The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-05-27
UNDER TWO LIGHTS.

The king of day was preparing to bow
himse t out of the approaching presence OF .
the evenings queen one afternoon early in
the winter. Like an ancient maiden who
compensates for youth and beauty by DON
ming brilliant colors SO the retiring rulel
of the day determines If his presence can
not be felt it shall be seen, and the last
thing before his bow is to send up Ere
works that surpass and defy the manufac-
turer's art.
without money and without price,
Dean Stanton enjoyed these fireworks from
the French windows of his fathers spa
cious library. He was lazily contemplate
ing the marvellous beauty and wondering
in a weary way if any one could calculate
the number of tints in the glorious display
as his sister Dora s voice, just outside the
library door, broke the reverie by saying:
Come, girls, Flora, all of you, won't
you? Deans been sick so long and now
only gets out little each day. He finds
the house so stupid. Please come
A minute later Dean found himself sur
rounded by half a dozen fresh buds, all
near his sisters age, Is.
He was inwardly bemoaning his fate
and scratching the dusty hay of his brain
loft to find something to please dainty ap-
petites. After discarding nine thoughts
he served up a delicate morsel that seemed
to him might keep them busy for awhile
at least, until he could do some more
scratching.
We'll, girls, " said he, 1T suppose you
have spent the afternoon talking about
the boys"
'No, indeed was the quick answer of
Flora Glenday, a leader among them.
And does that settle the matterf'' ask
ed he, and his air of ennui was blown
away by the fresh breeziness of the fair
Flora.
zoe oo,,,-o - 7ooe W. ava Mt o,oi,,<,
to give the boys any more time than they
do US, which is none at all. -
FIora's curls shook like polished coils of
copper wire as they glowed and reflected
in the dazzling sunbeams that lighted the
room.
Flora's little imperious way made Dean,
old crusty bachelor though he was, want
to make his superiority felt
You are right, Miss Glenday," he said,
land, girls let me give you an old fellows
advice. Men are queer set You may
never meet the kind I will tell you about,
and again some of you may. There are
many true, good fellows in society, and
then there are some that think it great
sport to sit beside girl and let an arm
drop around her waist or take stolen kiss
and then go and brag about it to the other
fellows. But let me tell you, girls, the
boys never really respect that girl. They
think more of the one who either slaps
them or treats them to a sound lecture.
Just give it to fellow who is mean
enough to do it to any of you girls. Take
an old mans advice. -
One evening a month later the queen of
night sent some of her little pages to the
windows of the Stanton home to brighten
it by their presence. Little rays were
their names.
But they met such brilliant reception,
the house all aglow with electric light,
that they shyly crept back into the big
open court of their queen. Here they
were joined later by some of the guests Of
the home.
Dora Stanton was having a birthday
party of all her young friends.
She wondered that her brother Dean
took such an interest in her guests. He
and Flora Glenday were the first on the
floor to open the waltz.
He had been very attentive to Flora for
some time. 1t was only natural that
Flora felt highly complimented, for there
were older girls among Dora's friends.
girl with good sense always appreciates
man somewhat her senior, who approaches
her as an intelligent being, listens to her
attentively and does not wear the air of a
spoiled child playing with toy.
Miss Glenday,'' said Dean after the
waltz, "let US try dancing on the porch .
The ice and snow had been swept off,
but the boards were still very slippery.
At one end of the porch the bushes were
very thick, so the queen of night could
not send her pages to guide their feet,
E'lora slipped and fell. 1t was only the
work of moment, and she was standing
uninjured surrounded by the numerous
pages One danced on a curl as it strayed
from under the feecy nubia, one kissed her
lily brow, and another softly brushed her
Those eyes were at that moment glow
ing with light kindled by the thought of
the kind consideration of men in general
and this man in particular, who she be-
Iieved had lifted her up with as much I'M
concern as if she had been made of wood.
But she was mistaken.
He was trying to compromise with him
self, wholly forgetting his advice to the
girls a month before. He thought: She's
only child. Why not?''
just as she said to herself, "Here's a
uaan that doesn It belong to the queer set, -
she felt herself drawn toward him, his
arms were around her, and her face was
very near. She looked up
The shy, modest light in her eyes re-
treated before the playful, insincere CLEAN
in his, as the moons rays did before the
glare of artificial light
If an engine can feel when the lever is
quickly reversed, it must be much the same
sensation US Flora felt in that moment.
She had mentally been burning the in
cense of kinH thoughts before the shrine
of man, and he> with touch, with look
tore down the shrine and turned the in
cense to ashes. There was no question in
her mind as to her action. She followed
under the dim light of the moon the ad-
vice he had given under the suns broad
searching glare.
She put up her two hands and showed
him from her with a force that stunned
him and then ran, ran into the house, up
stairs and did not stop until she had lock-
ed the door and buried her head in the
pillow.
After a little while she raised up and
thought aloud: They are-men are