The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-19
EVENING STORY
The Plot Against Agathy.
(By Andrew Phelps.)

(By Andrew PhelpS-(
Grandma Nelson and her married
daughter Mrs. Wharton, sat on the
veranda in close and confidential chat,
anr Agathy Wharton. 19-years-old and
the daughter of Mrs. Wharton. was
swinging in the hammock under an
apple tree.
Il want to ask you," queried grand
ma, what's the matter with Agathy?
Here she is. 10 years old and good
looking girl, and 1 can't understand
why she hasn't had an offer of mar
riage yet? Doesn't she like men, as
ruler
.-Agathy is a very hard girl in some
respects, the mother replied. she
takes likes and dislikes at almost the
| first glance. There are plenty of
young men around here who would be
glad to call at the house, but she dis
likes most of them. I sometimes have
| to laugh about it. She doesn't like one
/ for wearing a mustache, and another
| for not wearing one. In one case. the
Young mans eyebrows are too high,
and in another she doesn't THINK MS
| nose is set on right. These are whlms.
| of course and 1 hope that she Will get
over them by and by; but see no
signs of it yet
| DAUGHTER, you know it's all ar
| ranged for Agathy to go down to Suna
with me. 1 wanted to talk with you
! about the question to love. suppose
| she should meet on the steamer
Young man who filled her ideal-a
Young man whom 1 could recommend
in every way. Would you oppose it II
| she fell in love-?
| "N-o," was-the slow reply. But L
should want you to be sure that ne
] was all right"
which I have kept back. 1 have
| distant relative whose name is Charles
| Burton. In fact, he has made my
home his home for the last year.
while getting ready to graduate as a
! civil engineer He is a model young
mon in every respect, and about
| twenty-five years of age I like him
| so well that 1 am going to leave MN
\ something in my will. You know L
am going to leave Agathy something,
| and if they should fall in love and
| be married, they would have quite
| fortune to start life on.
That would be nice, but how will
they meet ?'
| why. he's going over with me.
You know 1 am going on business.
and shall not stay long. 1 don't want
Agathy to know anything about MIN
until we have sailed; and then 1 will
introduce them, and give him good
| character. 1 know enough about Aga
! thy to know that she would hate him
/ if she thought we had put up plot
What do you think of it, daughter"
You will have to take your
| chances, mother. 1 think she has
ideals about men, altho she won't ad-
] nit it. If Mr.. Burton is the ideal she
has been waiting for, it will be all
| right; if he is not, she won't give him
| ten minutes of her attention, no mat
| ter what you say in his favor. Does
he know he is going to meet herr?
| It have thrown out hints to that
effect"
! We'll, you can throw out some
more hints that he can be prepared
for humiliation, and thus not be too
much disappointed"
When the day of sailing came
Grandma Nelson and Agathy Whar-
ton. were almost the first persons to
go on board. Grandma cast an eye
around and She discovered that Mr..
Burton was also an early bird. He
| did not come up and address her be-
cause she managed to give him a sign
| in the negative. Miss Agathy let
nothing escape her eye, and soon de-
| tected the young man, but her eyes
rested upon him for only few sec
onds.
1t was the second day out and no
introduction had taken place yet,
when Grandma Nelson got ready to
spring her trap. She was going to
have the introduction come about in
! a very logical and natural way and
with a little romance mixed in. While
|
er chair on deck with the Atlantic
ocean rolling over and over around
her, the crafty old fox took from her
| steamer trunk a watch she had pro-
vided for the occasion. It did not
take her quite half an hour to wind
it up and see that it started off in
good fashion. Then she made several
experiments as to how far away the
ticking could be heard. When salts
| fed about this she went on deck and
| hunted up Miss Agathy. 1t gave her
/ quite a shock to find her talking rath-
er Familiarity with a good-looking
young man whose age was about
twenty-five. He was both cookbook
ing and entertaining, and he was evil
| IDENTIFY pleased with the girl beside
him.
Only three chairs away sat Mr.. Bur-
ton He was looking very solemn. He
ought to have been in the place OF
the other young man, but he wasn't,
and the situa ton made him sad. He
was wishing he knew not what. when
Grandma Nelson appeared and gave
the girl a sign to follow her. When
they had reached the cabin, she held
up her finger and whispered:
Keep cool, Agathy! We are in
very great danger, but keep COOL"
We'll, I am COOL was the cool re-
ply Are we going to be blown up
by submarine?''
AS bad as that, Agathy. Some one
has placed a clockwork bomb in my
trunk and, at a set moment, it will
blow up and sink the ship and all of
US with it. How anyone got in here to
place the bomb is beyond me, but you
can hear the ticking of the clock
i What shall we do?''
Why, that trunk must go over
board without delay calmly replied
the girl
But we dare not touch it, You go
on deck again and go to the third
chair from where you are sitting and
speak to the young man in it, Tell
him to come down here at once as
there is work here for a brave man.
was looking at him the other day
ana ne is the stun of which heroes
are made"