The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-25
EVENING STORY
Grandmother's Contentment Party.
By Jane Osborn.)

Whenever Grandma Bliss invited
her grandchildren to a party they
gave up whatever else they might have
had on and accepted. This was not
because of the fact that Grandma Bliss
was quite welI-to-do, and had the only
considerable fortune in the entire Bliss
family, but because, in her own quaint
way, she was one of the most enter
tanning and refreshing little ladies in
the world.
: So on the occasion of her seventy
seventh birthday, when she issued in
vitations to her grandchildren for the
evening at the hotel where she lived
with her companion, the whole six OF
them turned up-Nina, the plump
beauty of the family; Tom, also ro-
tund and ease loving; Bob, who was
studying law, and Margaret, spoiled
child who had never really accom-
pIished anything in her twenty years
Of girlhood And there was MarSa-
ret's brother, Ned, ana laughing-eyed
Rose, the poorest of the cousins, VINO
worked down town in somebody's Of
flee and sometimes wore Margarets
old clothes made over.
Grandmother sat on her cushloned
divan quite in state after the dinner
was over, and the cousins all sat
around her waiting for her to propose
some form of amusement. That was
grandma way, to get the children to-
gether and then suggest some old
time game such as stage coach or
blind mans bluff, which, she said
were more to her liking than the mod
ern dances.
I'VE are going to play a little pencil
and-paper game, she began. And
before | tell you anything at all about
it am going to ask each one of you
to write down on piece of paper just
exactly what he or she would like
most to do in all the world-an am
bition as yet ungartified. Don't hest
tate to be frank" grandmother went
on, "for no one but I will see the an
swers After you have done that much
shall tell you the rest of the game.
which 1 think is the very most inter-
esting game you have ever played"
Then the young heads around her
were bent in thought, and before five
minutes had passed grandmother had
all the pieces of paper in her hand,
had glanced over them with many
smiles and then had tucked them into
her spacious pocket.
Now the game begins she said
"You know have quite a little fortune
that is rather more than 1 have ever
needed to take care of my own wants.
AS you all Know, you children are my
only heirs, and some day shall each
have your share But 1 am only II,
and 1 want you to enjoy a little of it
before l have gone.
zone thing 1 have noticed lately
since you have grown up" grand
mother went on, sis that you are not
quite contented. There are worried,
wistfu1 lines in your faces, expressions
of disappointment and discourage
ment Imagine that in the faces of
young people who have all their lives
before them! I want you to find the
contentment that comes of accom-
plishing your ambition, and in order
to find out what that ambition is
have drawn you into my little trap
Now I want each one of you to set
about to achieve this ambition. For
every one who does there will be
$4,000 at the time of the achievement
For the first one to achieve it within
three months of the present date there
will be $4,000. I have looked at the
ambitions and, altho they are not all
what I expected, they are worthy.
Now the game begins-and remember
the one who achieves the ambition
first within three months of this date
will win $4,000
That very night when, Nina reached
home she began to make plans for a
rigorous reducing campaign-for she
had expressed the ambition to lose
forty pounds of weight. Tom, who
loved his ease had chosen to win the
track championship at college-an
honor that at the time he was about
az far from holding as any man in his
class Bob sat up late that night
burning the midnight oil over his law
books, for his ambition, as expressed
to his grandmother, was to pass his
law examinations and Margaret, who
had never done a bit of drudgery Or
hard work in her life, inspired by the
fictitious adventures of Red Cross
nurse she had recently been reading.
wrote down that her ambition was to
become a trained nurse. That night
she sent an application to the hospital
where she thought she might begin
her course of training. And Ned and
Rose were up late that night, too-Rose
| in her wee boarding house room and
Ned at his club, both wondering how
their ambition might be achieved.
| A month later Rose sat in the
roughly furnished waiting-room of
Mrs. McGinty's employment agency.
A look of real disbursement was on
her face and in the chairs around her
sat other discouraged looking ones. A
woman next to her nudged her arm.
s.Say, don't ever cook for Mrs Ben
tonson. 1 just quit and, say, she's
! too mean to live"
/ Rose smiled sadly. 81 know" she
said. IT worked for her month ago.
I didn't suit either. But, then. never
do suit" Rose went on, glad to con-
fide in any one. 81 burned the New
Years turkey at my last place and put
salt in the baked apples. 1t was a mis-
take. I didn't mean to, but the lady
didn't like it,
| Still cooks were scarce and Mrs.
| McGinty had many calls, so before