The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-03
The Woman
He Married
BY JANE PHELPS
ANXIOUS HOURS.
Chapter 80.

ANXIOUS HOURS.
Chapter 80.
Dick, the doctor and the motor
cycle policeman all came back but
| without Junior. They had been as
| far as Holden hoping that whoever
| had taken Junior for a ride had left
him with mother, but they found alb
| solutely no trace of him.
! Mother came with them, and while
tshe tried to encourage me that moth
ing serious had happened, she was
terribly nervous and anxious.
IF were a rich man might think
someone had taken him for ransom y
Dick said.
Nan always keeps him looking so
nice perhaps they might think you
could afford a ransom" mother re-
piled.
Mr.. Peabody came in just them. and
| by this time we were all distressed and
| frightened. We had no idea why any
one should have taken Junior. The
ransom idea was almost ridiculous,
| considering everything. Ouf-plain lit
| tie home, the house needing paint, ct
cetera. Dicks known position in the
small town bank where salaries were
necessarily small. ct cetera.
sHave you any enemy who would
| try to brighten your he asked Dick
after we had told him Of our efforts
to find Junior, and that all had
failed.
NO" Dick replied. then: Sander
son made threats when he found I
discovered his defalcation." s-
But he's in New York, so heard
"Oh, Dick, do you suppose he's
taken Junior? And will he hurt him
do you think?''
even if he has taken him-which
I doubt" Mr.. Peabody replied. ST am
sure no harm will come to him. San
derson has two or three children of
his own, and a man who has children
isn't apt to harm them"
That's so," mother broke in. but
what Scould he hope to accomplish
by taking Junior. He certainly
wouldn't want to keep him."
IF it is Sanderson. his sole idea
may have been to frighten you, cause
you anxiety. 1 hate to think it is he.
That he would be so vindictive after I
had been so lenient with him. But we
must do all we can to find the boy
as soon as possible. We can't be sure
Sanderson has anything to do with his
disappearance unless someone has
seen him.
We did't try to go to bed, Dick and
I, altho we made mother lie down.
Dick practically spent the night in the
street, every motor car that he heard
he would rush after and ask II any
thing had been see of a runabout hold-
ing a man and a small boy The Of
ficer too, was keeping up his search
and the nearby towns lad all been
notified to watch for the stranger
I made strong coffee, and we drank
some two or three times during that
long night when our hearts Were
racked with agony, but neither of us
could eat anything. With the day
came renewed hope. Some accident
might possibly have kept the man
from bringing Junior back, we said to
each other, clinging to any straw that
promised his return.
Mother insisted we eat little
breakfast, and to please her I choked
down a few mouthfulS of toast. Then
we took up the nerve-racking watch
ing and waiting again. The men in
the bank helped us all they could,
searching the town thoroly, but with
out any result.
We've fairly combed the place."
one of them said, "even a little piece
of woods on the outskirts had been
thorofy gone over foot by foot"
Mr.. Peabody excused Dick from Ills
duties at the bank, and we spent
another horribly anxious day. Tele-
grams from all THE towns thru which
the car might have passed. from the
railway stations brought only one re-
Spouse: Nothing had been seen of
the kid 1aper. 49,
1t was once more dusk. and we
three, mother, Dick and I sat hope
lessly quiet, scarcely daring TIC speak
for fear we would break down. Each
of us tried to keep our fears quiet
for the sake of the others. But /
knew the same thoughts were in all
our minds A wonder if Junior were
still alive. if something dreadful had
happened him; if we ever would see
him again.
Finally Dick exclaimed:
"I can't stand this any longer. :
must do something or go nnad.
That's just the way 1 feel" 1 re-
turned, rising as he had and following
him to the door.
But what can we do? Amy of us?''
mother added, also coming with us.
We mad sat so still, been SO quietly
apprehensive that the very motion
helped in a sort of way to relieve the
strain.
Without answering. Dick flung the
door open and strobe out into the
night. 1 started to follow. when
heard him exclaim. He came run
ming back, a bundle which I knew to
be Junior, in his arms.
/ fTomorrow-Junior as story te1ler-)