The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-31
Euening Story
False and True.
MARTHA MCCULLOUGH
WILLIAMS.


saddest when I sing." Linnet Ware
said plaintively to her newest victim,
| Selden Moore
| He laughed softly, answering,
Praise be for that. In this day of
musical prodigality. you're an oasis"
| In a desert of melody Thanks for
them kind words" Linnet flung back,
| settling herself comfortably in a nest
| of rainbow cushions. Yet even they
could not make her look washed out,
| so vivid was the yellow of her hair,
| the violet of her eyes, the healthy
scarlet of her very perfect mouth.
Her skin had the texture of a camelIia
petal-she was. further shapely and
extra well finished. There was a look
| of race to accent all this
| What wonder that she had gone
rather to the heads of her countrymen
at least that moiety of them lucky
enough to know her? This in spite
of the fact that she danced without
enthusiasm, was a dub at tennis, and
| refused even to look on at golf. Polo
she loved-but sex and convention for
| babe playing it. So she took to going
ross-country in any weather, never
flunking the stiffest jumps, nor mind
ing hazardous spills.
The spills were few-she had ap-
parently as much influence over
hunters as over men. Anything
bittable became plant to her will
Amazonian horsewomen who got re-
| suits with malice aforethought. She
was so confoundedly feminine, with
her side saddle, her soft collar her
picturesquely untidy tam that had al
ways a bright knot tucked amid its
folds, it was disgusting to have her
almost always in the first flight, and
not winning prizes solely thru refus-
ing to compete for them. She
| mounted herself well. but not extrav-
agantly ANY good horse will go
if you get the best in him. she ex-
planned more than once. Which moved
her much-tried mother to add: If
only you'd be as sensible about men
as horses, it would take a load off my
mind and heart"
Being interpreted, this meant, con-
cretely, a shrinking estate, and the
Wendell King millions ALI thru Lin
nets bringing up Mrs. Ware had had
the millions in the back of her mind.
Retrieving them was poetic justice,
since they had been unjustly diverted
from Linnet's father thru his elderly
uncle's marriage with the beautiful
Widow King.
He had settled them upon her in
the first flush of infatuation-when
the pair went down with their ship
upon a long wedding tour, the wrong
was put beyond righting. Wendell,
quiet kindly, dull-witted lad of fiji
teen, had inherited from his mother in
trust for possible children. So it had
been out of his power to do more than
make handsome gifts to the Wares.
Linnet, an elfin no-colored child had
appealed only to his pity until at fif-
teen she bloomed with that beauty Of
the devil which works so many evil
miracles Seeing her round and flush
and glow, his plan of life changed.
When she was twenty she must marry
him, AMI begin d fairy-tale existence.
TTr-%f 1t r. low l. y &c
content-he knew he could trust her
besides, there was her mother.
Mrs. Ware was far from heartless-.
indeed, love for her child was the
hspur to her werldliness. She said moth
Ting to Linnet of the future beyond adj
vising a wise choice if any. She knew
lLinnet would rebel against a cut-and-
dried family arrangem ent-much bet
ter let her continue to think of Wen
dell as a liberal pseudo-k insman who
regarded her as child to be teased
and spoiled. When she had had her
fling playing with the youngsters Lin
net might insensibly drift into love
with her doting fairy godfather.
Linnet showed zest in playing with
the youngsters equal to her zest cross
country, yet until the era of Selden
Moore her mother had never been the
least uneasy. For her girl had played
the game with the fine reserves of a
gentlewoman, making her safety in
numbers and surrounding herself with
an aura of untouchable beautiful
to see.
But Moore was different. Toward
him she glowed as a gem, a star
hoften when he had left her she sat
silent, smiling happily, or rousing to
mug her mother tight and whisper: "Is
there anything like real love?" Moore
was only rich enough to be COM
petent idler. Living was. he said, bust
ness enough for gentleman-where-
fore then swamp himself with the risks
and the turmoil of active work, when
ne was so much more valuable as an
example>of moderation?
Linnet scarcely sensed the question,
but her mother pondered it deeply.
To her it meant either that Moore had
no thought of marriage, or that his
wife needs must bring with her an
income equal to his own. Linnet
could not do that-already living ex-
penses were trenching upon their
modest principal-she must either
marry money or become a drudge, else
a pensioner upon Wendell King
Impossible to think of either alter
native-so impossible Mrs Ware lost
sleep and flesh in considering them.
Watching Linnet narrowly. she noted
a subtle change in her. She laughed
more and smiled less-was by turns
overeager and overlistless-also, she
had no more joy in playing the game
of hearts. A bad sign, thought the
anxious mother, especially now that
she was well past nineteen.
She had not found Prince Charm
ing, plus even a scant million-it was
unlikely that she would find him be-
fore Wendell King required a decision
She could not blame him-he had been
almost unreasonably patient and trust
full. He would not try to force Lin
nets inclination, but it would hurt
him sorely to find he had waited in
vain.
She sat thinking things over upon a
stormy afternoon when Moore was the
only caller at teatime. Despite a love-
ly flush of greeting Linnet had gone
to the window and stood looking visit
fully out into the rainy murk. Sud-
denly she said: Il wish everybody
could be home now, warm and comfy,
with dry feet and good dinners ahead.
That's what out to be-
"Agreed-we1l make it so-when we
come into your fortune" Moore said
-. l.,