The Washington times., 1920-07-09
Cos tisses frsa Yesterday
CATER VII.

SAfIEa VII
There Is . ssrio-comic. yet charm
Ing. sort OF trsEedy-fortunste
only temporary-in the attachment
OF a little girl for an elder boy. IL
often bores him so; and she Is 30
64intily in earnest.
The one adores, tags after, and
often annoys; the other, IL chiy'
alrous, submits.
II began this way between Ste
phanie Quest and Jim cleland. II con
tinued. She realized with awe tho
discrepancy In their ages; he ives
amisble enough to pretend TO waive
the discrepancy. And his conde-
soension almost killed her.
The poor child grew older as fast
aS she possibly could: resolute, de-
termined to overtake him some
where, II that could be done. For,
In spite of arithmetic she seemed
10 know that it was possible. More
over. II was wholly characteristic
OF her to attack with pathetic conf
dence the impossible-to lead her
self as a forlorn hope, and with
cheerful and reckless resolution
into the most hopeless impasse.
Cleland Senior began to notice
this trait in her-began to wonder
wether IL was an admirable trait or
q light-hesded one.
Once, an imbecile canary, pur-
chased by him for her, and passion
ately cherished, got out OF Its open
cage. out of the open nursery win
dow, and perched on a cornice over
one Of the windows. And out OF the
window climbed Stephanie, never
hesitating, disregarding conse'
auences. clinging like a desperate
kitten to sill and blind, negotiating
precarious lodges with, steady feet;
and the fagstones of the area four
stories below her, and spikes on
the iron railing.
A neighbor opposite tainted; ar
other shouted incoherently. 1t be-
came a hair.raising situation; she
could neither advance nor retreat.
The desperat, Irish keening OF Janet
brought Meacham; Meachap, at the
telephone, notified the nearest po-
lice station, and q section OF the
are department. The latter arrived
with extension ladders.
1t was only when pushed vio-
lently bedward, as punishment, that
the child realized there had been
anything to be frightened about.
Then she became scared; and was
tearfully glad to see Cleland when
he came in that evening from
print-hunting expedition.
And once. promenading on Fifth
avenue with Janet, for the sake or
her health-such being the regime
established-she separated two vio-
lently hghting school boys. slapped
the large one, who had done the
bullying, soundly cuned another,
who had been enjoying the unequal
combat, fell upon a fourth. and was
fnally hustled home with her ex-
pensive clothing ruined. But in her
eyes and cheeks still fingered the
brilliant fires of battle, when Janet
stripped her for a bath.
And once in the park she spranS
like a young tigress upon group
of ragamuffins who had found
wild black mallard duck, nesting IN
a thicket near the lake, and who
were stonins the frightened thing
All Janet could see was a most
dreadful melee agitating the bushes,
from which presently burst boy
after boy, in an agony OF night
rushing headlong and terror
stricken from that dreadful place
where a wild girl ragged, determined
on their determination.
Stephanie's development was
watched with tender, half-fearful
curiosity by Cleland.
As usual. two separate columns
were necessary to record the varied
traits so far apparent in her. These
traits Cleland noted in the book de-
voted to memoranda concerning the
child. writing them as follows:
Inclined to self Easily m6ved TO
tndui9ence impulsive self-sac-