The Meeker herald., 1918-06-29

| NSopyFi8nt, lSli. oy inc MCCLURE NeWspa.
/ per Syndicate.)
| When Dick Stoner, after stormy
and gallOplng sort Of seaside court
ship, had actually heard Madeleine re-
turn NIL his VOWS of devotion he
thought his struggles to win her us
his wife were practically over. Made
leine was visiting boarding school
chum when the romance occurred, ind
for that reason, perhaps, Dick Ind for
gotten that Madeleine probably pos
sessed parents and that those parents
might have something to say before
permitting their eighteen-yenr-old
beauty to become Mrs. Dick Stoner.
But Dick knew that. as parents usual
ly rated sOns-ln-lnw-tO-be, he was not
undesirable. His record ut college
and In business since then, though
not actually brilliant, was clean md
progressive, md any father-in-lnw or
mother-in-lnw-tO-be would not have
much difficulty In discovering that his
share of the Stoner fortune was IL
large one.
So 1t seemed as II the matter was set
tied till, after sudden burst of en-
thusinsm on the purt of Medicine, as
they snuntered In and out around the
sand dunes ut the seashore. she sud-
IDENTIFY changed her tone and her eyes
| grew round.
I'D forgotten about father" she
said. "He will never let us do any
thing we want to-we are great trial
to him, you know, and l don't know
how In the world / can ever be mar
ricd II he doesn't consent. l Just
couldn't elope."
Dick didn't like this intrusion Of m
Directing father-in-law. 1t was much
nicer herring Madelelne's guidcless
praise Of his own many manly virtues
and good features. So he tried to per-
suade her TINT the father whom he
had never seen was not such gruf
sort after all and that 1t would be IN
easy matter to "brlng him around"
"You haven't any Idea how strict he
is," Madeleine protested. Hes pro-
fessor Of psychology and this year he's
| trying to write his greatest book and
and, well, 1t is very hard to be the
fnther Of five daughters and Arthur
and Bennett and write book on pSy-
chology. It's hnrd to be the father Of
five daughters anyhow, he says, espe-
cially when they are the kind Of daugl-
tiers that we are"
"Why can't he shift responsibilities
till the book Is done" suggested Dick.
Couldn't your mother manage to keep
you within bounds"
"Oh, mothers just as busy as she
can be mendlng US and darning us and
planning meals and things. She has n
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
helper'-tO make his task OF being our
father easy. just as mother does with
her mothers helper So fur he hasn't
found anyone that wants the Job"
"What would this fathers helper
have to dor" asked Dick, rather
amazed ut the turn of medicines con-
versation.
"Oh, suppose he would have to
help Bennett with his Greek and spank
Arthur, and he'd have to come to neals
and see that we were all there and
maybe say grace, and sometimes Just
happen in the drawing room when MI
nerva's sultors were there. Minerva's
the sumner, you know, and she has
Just coolies of suItOrs. and mother says
that father ought to appear once In n
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 fn-
Tiers helper would have to scold me
sometimes because l nm SO reckless
when I rlde-mother keeps Mt father
to scold me for 1t, but he hates to; and
he would have to scold the servants
when mother couldn't manage them,
and sometimes, IL one of us girls didn't
have an escort to II dance, l suppose
the fathers helper would have to go
with us. Father ought to, mother
says. but he hates to-"
my Greek is a little rusty" an
nounced Dick, when Madeleine had I'm
ished her monologue, but think I'll
take that position. You say your fa-
Their hasn't found anyone for it. All
right, I'll make tracks for your place
tomorrow and by the time you have
come home I'll be Installed and per-
haps one Of the first things 1 can do
Will be to show father that 1t is to
his interest to let his daughter Made
leine become Mrs. Dick StOner."
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
fiance had inclined to light tweeds
and white flannels. Besides he spoke
In a voice that was subdued and the
speech was free from slang-not very
much like the explosive discourse of
the man to whom she had recently en-
Oa RAA hnpaoIf And hpqidpS the mnn