The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-15
EDening Story
Bobbing Bobby.
81 JANE OSBORN.


I'm so glad you came home I've been
delayed so, and Bobby's hair is dis
gracefully long. Grandpa Alden is
coming tomorrow-it would never do.
Be a dear and take Bobby down to
Strings and have his hair bobbed.
And don't let them shave it up the
back. One has to be very, firm or
they will-Pd send Maggie with him
only last time she went and
'Oh, all right said Tom. I'D
planned to play goH-but all right"
There was nothing very amfable in
Toms voice, nor did he look more
amiable when his married sister called
him "a sweet angel of a brother"
The barber shop at Strings chill
dren's store was crowded as usual on
Saturday afternoon, and Tom found
that he would have to take a number
at the desk and remain in the waiting
room adjoining the barber shop, where
sleek, slender young men dressed in
white piled the 1ong-bladed scissors
and the clippers. Bobby took his place
in one of the small chairs in the CEN
ter of the room, and Tom felt increas-
ingIy embarrassed to find that he was
the only adult male in the crowded
waiting room.
even shrieks from the room beyond as
some child newly initiated to the mys-
teries of being bobbed registered his
disapproval of the whole process. Here
ana IneGe IN the pdEpGT chairs SAT d
big girl or grown woman who fol-
lowed the fad for bobbed hairs Tom
watched them take their seats beside
the children with some dismay.
Presently a portly, gray-haired wo-
man hustled into the room, a slender
young girl of eighteen or SO in her
wake. The older woman regarded the
others waiting rather disapprovingly,
with frequent raisingS of her lorgnette
to her near-sighted eyes. She ex-
nj in cd 70 hn rIprlx a the desk that
she really couldn't wait, that she'd
have to be ,al1owed~to go ahead of her
turn. But the clerk calmly said that
would be impossible.
81 simply can't wait" she repeated,
looking appealingly around the room
for sympathy. My theater tickets.
I've ordered them for tonight and
they'll only hold them at the box Of
flee until a. I can't wa1t-and yeti
here she looked with a sigh at her
young charge-"Annabelle needs q
bob frightfully."
AnnabeIle apparently was protest
ing that she could remain alone per
fectly wen. I'm not a child, auntie,"
Tom overheard.
Yes, you are, my dear" sputtered
the aunt. And your motnef especial
ly warned me not to let you have it
clipped close at the back These bar
The aunt'S eyes had been wandering
about the waiting room. She caught
sight of Tom Alden, eyed him briefly
thru her lorgnette ana then sailed
over to him. Tom rose promptly
when he saw that she was going to
speak.
I'm going to ask a favor of you,'
she began Il simply can't wait with
my niece, and you look as if you could
be trusted. I'll just leave Anna belle
here in your charge. After you have
your little boy bobbed, will you wait
and see that they do Annabelle prop
ar-1N- T..AA IL
clippers at the back of the neck. They
will if you don't watch-and then I'll
come back. 1 won't be long, I'm sure,
but please don't leave the child until
l come back. Thank you so much.
I'd so much rather VruSr a middle
aged man with a child of his own
than one of those foolish young moth
erS@''
"But-but he isn't middle-aged,
protested the very much embarrassed
niece; but the aunt did not heed her,
and feeling perfect confidence in her
new acquaintance, she sailed out of
the waiting room toward the elevator.
Annabelle took a seat rather shyly be-
side her newly appointed guardian.
Aunt Clarice is very nearsighted,'
she said. 'tShe seemed to think YOU
were as old as she is Then there
was a pause. isn't your little boy
cunning? How old is hep
Three" replied Tom, suddenly feel
ing wave of deep embarrassment as
the very pretty eyes of the young wo-
man beside him met his. They waited
fifteen minutes for Bobpy's turn, and
then Annabelle followed him into the
barber shop and sat beside Tom while
Tom gave the barber directions con-
corning Bobby's haircut.
Then they returned to the waiting
room and waited fifteen minutes more
for Annabelle's turn and then Bobby
and Tom went into the snop with her
to wait until she was properly bobbed
and singed and waved according to
instructions.
ITS very becoming Tom told his
charge, when the process was over.
ct. never liked bobbed hair on girls
very much, but it looks great on
Doesn't your wife wear bobbed
'Alden-Tom Alden" supplied Tom.
And then: MY wife? Why, haven't
any wife"
Her eyes were wide with youthful
Tom laughed. NHis mother is my
sister. Why, I'm just a youngster;
only been out of college a year. But
speaking of bobbed hair, when 1 do
marry I think I'd like a wife with
bobbed hair: that is, if it's in fashion
by that time
They were back in the waiting room
and had taken their seats to await the
return of the nearsighted aunt, Mrs.
In ten minutes came a tele-
phone message, by means of paging,
saying that Mrs. Weston had had to
go to her dressmaker's. She had for
gotten that she had an appointment.
and would the gentleman be so good
as to take a taxi and bring the niece
down to the Coolidge hotel, where the
aunt would meet the niece for tea
Tho aunt hoped it wouldn't be out OF
the way for him.
Then Tom remembered that he had
arranged with his sister to meet her
at the)Ardmore at tea time. She was
to be downtown and would take Bobby
off her brothers hands then. So Tom
managed to telephone to his sister
asking her to change her rendezvous
from the Ardmore to the Coolidge, /
a