The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-25
EVENING STORY
Settling Beatrice.
BY S. 3. HACKLEY.

BY s. B. HACKLEY.
Responsibility for Beatrice's settle
ment is rendering me absolutely dis
traught, Doris. Living in a little place
like this with SO few social equals is
enough to drive one wild"
Mrs. Eileen Campbell. wife of the
lime manufa cturer at Bardstown, roll
ed her china-blue eyes deprecatively
IT 1t weren't that Frank is making
money hand over fist as he calls it,
here,>I simply couldn't endure it,"
Mrs. Carter, wife of the road-build-
ing contractor, nodded appreciatively
That's what I tell Gene. How
long are you going to stay in New
York with the Macons. Eileen?"
"Oh, two weeks. probably. Now that
Bee leaves tomorrow with Alethea Nc
Cue for the house-party. 1 feel safe
about her Alethea has been begging
me to let her stay on with them thru
the summer. sammy" she lowered
her voice. Sammy is going to be
there!"
How very opportune'" commented
Mrs. Carter.
Beatrice. an involuntary listener.
With her piquant face, her character
full mouth. and blue eyes. both dolor-
| Gus and indignant, hastily left the Ii
brary. Her father. a serious-looking
man, with red hair and characterful
mouth of the girl, met her In the hall.
''Oh, Daddy. let me stay home with
you while mother is away" she whis-
| pered. IT want to SOL"
Your mother would have a fit If
you missed that McCue blowout,
sweetheart. We can't go against her
ter run away to your bed. But wait.
Kitten, here's a cheque I promised
Pryor. Address it to him. and drop
it in the box. will your"
/ s~-t> ~
seemed to Beatrice. she heard her par
ents go to their sleeping rooms, but
sleep would not come to her. She
arose finally and drew on her dressing
gown.
II wish I could tell .Daddy!" she
| thought, as she went to her writing
| desk. I'll write to Louie-he can't
help me, but I've got to tell somebody
now,''
"Bardstown, N. c., August 2. 1916.
DIR. Louis NJ Acheson.N Pendleton,
Oregon" she wrote at the top of her
page.
Dear, dear Louie-I promised you
ia tell you the minute I found the
prince ut 7 couldn't. tho it's been
four months. I was too happy, for a
| little while, and since-oh, Louie-1vc
got to tell somebody my troubles. or
I'll BURST!
II guess I've told you in this tiny
old place, there's AGO. only here as
a '50,' mostly the Macon family
scions. The Macon father was an old
scoundrel U'm quoting daddy, but
he owned the big resort hotel here
and nearly everything else. Mrs. Atlee
LETTERS and Mrs. Felix Landrith, two
of the daughters. live here. Mrs. Lam
| drith married an old, old man, some
thing like nIaharaJah for wealth Che
must have been a beast, judging by
her unhappy facc), and she's got a
regular castle overlooking the town.
Well, mother considers them. and
her very special Mrs. Doris Carter,
and few others. her social equals.
wouldn't say it to anybody but you,
Louie. = ut you know it already; moth
er and her friends just liz for dane
ing and entertaining, and clothes
nothing else! Daddy told her yester-
day their chief occupation as he sees
it is the 'ornamentation &C the chariots
that carry item thru this little arc in
| the circle of being,'
But because the Macon scions are
sort of patrons of Arland, the little
/ -- church here, and attend serv-
ices once in blue DON. m ,.,-er does,
too. and I've been attending the Ar
land Sunday school, and other serv-
ices rig t along, without a protest
from Ter. Eerly this spring, Mr..
Lowrie, the old pastor, died, and the
board that rays the minister's small
salary sent Glenn Pryor. He isn't ex-
elusive, and just 'churchy' like Mr..
Lowrie. He wants to help everybody
an everything, and he makes friends
with all the poor and neglected. He's
started a branch of the Good Citizens
tin can or a homeless cat in the town
He doesn't trouble himself so much
about the '50,' except that he calls on
them and is pleasant to them.
; And he's started a Young Folks
circle for Wednesday evenings tina,
!, hi civ 3cyir to iolr foil lie
and the Jail folks, and the county in
Urinary folks 1 knew he was the
prince the first time I heard him
speak. OF course. he didn't know
: right off I was the princess. but he
came to know. Gouie. I'm like Dad
dy-I love people. just because they're
people,. and he liked my way,
know, for he-he'd got $50 his eyes
were glad when they turned to me!
And 1 was happy.
Then the first of July the season
opened at the hotel. and they begun
those Wednesday and Saturday nj hi
dances. The first Wednesday night we
were to go after the Circle met to
sing for old Mrs. Filbert (she'd been
on her death-bed for a month"; and I'd
lad she loved. None of the other girls
knew it. But mother wouldn't listen
to me, and made me go to that hateful
dance. We didn't leave until one
o'clock. and just as we came out of the
gate where they've got q big electric
light that lights up everything II was
walking in front with that horrid rich
Sammy McCue, Mrs. McCue's brother
in-law), we met Mr.. Pryor.
His eyes looked positively reproach-
full when they met mine. He lifted his
hat, sober and unsmiling, and passed
and I felt my heart break under the
weight of his misunderstanding. ]
| heard it break, Louie. And next morn
ing I found out Mrs. F'ilbert had died
at midnight. couldn't make any ex-
PLANTATION to him without appearing to
censure mother, so didn't make any
$50 July. a wretched month. has
passed. Mothers swept me into the
hotel social life until I haven't had a