The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1917-09-19
THE DAILY
STORY
The Fathers Helper.
BY OSBORNE JONES.
Copyright 1917 by the Mcclure News.
paper Syndicate.)

ANI anu oOlN vi ~bGo61dC
w courtship had actually heard
Madeline return all his VOWS Of devo-
ton he thought his struggles to win
her as a wife were practically over.
Madeleine return all his VOWS OF devo-
school chum when the romance occur.
red, and for that reason, perhaps, Dick
had forgotten that Madeleine probably
possessed parents and that these par
ents might have something to say be-
fore permitting their eighteen year old
beauty to become Mrs. Dick Stoner
But Dick knew that, as parents usually
rated sons in law to be, he was not
undesirable. His record at college and
in business since then, though not &C.
tually brilliant, was clean and progress
sive. and any father in law or mother
in law to be would not have much
difficulty in discovering that his share
OF the Stoner fortune was large one.
So 1t seemed as If the matter was
settled till, after a student burst of
enthusiasm on the part of Medicine,
as they sauntered in and out around
the sand dunes at the seashore, she
suddenly changed her tone and her
eyes grew round.
I'D forgotten about father" she
said. HE will never let us do anything
we want to-we are a great trial to
him, you know, and don't know how
in the world can ever be married IL
he doesn't consent. just couldn't
elope"
Dick didn't like this intrusion of an
Directing father in law. 1t was much
nicer hearing Medicines guileless
praise of his own many manly virtues
and good features. So he tried to
persuade here that the father whom
he had never seen was not such gruff
sort after all and that it would be an
easy matter to bring him around"
You haven't any idea how strict he
IS" Madeleine protested. He's pro.
fessor OF psychology and this year he's
trying to write his greatest book, and,
well, 1t is very hard to be the father
OF five daughters and Arthur and Ben.
net and write book on psychology.
It's hard to be the father Of five daugh-
tiers anyhow, he says, especially when
they are the kind of daughters that we
are"
why can't he shift responsibilities
until the book is done?" suggested
Dick. Couldn't your mother keep you
within bounds?"
"Oh, mothers Just as busy as she
can be mending us and darning us and
planning meals and things. She has a
mothers helper to help her and still
she never seems to have time to
breathe. And poor old father said he
was going to try to get fathers help.
er'-to make his task of being our
father easy, just as mother does with
her mothers helper So far he hasn't
found anyone that wants the job"
What would this fathers helper
have to do?" asked Dick, rather anus.
ed at the turn of Medicines converse.
ton.
"Oh, | suppose he would have to
help Bennett with his Greek and spank
Arthur, and he'd have to come to the
meals and see that we>were all there
any maybe say grace, and sometimes
just happen in the drawing room when
Minerals suitors were there. Minerva
is the sumner you know and has the
coolies of suitors, and mother says
that father ought to appear once in a
while just to show that there is some
one keeping track Of how often they
come. But father. can't stand that
sort Of thing. And suppose the faith
er's helper would have to scold me
sometimes because | am so reckless
when l ride-mother keeps at father
to scold me for it, but he hates to:
and he would have to scold the ser.
wants when mother couldn't manage
them, and sometimes, II one of us
girls didn't have an escort to dances.
l suppose the fathers helper would have
to go with us. Father ought to mother
says. but he hates to-"
my Greek is little rusty" an.
nounced Dick. when Madeleine had fin
ished her monologue, but l think I'll
take that position. You say your faith.
er hasn't found any one yet. All right
I'll make tracks for your place tomor.
row and by the time you have come
home, I'll be installed and perhaps one
of the first things l can do will be to
show father that 1t is to his interest
to let his daughter Madeleine become
Mrs. Dick Stonsr"
When Madeleine reached home at
the end Of that week she found the
young man whom her father had re.
Gently employed to be identical with
the man to whom she had recently be-
come engaged, except that he was
dressed in dark blue serge and her ~
ance had inclined to light tweeds and
white flannels. Besides, he spoke in
a voice that was subdued and his
speech was free from slang-not very
much like the explosive discourse of
the man to whom she had recently en-
gagged herself. And besides, the man
she had known at the seashore had
been anxious to see her alone and Of
ten, whereas the new inmate of her
fathers home, after having been in
troduced to her, seemed not to notice
her. 1t was not until the following
day that they did chance to meet in
the library.
I'VE mustn't try to meet each other
on the Q T at ALL" Dick began. "Those
brothers of yours are just the kind to
find it out, no matter how we try to
conceal it. We can stand it this way
for while. Your father has been
telling me his troubles this morning.
He's especially worried about you
you wretch. He tells me you worry
him so he can hardly write, says you
ride the widest horse in the stable,
60 off in the woods unattended and