The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-09-17
EVENING STORY
"The Blue Goddess
BY LOUISE OLIVER.

l
BY LOUISE OLIVER.
Peggy lay awake all night listening
to the rain. oh, if it would only
stop. She had planned SO many things
for the next day, the day Capt. rear,
son was to be in town and had asked
her Ii he could come to see her.
Come to see her! Peggy's heart had
fluttered almost to suffocation when
| she read the few lines on the heavy
white paper. Come to see her! she
had closed her eyes and pressed the
| words to her heart in ecstacy. The tail,
serious. officer she had met at the Mar
stons, about whom all the girls had
been completely mad. including her-
self.
ling herself, as Peggy could. Her little
hands. which took only a five-ana.a-
| half glove, could make Phil and little
lChuckie step around more livery IN one
minute than father and mother COM
bined could do in a week. and wore
i from her pretty red lips meant more
to susan in the kitchen than whole |
regiment of orders from higher UP. |
Lola, her twelve-year-pld sister, aaor,
led her openly, as did Loia,s elri
friends, who met AFTER sch1 1n;tt Gy'
The differing Peggy did, on recelpL
of Capt. Pearson's letter, consisted OF
disposing of the family Tor the day'
beginning with Philip and Charles;
mo one was left but her mother ana
father and herself. Captain pearson
was to stay to dinner. and susan was
Ito achieve the most delectaole meal
Peggy's brain could plan
In short, the program was 10 De az
follows: Morning, house cleaned up
J flowers arranged in bowls everywhere'
hest linen and silver hunted UP,
porches cleaned and everything IN or
der. =, t,sb,ne
: after school and to Aunt Marys LOT
sumner and to say all night; Lola ana
|, the club to go to Mabel Brown's ana
Lola to stay for dinner and all nignt'
! as Mabel had SO often coaxed
Peggy planned to put on her new
! | sport suit of army blue Jersey ana WIN
her own little car sparkling clean was
i Ito take the captain for q ride out 70
Bowling Rocks to see the view, stop
, | at the club and introduce him to rev
friends, then bring him home to a
quiet, delicious, candle-lit dinner for
four, Peggy In her new pink dress;
whole delightful evening alone on the
rsoonlit veranda Uhere was moon,
Il Peggy looked at the calendar Whoie
week ahead). and then-Peggy never
tried to look past that.
But-"The best laid plans of mice
and men gang aft agia."
1t rained. and it rained and rained
ruined. the tulips had been almost
!, ready to drop anyway. The road to
Bowling Rocks was impossible now.
even with whole days sun, and the
=. boys couldn't go fishing. Mother
' wouldn't let them when it was damp.
After a sieepless night Peggy was
up at 8. To her surprise, her mother
! was stirring in the hall. Peggy opened
her door. What is it, mether?" she
!, | asked.
"It's Susan; she's sick. I've been up
all night uuitn->hAr thintl she got
| overheated yesterday and then cooled
: off too quickly. I'll send for Doctor
Boyce soon, now, but I think she'll be
Fall right in q day or two" tsHT
5 "a day or two! But, mother. Cap
s tain Pearson's coming to dinner and
= there's,so much to be done today"
I'm sorry. dear, but we can't help
it. I'm almost too tired to get break
d FAST
Peggy's face changed instantly.
It Don't you worry. momsy, dear. I'll
get breakfast. You telephone for the
doctor. then go and lie down. I'll get
u the kiddies off to school,"
% After that there was no rest for
i Peggy. The rain kept up and Susan
got worse. The doctor came and
stayed, and Peggy had to be every
where at once-in the kitchen one
) minute. filling bot water bottles the
If beds. washing dishes getting lunch,
r and a hundred other things.
r. Lunch over, the boys had to be
warned to come straight home from
n school. for it was the kind of day
n mother worried about them. And, as
the Browns lived too far away, Lola
was told to come home aIso.s
r Lola forgot about the company and
st at o'clock the entire knitting club
TX walked in. The boys had brought a
few extra spirits along too. Never
was there such a houseful.
t. Peggy by this time had accepted the
TT inevitable, changed to a blue liner
dress with white collar and cuffs anG
70 Of it.
III She was out sweeping some extra
large chunks of mud off this from
steps when Captain Pearson arrived
broom. She stood smiling down a
him from the top of the steps blu,
goddess with the emblem of womant
sphere in her hand. The humor of tn,
situation lent an added sparkle to he
smile.
I'm SO glad to see you, captain
.. she said, holding Nout her unoccupiet
~, hand to this splendidly caparisonet
~ man. Its dreadful day. isn't it?
have some small brothers who won
4. wipe their feet, and they in turn hav
e a dozen OF two friends who won't wip
:" theirs. But just come in and see VIVA
I have on my hands today combi
w nation day nursery and hospital
- I'm two kinds of nurse"
20 Lucky peopie!" said the captain
y warmly holding her hand.
W 'Also I'm not sure that you're goini
to get any dinner. If Susan sleeps,
dv can cook it. II not, I can't. Mothe
'st has developed neuralgia, SO the tamil
id may have to eat crackers and chess
ne in the pantry
,w ''But can't stay anyway" said tn
captain. II Just came to tell you
can't come-that Is. not till Thursday
. I'm on my way to New York on bust
ness and stopped over few minute
between trains"
In fact, he did stay just long enoug
to meet the admiring friends of Lol