The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-09

raas ,b;s heading: Movie actress sill
missing. Film company now piannins
to make search OF mountainside- any
then Peter read the article that toiu
that two weeks before a cinema com
pany had been taking pictures 1cr
big feature play along the mouht'ih
side. A company of Twenty-Five Juve-
nile actresses was included in the
scenes Somewhere one of these girls,
who on the day of her disappearance
was dressed to impersonate girl OF
ten or twelve, had been lost no one
had missed her till the company hao
been carried back to their headquar-
tiers and no search was made for her
till they had all returned TO rev
York. AS her part was over IL was
thought that perhaps she haa gene
home before the rest. The fact tnal
her street clothes had just been found
in the country hotel from which The
company started out on the day OF
her disappearance showed That -ne
had never apparently returned IRON
the mountainside-
The real meaning of this did not
dawn on Peter all at once. and even
after he began to realize that Frieda
was the lost child he did not tell her
immediately of his discovery. He wait
ed till he found her alone merrily
Smelling peas in Miranda's woodshed
while Miranda was visiting her near
est neighbor. Peter opened the paper
and let the girl read the account
Meantime he watched her face. A
glance at the newspaper account was
enough to assure Frieda that her
secret was known. She dropped her
small hands on the checked gingham
! pinafore that Miranda had made her
and opened her blue eyes and looked
at Peter very wistfully-
| Il didn't tell you before because it
was like heaven here with you and
Mira nda. l got lost that day with the
company before you found me. Tiers
4 1Aw- ~
ran to shelter and when it was over
| I was alone. I walked thru the woods
1 for an age and then you found ms I
was going to tell you-but l must
have tainted and after that liked YOU
| so much I didn't want to leave YOU
l tried to make myself believe that I
| was tust the little girl you thought L
was. I'm seventeen really But
never had chance to be little girl
/ so l wanted to stay here"
/ Peter was sitting beside Frieda ? nd
had taken the large pan of green peas
/, from her lap. ".Is that why-why you
| haven't been willing to kiss me gooc
might? ' he asked. The girl in the
pinafore shook her head up and down
| in the affirmative.
at wasn't because you liked
| Mira nda--so much better than ne -
Peter stopped short for two little
hands were sclinging convulsiyely to
his arm and sobbing head was laid
3
away, please. There is no one in the
world l care for the way do you and
Miranda. Please let me stay
Peter had raised the fair head from
his arm. If the little girl in the woods
he had first seen had seemed exquisite,
now that she had suddenly grown TO
be little woman, she was a hundred
times more SO. If holding her small
body against his arm had thrilled him
then, now to feel her head soothing
on his shoulder was a thousand times
, | more delicious.
Il have been thinking" he began
very awkwardly, that maybe I'd have
chance toto marry you when YOU
grow up. But now you are almost
| grown up already 1 won't have to Wal;
SO long
Frieda's tears had stopped She
looked up at him with the happines.
that had shone in her face the first
t night when ne had found her. "Oh
Peter, ] am SO happy" she whispered
And when Miranda came back from
r the neighbours an hour later she fcun6
: her brother and Frieda still shellins
the peas in the woodshed-(Copy.
right. 1917, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate