The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-04
E0ening Story
The Pursuit of FreckIes.
BY JANE OSBORN.

and that Peggy was just a nice little
girl that she was beginning to believe
/ it.
! Don't call me Freckles" snapped
/ Peggy, as she impetuousIy pulled off
her jaunty lit lie Tam o'Shanter that
I was a part of her skating outfit. Then
! she peered into a handglass on her
! sisters dressing table.
! They really are fading. No one
/ who hadn't known me before 1 began
using that new cream would know l
I ever had any freckles. and it sounds
/ just dreadfuuy to call a girl of my
! age-twenty 'almost-by such a per-
| fectIy childish, silly nickname"
Then another pause, in which she
studied the pleasant. wholesome feat
ures in the mirror with considerable
scrutiny Besides he isn't round
! faced. It's quite AN oval"
! who is he? Who introduced you?
/ Don't be Il clam
NO one introduced US. So there!"
! Peggy Young! How dare you
speak with a young man you don't
know anything about?"
/ 'I do know a lot about him." re-
! piled Peggy. who was really very eager
| to tell all she knew about the young
man under discussion. Hes a young
newspaper man. 1 often see him. He
/ goes to work about the time I'm com
! ing from skating, and-wen it was
i just a, case of mutual attraction. I sup
! pose. I'd noticed him for a few days
| before he ever seemed-to see me. Then
bone day he noticed me: he seemed to
/ be looking thru to my very soul; not
! at all i'll an impertinent way, but in
a. searching. serious way. Just that
/ look was as good as an introduction.
! When a man looks at Il girl that way,
| she just knows he's all right. l looked
UP and he seemed really embarrassed.
! He hadn't meant TO annoy me, and
then. when l left the car and looked
! back at him to see whether he was
still looking. he raised his hat~ever so
slightly. After tha- We just naturally
spoke to each other. And he told me
that the reason why he spoke-raised
his hat-that first time was because
he thought other people had seen him
looking a me aid he wanted it TO
seem that he really knew me. Wasn't
that thoughtful of lim?"
Il am really shocked" commented
Laura, whose expression, on the con-
trary showed intense interest. 81 sup
pose l ought to speak of it to father"
Il didn't tell him about the way
you got acquainted with Stanton
Jones'. just because you had chairs
beside each other coming from col
/ lege."
That was quite different. With
Stanton, it was case of love at first
sight; and when a man loves at first
sight, you don't think he is going TO
wait for an opportunity to have an
INTRODUCTORY
Maybe this was. If YOU could
have seen the way he looked at me!
/ never had anyone look at me that
way before. of course. he hasn't told
me he loves me yet, tho he has said
he was very. very fond of me"
''Wen, l think there was something
very funny about it," said Laura.
You mean that when a man wants
to meet you the first time he sees
you. it is perfectly natural, because
you are beautiful; but that when
man feels that way about me, there
crazy or drunk or something.
Il didn't say that. Peggy" assured
Laura. But if you must know it,
you aren't just that type. Some peo-
pie just aren't, You know, Freckles
and you're one of them
Don't call me Freckles." protested
Peggy. Il can stand having you say
all those other mean things, but 1
won't be called FreckleS l am sure
Mr.. Burgess doesn't think I am
freckled. I'm just going to ask him,
so there; and if he says m freckled.
noticeably, then You can go on, and
if he says he'd hardly notice them
then you just mustn't call me
Freckles.'
Two days later an opportunity ar
rived for Thomas Burgess to settle the
dispute between Laura anad Peggy. 1t
had been decided that Peggy ought, to
3
Laura-propriety really demanded it,
Laura said, And it should be done
correctly in the afternoon, with Laura
pouring tea behind the softly lighted
tea table and Peggy looking sweet and
/ friny in an afternoon frock and light
slippers. just as if they always looked
that way and drank tea every after
noon. And it was easier for Mr.. Bug
CESS to acquiesce in the tea-party idea
than for most of Iaura's suitors, be-
cause he worked at nights and was
therefore as free at teatime as the
most leisured of Beau Brummels.
/ Now, Mr.. Burgess" asked Peggy,
as soon as the tea serving formality
had been gone thru and Mr.. Burgess
was feeling very uncomfortable with
"A teacup, spoon and jam sandwich all
balanced on one saucer. Mr.. Burgess
| would you say that l was freckled %
Tom Burgess suddenly turned per-
| ceptibly red. He must have been con-
! fused. for the teaspoon fell from his
| SAUCER and it was only in midair that
/ the jam sandwich was saved from
similar fate
! Are you freckIed ?" he asked. He
wasn't sure Just what he ought to say,
! so he went slowly.
"INknew you didn't think of me as
being that type" said Peggy trium
( phantly. and then he knew how the
road lay and lied valiantly.
Moreover. a certain temerity came
over him. Having laid his tea drink
| ing equipment on a convenient table.
he put two compelling hands on
! Peggy's shoulders and bent her head
down to the light. in way that for
! just a moment filled the soul of the
beautiful Laura with envy. He looked
teadily into her frank young face.
and then looking into her two blue
! eyes said:
| I can't see a single freckle."
Eventually Laura withdrew from
I the reception room when the tea
! drinking formalities no longer called
for her presence and Tom Burgess
made hurried explana tions.
Il don't want to start out deceivinS
you" he told Peggy ITS going to be
such a wonderful thinG-your friend
ship-that I want it to start tonight.
I So III have to tell you. I just lied to
you. but it was because I didn't think
ii concerned any one but ourselves.
not even your sister. I said I never
! nnticed q SINGLE frec5la hut that isn-t