The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-19
The Euening Story
The Baby's Blunder.
(By Catharine Cranmer.


John Elicit lay flat on his back in
a hospital bed and stared at the bare
and sanitary walls of his boxlike room.
His drawn face showed evidences of
mental suffering as well as of physi-
cal tortUres inflicted by the grip,
which had overtaken him in late
sprin gtime after he had successfully
evaded it all winter. 1t was bad
enough to be shut up in a hospital at
any time, but to be thrust from ones
Pullman berth into an ambulance in
a city a thousand miles from home at
the very beginning of a day on which
a big business deal should have been
Still, even that was better than TAX
ing chances with pneumonia in a high
altitude.
1t did not add to Johns peace of
mind that the girl he had once loved
lived in this city, whittier she had
wealthy manufacturer. He had al
ways felt that her fathers rehabilita-
ton in business just after her mar
riage had a direct connection with
the match which all of Dolly's friends
had considered a wholly unsuitable
one. owing to the difference in age and
tastes between her and the middle
aged man she married. John clenched
his slender hands among the bed
clothes as he thought of what he
would like to do to a man who would
sacrifice his daughter for financial
profit. Then he gave his body quick
twist in an effort to turn on his side,
but grunted ruefully at the twinges
of pain that resulted.
He became vaguely conscious that
some object had appeared in his door
way, but before his aching eyes had
dlscerned that it was other than a
nurse booking in, he was greeted by a
little child'S careSSinQ VOice
Poor Mr.. Man" cooed the voice, as
It's owner, dainty blonde maiden of
three, i'll a white frock and a flower
trimmed hat, tripped into the room
and approached his bedside, 'tdoes 90
head hurt 90? Don't 90 want me to
ture it ?''
BLESS your heart, little fairy, I be-
neve you could cure anything" Johns
delighted eyes were so busy feasting
upon the dainty face that he didn't mo-
tice what it was she dropped at the
bedside as she reached out her little
hands to his feverish forehead, and
began to ''smoove out the hurt"
With all the motherly tenderness
she would have bestowed on her ia
vorite doll, the child patted Johns
aching temples, smoothed his eyelids
and talked an a1luring pratt1e in the
most sympathetic of baby voices. But
the fairy's godmother, in the guise of
uniformed nurse girl appeared at
creature from the realm of healing.
The littel fairy shot her deep blue
eyes from the nurse to the patient in a
look of sly comprehension, and began
smoothing out her crumPIed gown
preparatory to obeying the summons
Then it was that she discovered what
she had dropped on the floor.
Mercy doodnessI" she exclaimed,
STOPPING down and bringing up a
tiny green basket filled with purple
and yellow pansies.- "Muvver sent
you this, and I mos fordot il. Dood-
bye"
After the child had gone, John
realized that the basket of pansies re-
manned in his hand. He removed a
card that peeped from the basket and
on the side that first caught his eye
was written: "Pansies for thoughts,
you know: SO be assured you are not
forgotten" Turning the card me-
Chemically he whistled in sudden sur
prise as he read the name: Mrs Al
bert Brown Watkins" Which was the
present name Of Dolly Owen, the girl
he had loved
A cold sweat broke over him and
with il came a queer feeling that all
his physical mechanism had suspend
ed operation His bevildered mind
was at first as incapaciated as his body.
but slowly he began to realize that