The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-22
EVENING STORY
Stanley's Water Lily.
by JANE OSBORN.

bungalow of Tom Stanley, Inc water
lily man-water lilies, pond hiies OF
Whatever you call them. He calls
them Nymphaeae, if that is the way
YOU pronounce the botanical name"
This was part. of the information that
Mrs. Bob Manning gave her house
guest, Fay Mcleod, on the first VI
her Week-ends at the Manning country
cottage. 80, you see, we haven't very
many eligible bachelors for you, Fay,
in. MIR. Stanley is nice enough aside
from the pond lilies. He's a professor
at one of the colleges in the winter.
| tho his property would make him in
dependent if he chose. AT least, he's
| harmless and quite good looking ara
| you can see how you like him. We've
asked him up for the little dance to-
night
Perhaps the fact that Fay was get
| ting all her vacation in those week.
ends at the summer place of her old
| friend, Mrs. Bob Manning, that sum
mer, and that what diversion she hao
| from the grind of directing a play
| ground in one of the crowded city
| ueighborhoods had to be derived from
| Saturday noon to Monday morning.
! accounted for the fact that she showed
\ less than her usual reserve when she
| met Mr.. Tom Stanley and the other
guests at the Bob Mannings' Saturday
night dance.
at must be a fascinating study,
| she told Tom, as she brought up the
subject of his hobby that her hostess
| had told her about. 'Ther are some
that bloom only at night. aren't
| there p" Tom uttered an affirmative,
| but without depression on the subject
of nymphaeae, for-at that particular
moment the delicate curve of Fay NC
| Leod's lips and the delicate rounding
of her chin seemed of vastly more in
terest than all the night-bloomlng
water lilies in the world. He had an
| absurd desire to tell her about it.
| "I have always longed to- see
| lotus" went on Fay, herofcally trying
to continue the conversation. Usually
when all other devices failed one could
talk on a mans hobby with results
| but this time the rule was railing
There must be something inexpressi-
| bly, lovely about them. Yet, suppose
they never grow in this climate ?"
| $50 you are interested in them.
too" said Tom Stanley, recalling him
self. Most people find them rather
stupid. Really, 1 do wish you could
get up an interest in the subject, be-
| cause if you did then perhaps you
wouldn't find me so dull as l am
afraid you would otherwise What
| Jolly thing it would be if could make
myself a really interesting friend to
to girl like you
| ct really do wish some nice girl
could take that Mr.. Tom Stanley in
hand and marry him. sighed Mrs.
| Bob Manning over Sunday morning
breakfast with her husband and Fay
She had told her husband her plans
beforehand and had coached him on
| what he should say.
| HE really is fine chap" he ex-
| planned. But he had been much abb
sorbed in his shaving when his wife
had coached him, and he had for
| gotten the details of the instruction.
| 'Say, Fay. he said, why don't you
marry him? He seemed immensely
| taken with you when he asked when
you were coming again and all about
| you. You might as well be spending
/ his money as having him squander IT
all on those Internal water weeds or
his. He spends all his stray time mop
| ing thru the marshes looking for them
| andanotz content with what he gets
| that way, he spends thousands of dol
| lars having roots imported from Egypt
and other God-forsaken places. Why,
what he spends on those weeds would
| support half a dozen wives"
The days that followed were gloomy
ones for Tom Stanley. He was pes
simistic from the first about Fay. He
| knew well enough that she was the
| girl whom he would want to marry
| but he felt no security at all in his
method of courtship.
| Now, if it was a new sort of water
| nymph that he was in search OF that
| would have been different. That was
| a matter of patient search thru the
marshes, communication with his
agent and then careful cultivation on
| his own part. But wooing wife was
something that he felt he knew moth
| ing about.
1t was after they had known each
| other for three week-ends that Stan
| ley decided he could endure the sus-
pense no longer. He determind to
ask her that weekend to be his wife.
Stanley met Fay at the small station
where those who visit that section of
| the country must get off and ran her
| over in his roadster to the Bob Man
ming house
| Are you going to let me stick
| around this afternoon ~ he asked Fay
| as soon as he had reached their des-
| tination.
Fay assured him that she would
much rather have him come that night
and ordered him playfully to let her
and Mrs. Bob amuse themselves alone
| during the afternoon.
| Bob has some new dance records I
thought we could try said the plot
| ting hostess, $50 be sure to come back
for dinner"
ooh. if you don't awfully mind I
| with Tom" interrupted Fay. '"There'll
be time for dancing besides, and 1
can't tell you what it is. It's a sur
prise" she said, looking at Tom
Tom heSitated for a moment, but
his mind was made up. I'm awfully
| sorry had some busin- IS to attend
| TO tonight. It has to be done tonight"
he said. IF could come for dinner
and tear myself away later-and then
I'm counting on having you all up for
supper at my place Sunday. Aunt
| Mandy's promised us something spe-
| cial-"
Fay protested and Mrs. Bob re-
| treated. Fay begged to be told what
| his business was she pouted and said
| she was Jealous. Tom didn't tell her.
because he felt that she would not