The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-28
Euening Story
A SQUARE Deal.
BY MARTHA Mcc. WILLIAMS.

Il
Here!" a gay young voice chanted,
/ the while a very handsome leg and
a pretty foot became visible below
/ the spreading branches of the apple
waste is wicked" it kept on. Haven't
you told me so ever since you came
| here-making me eat things I hated
| because there wasn't a pig. And these
had to come over and help them.
| See what beauty basket I'm bringing
| homer" she cried, swinging down
| deity in spite of her burden.
Take your pick of 'em-then you
can't say I'm stealing-you know re-
ceivers are as bad as thieves" step
ping lithely thru a gap in the division
fence.
Mrs. Reed sighed acidly. ITO think
your dear father was a minister" she
said primly.
He was-rm the reaction from
his painful piety." the girl flung back.
| so guileless he never saw thru peo-
| She merely thought the postulate.
| Since she must stay while longer
| in the house with this insufferable
saint, she would keep at least a gloze
| OF decency over the association. She
had not always been SO wise-earlier,
/ there had been years of battle-it was
| in them she had earned the nickname
of Torment, which she had stopped re-
Senting when her father died. He had
gone from life clinging to her hand.
and murmuring softly: ''Daddy's COM
fort" so low other ears did not hear.
| She had understood-here in face of
| death he was rendering her the JUS
| tice love for her had Withheld in life.
He had not wished to sharpen the
| edged antagonism already existent be-
! twiXt his child and the misfit new
| wife. Needs must they live together
| till Dare was one and twenty-then,
coming into her grandmothers money
she could do as she liked. But she
| was not quite sixteen-Ella for all her
| castiron hardness would keep her in
safe comfort She was rigidly just,
according to her own Hghts-which
| never took account of the mad distor-
tons of jealousy.
match old streaked Junes." Mrs.
Reed mumbled, her mouth cramful,
surveying as she spoke a deeply Bit
ten core. Dare nodded, then sprang
up, saying briskly: by your leave
feel in my bones they fit the stu
ation-not quite sure tho just what it
who'll make 'em' I won't-you
laughed softly, saying over her
shoulder. you watch me. Or rather
don't. Wait till you see results. In
deed play company-In get the whole
to save scandalizing the neigh
I'm 'fraid you'll need a pig
worse'n ever one was needed" Mrs.
passage laughed provokingly, then
banged the kitchen door and bolted
| it fast.
Three hours later-they had been
strenuous ones indeed-she called
from the cool dining room. Dinner is
served, ma'am." And at just that
| instant came an intrepid knock On the
front door, undervoiced by the i'm
Il A.,A - - -r1a h. L.
Next half minute Mrs. Reed ushered
| in a tall young fellow and small,
very pretty, very cross young woman,
who all but fell upon a rush-bottomed
chair saying petulantly, I'm here to
get whatever it is that smells SO good.
Motoring always makes me wolfish--'
we have had a blow out-here
half way to our dinner" the man
explained. while the repair man is
coming could you, would you, be good
enough to save me from being eaten
alive? This young person." nodding
at his companion, 'thas been threat
ening it for half an hour
IF I can feed you, too" Mrs. Reed
said with a wide, hospitable smile
"Just as soon as you wash the dust
off I'll promise to find you snack"
For the very first time she felt dis
tinctly proud of Torment, who stood
unruftled, family flushed and beam
ing proudly over broiled chicken,
baked cold ham, several manners or
vegetables and relishes hot biscuits,
brown bread, wafer thin, fresh butter
and crisp radishes set out in the best
china upon spotless linen, with the
real old silver cleaning in the low
sunlight. How had the girl done it?
Mrs. Reed had never suspected any
such capacity in her young antagonist.
But she was glad beyond words for
this sudden development OF 1t. She
had placed the strangers-young
Thomas Clair and the rich Miss Muir
r-ox hA fn
Clair had given names-no more
ears attentive to gossip had done the
rest. Years back Mrs. Reed-then
Miss Green, high school teacher-had
had tea at Clairston, and shaken
hands with its owners. Mighty fine,
1t had beep-but nothing to compare
in the matter of food with what, thru
Torment's uncanny provision, she was
able to offer in return.
Heavens! Nothing was ever quite
so good" Rhoda Murray murmured,
sinking back in her chair after a sec
ond dumD1ing.
glad we missed the roadhouse-it's
quite impossible the dinner could have
come in miles of this-as for the COM
pany," bowling to his involuntary
hostesses, ut is likewise wholly out
"Ah! But you've got your own
fathers way of talking" Mrs. Reed
gurgied beaming. Then of course it
came out-all the story of the tea
the house, the conservatory, the flow
ers every teacher had taken away
with her. IF we'd dreamed you'd be
here, we'd have had some garden flow
'ers on the table" the elder lady end
ed. But I was laZy-busy with my
sewing-and Torment mean Dare
couldn't spare time. She did every
thing"
Then she must be a worker of
miracles" young Clair commented, |
heartily. Rhoda Murray sprang up |
and caught Dares hand, saying: |
''Why-tell me-is it possible-to |
cook so beautifully-and look as you |
do?"
BE careful how you answer. Miss