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Show BILLY SQUfS PROBLEM Thought It Would Be Fine to Have a Father. By A. MARIA CRAWFORD. "I can't for the life of me understand under-stand why you won't marry me If you love me," said Walter Gillrm. They were having coffee in a gay restaurant in the late afternoon. "Because," answered Elizabeth Thurston, Thur-ston, "Billy would resent your taking his father's place. He reverences his memory and he would never forgive ! me for even appearing to forget Tom. You don't realize that Billy Is grown j up at six years." i "Why, Billy and I would be two good i pals', Elizabeth. He might feel badly at first, but I will make it just as easy for you and for him as I can. There I is no use in wasting these years of ; happiness when Billy, childlike, would i get over any sort of feeling in a month." j "You're mistaken about that," said Bllly'B pretty mother quickly. "Billy j never forgets or forgives anything. : He is terribly in earnest about life." I "He is a fine little chap. Did he tell you how I picked, him up going from ' sohool yesterday and took him for a long run in my car? He doesn't ask a thousand questions like most boys, but I'll ' wager he knows nearly as i much as I do about the mechanism of that car." ' "Oh, yes, he came up to my sitting room, as he always does when he comes home, and told me about his trip. He promised me that as soon as he was a little older he would sell ' our car and buy one of a more Improved Im-proved make. 'It makes me feel as If I was most grown, mother,' he said to me, 'to have Mr. Walter show me things about his car. He doesn't talk to me the way our chauffeur does, and explain every little thing same as' if I were a baby, but he Just treats me i well aB If we were two gentlemen out j together.' Billy doesn't relish being i patronized," laughed Elizabeth, j "Billy's care for you that I want to hare has made him far older than the average boy of six. He Is a gentleman gen-tleman of the old school," 6aid the man ft ! "If 8h Would Only Just Love You." warmly. "Why don't you let me try to broach the subject of our engagement engage-ment to him? I believe that he would take It like a soldier and congratulate me." "He would be brave enough before me, but he would break his heart grieving In secret. Oh, no, I can't let Billy be hurt. Don't spoil your life for me," she smiled 6adly as he slipped his arm through hers to steady her on the snowy pavement outside the restaurant. res-taurant. "Go love and marry somebody some-body who has no Billy." "But the only woman I want has Billy, and I want Billy, too. If I can't have them now, I'll Just wait until un-til Billy Is old enough to understand." "But I won't be yours, then. Why, my hair may be gray," she argued, as he slammed the car door and they were whirled swiftly ' through the I street In his big limousine. "That's all right. Mine will be i gray sooner than yours. Do you feel a : package over there by you? It's for ; Billy." "How thoughtful you are! Of course you'll go In and give It to him and teach him how it runs. It is something some-thing to run lBn't It? You're just two boys together." "Yes, and I'll Btay to dinner, thank you." "You're a very welcome guest, always." al-ways." "But I don't like to be a guest. I'm a guest everywhere I go. I want to be hohiefolks," ho whispered tenderly. "1 ! want to carry a fowl home when the market man has failed in his delivery, snd we have nothing for dinner. I ; want to be necessary to a home and (eel as If I belonged to somebody." j "You do," came a soft voice that Aas soon mothered 1b his coat collar. "Hello I" cried Billy, racing down.-Ihe down.-Ihe stairs and looking fcr all the world like Lord Fauntleroy in t'is velvet and lace. "I'm glad you came in with, mother. Stay to dinner! We're going to have plum pudding and hard sauce. James told me," he confided to. the big, stalwart fellow who stood at the foot of the stairs holding out a. bulky package. "For me? atsked Billy. "Thank you. You're good to mother and me. TVhen she goes out with you, she always comes back with pink in her face like the roses you sent yesterday." yester-day." The boy looked admiringly at his young mother. A beseeching signal flashed from Gillem's eyes to the woman's, but she pretended not to see. She could not. would not, have Billy hurt, not for all the happiness she could promise herself her-self by marriage with this man. When the package was opened in the library by eager childish fingers. Billy saw a wonderful little automobile automo-bile with real rubber tires and a tiny siren whistle that sounded like thet big one on Gillem's own car. "Wind It," he begged of Gillem and soon the soft brown curly head was. close to the big black one, and man and boy were equally interested in the toy. When Billy's mother slipped away to dress for dinner, the boy-turned boy-turned to Gillem with the eager question, ques-tion, "Are you a very good friend o mine?" "The best In the world, Billy. What can I do for you?" "Mother's sad about something. She cries every time you go away. Do you.: know why?" "Why I I " stammered the man,, torn between his promise to the woman wom-an he loved and the Innocent trusting trust-ing face before him, waiting for an. answer. "I believe she wants to marry Mr. Sam Carter, and she knows I don't like him. You know you told her how Mr. Carter loved her. Is that It?" "No, no, I think not, Billy. Your mother doesn't love Carter In that way." "Now," said Billy, moving a little-closer little-closer and laying his hand on the man's arm, "if she would just love you, I'd like first rate to have you for a father. I loved my real, own father very much, like any boy," went on the childish voice, "but I tell you it would be fine to have a live father like you around every day." Billy was caught in two strong arms and held very, very close "I'd love to take you and your mother to my big house to live. I love you and the beautiful mother, too. Do you think we could persuade her to go?" "We'll try," whispered Billy. "Don't, you tell her about what I said. Tha?s a secret between us." "Sure," answered Gillem, happily. All through the meal Billy thought of Mr. Gillem's big stone house and his kennel of fine dogs. It would be great to live In that house, ha thought, aud wondered how he could lead up to the Important matter. "Mr. Walter," he questioned, "I wonder what your dogs would do If a. little boy went there sometimes?" "They would be glad to Bee him. They are friendly fellows." "I guess they wouldn't like to have a boy around all the time, though,, would they?" "Yes, they would," said Gillem.. taking care not to look at Elizabeth. He could, with difficulty, keep th laughter from his eyes. "I think I'll go home with you someday. some-day. Boys ought to stay with a mao some, oughtn't they, mother?" "Yes," said a very weak voice. "What are you talking about Bon?" "I told Mr. Walter how you cry sometimes, mother, and asked him It it was because you wanted to marry Mr. Carter. He said he didn't think so, but that he loved you and me, too, and wanted us to go to his house to-live. to-live. Wouldn't It be fine to have a real live father to play with at the lonesome time just before dinner?" Billy slipped out of his chair and went to her, and Gillem left his own place to stand on the other side. "Won't you let me have Billy and you for keeps?" begged the man down close beside her. bo that his eyes were on a level with Billy's eyes. "Yes," said Elizabeth, drawing the two dear heads to her breast. "I'll mother both my boys." "And I," said Billy, proudly, "will have a real father like Freddie Camp and Arthur Tyson. Now, let's go play with our new automobile," urged Billy, anxious to Include the new member In his family circle. (Copyrig-ht. 1912, by Associated IJtsraj-r Press.) |