The Press., 1918-02-28
Daddy, Alias
 Carrots
IJIt, Dy lIIt WCNI
 per Syndicate.)
& By Jane Osborn

Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa- per Syndicate)
 Bab was sitting alarming socks in the mellow glow of the living-rOom table
 light when Babbette appeared at the door. Bab in a gray frock with a white fichu, hair parted in the middle and spectacles on her little nose was demure. Babbette was resplendent, captivating. She made one breathe fast
 just to look at her, standing there with round bare arms and round young body. Steve, reading his paper and sit ting opposite to Bab at the table, swal-, lowed hard and blinked.
 'What's the matter, dear" Bab asked, taking off her glasses and look ing at him anxiOusly. Doesn't Bab- bette's dress look pretty? I copied it after one in q shop window on the ave nue. We didn't think it looked home madey." .f,.r
 "Oh, that's all right-it's immense" Steve hurried. That's not the trou- ble. I was trying to grasp the idea that. that-that girl there is my daush- ter" #~.-
 Steve Nowell rose with his hands in his pockets and paced the room medi- tatively for a minute. while Bab busted herself fastening the buttons of Rab- ette's gloves, tucking in q lock of hair here and loosening few there. Steve paused when he arrived before the mir TOT over the mantlepiece, peered ihs and then, striking a match which he
 
 lighted one of Bab's candles-fOr Orna- ment only-that stood in brass sticks on the mantIepiece shelf. He held this up to the side of his face and peered' in. No, there was not a gray hair in the bushy shock of auburn. scarcely wrinkle, unless one could call those few crows feet-the sort that gather, Steve assured himself, even on the faces of young men who are accus- toned to smiling with their eyes.
 He blew out the candle and clenched his right-hand fingers into a fist and, with his left hand on his right biceps, felt his muscle. Then he strengthened himself up to his full six feet, stood on the balls of his feet and inhaled as if to test his lung capacity.
 Tt can't be-" he told himself. I'm not ready to be that girls father-Im too young. PmfOnly boy-and before many years I'll be a grandfather? He looked at Bab sitting so contentedly by the lamp. She had resumed her darn ing and Babbette was standing reading Steve's paper. Yes, Steve reflected, Bab was content to take a back seat. What was it to her that old age had been forced upon them and that for all their days and nights to come they must sit there reading papers. and alarming socks OF, if they did go out. be mere spectators at play or opera?
 "What on earth's the matter with you dad?" queried the eighteen-year= old daughter, glancing up from the pa. per, and then, not waiting for him to. answer, "I wonder where Goggles can , be? was sure I'd be late and here he is keeping me waiting" she went on.
 Goggles, who's GOggles?" queried Steve.
 Bab and Babbette looked up in shr- prise. "Why, Goggles Is Babbette's new friend with the eight-cylinder. It makes it so nice for Babette''
 "Which-Goggles or the efght-cylin- der?" queried Steve. *
 "Don't be silly, dad," said the re- 1 splendent young thing, as she folded | her warm arms about Steve and kissed him on the chin in thoroughly daugh- terly fashion. "Pm not bit interested in GOggles-but anyone would dotel on his motor" 1
 Steve caught the faint perfume-in- tOxlcating exotic-that chung to his daughters evening frock. When he had courted Bab, he recalled, girls used some simple scent-violet or lHy-of- ,the-valley. Those were simple days. What thing it must be to be young 1 Steve thought, young when girls used ] perfume like that-redolent of strange Eastern romance, Persian gardens in the moonlight, Indian temples and tropical islands. Steve's impression was not distinct but 1t was none the less vivid. And Goggles, just because he had an eight-cylinder, could share the society of goddess like Babette. Steve rubbed his eyes as if to wipe the film of twenty years of married life from them. What a thing to be young again he. thought. Why, he was young. People often told him he didn't look thirty, and if it weren't for that lovely creature there calling him dad he might sometimes forget that he was nearer to the half century mark. |.
 Bab had run off to the telephone bell, and came back with the color of her pink and white cheeks heightened with rage.
 'Isn't it perfectly horrid?" she stOrmed. ''It was Goggles and he's at Nellie Drew's and telephoned to say they'd stop for me. He says he was at Nellie's for dinner and Shorty Tuck CT, who was going to take Nellie Ftele- phoned he had been detained and couldn't bring Nellie, so said he would have to bring Nellie and they'd stop for me. Why didn't he tell me he was going to have dinner there? Nellie's an old cat-I oughtn't to say that of one of my own fraternity sisters, I know, but it was downright medn-' Rabette stopped suddenly and a look If inspiration flashed across her face,
 Dad" she cried seizing him in her strong arm. "Toa dop't look thirty md you're a lot better looking than my of the other boys. YOu take me md don't let them know you're my atheF. None of these boys know you md the lights won't be bright. I'll all you Carrots 'canse you've got 'uburn hair and it's fad you kIiow o call the boys some such name.s Car 'ots Clay-that's q nice name. No, 'ou don't have to dress~-come just as 'ou are and while you're putting on 'our hat and coat I'll just telephone F n case Goggles and Nellie haven't started and tell them a friend of mine i, vhO happened to be having dinner i. with me is bringing me, and if they 1 lRVe started and do como vhv ,aaoDo