed directly into
him as she bounded down a terrace
into the roadway just as he passed
clump of shrubbery which had con-
cealed them from each other. The
force of their collision sent the young
mans glasses flying and they broke
into bits against the concrete curbing
at the edge of the roadway.
1.-The dewitt" he muttered.
"Oh, I'm sorry" she gasped, but
it's really coming right after me-"
Whats coming? The devil?"
mo, you stupid; the bear!" Doro-
thy's high-wrought tension almost
snapped and the tears hung on her
lashes. Seeing no bear or other cause
for her agitation, the young man look
ed puzzled as we'll as annoyed, but the
next instant annoyances and perpleXity
gave way to a riotous smile that ex-
tended all over his good-looking face
and into his gray eyes. Down the road
came the two park laborerS with the
captive bear gently pulling back on
the rope by which one man led him,
and perkily wincing from the punches
administered to his sides by the other.
Dorothy quickly snatched bill from
her purse and flung it at the astonish
| ed young man.
'Therei Pay for your old glasses
and stop laughing at mel" She fled
behind the shrubbery and after her
went the young man.
Il sayi" he Stammered, as he reach
| ed her side and trotted along with her,
| I'm sorry 1 was nasty about the
glasses, and you must take this back"
Dorothy refused even to look at the
| bank note, so he slipped it into the
roomy pocket of her coat, and VEN
| tured to add: I'm sorry my laugh
! ing offended you, but surely even you
| ought to see that it was funny"
| His laugh, that now broke bounds
| and rang heartily out, was too infec-
| tious to be resisted, and Dorothy
| laughed too. They slowed up as they
reached the seat she had vacated and
dropped into it. Between bursts of
| laughter. she explained that when the
ing toward her, with never a keeper in
sight.
IF I hadn't already been wrought
up, maybe it wouldn't have frightened
me So" Then she surprised him by
suddenly asking: eff somebody tried
old as you just because she was rich
and influential, what would you do p"
I'm afraid 1 should decline with
thanks" he replied.
but because I'm young and silly
and want to stay that way, daddy
won't take me seriously when 1 de-
cline; so I'm going to run away"
"Oh, don't do that" he pleaded.
| isn't there some other way out of
it?"
I'm afraid not" She shook her
head hopelessly.
why not head off the old man by
marrying a young one?"
"Oh, might do that! I hadn't even
| thought of it,
still, 1 wouldn't be too hasty even
about that" he cautioned. Her ready
| acquiescence made him recall the fact
that numerous young men were avail
able. and he didn't like the idea.
well, I'm sure don't want to mar
ry anybody just now" plaintively. A
moment later she stamped her small
foot defiantly. And daddy need't try
to thrust me upon old John Mowbray."
John Mowbray!" exclaimed the
young man. Dorothy clapped her
hand over her mouth and blushed in
frightened confusion, for 1t was ap-
parent that she had spoken a name
well known to him. Springing to her
feet, she implored him to forget
everything she had said and to forget
he had seen her. and she fled before
| he could plead the impossibility of
| forgetting anything about her.
| All day Dorothy avoided her parents
because of the scene at breakfast fol-
| lowing their announcement that they
had invited John Mowbray and his
widowed sister and her children to an
informal dinner that evening. They
also openly admitted that they had
| hopes of having John Mowbray for a
J son-in-law and had reason to believe