The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-08-10
CHANGED HIS MIND.

He WAS a NEWSPAPER man and q poet
Still the combination worked very we'll.
The only trouble was that his work rather
knocked the bloom of the romance of life.
He found it difficult to be romantic after
chasing around after the stern realities,
the tragedies and comedies of this mortal
existence for 16 hours day, but he man
aged to retain something of tbs dreamer
about him notwithstanding. He lived in
love. Somewhere on this mundane sphere
there existed woman whom he should
one may meet and love and be happy with
her forever after.
She was to be his affinity, his twin
soul, and they should know it the moment
their hands touched. Naturally it was all
rather hazy in his mind as yet, for he did
not have much time for dreaming.
- He had also rooted opinion that he
should one day commit suicide. He often
said as much to his chum Jim, who al
ways looked cynical and fell to whistling
softly with faraway look in his eyes. He
would talk about it quite seriously and
discuss the different methods, but his
preference was for the revolver route.
And so one spring day he fell in love-
1t was all in one moment He was at his
desk writing away like mad when the
door opened, and she came ina little,
blue eyed, fair haired, childish thing, with
Cupid's bow lips and a frightened man
ner.
They neither knew afterward what they
said, but five minutes later he was at his
desk, she was gone, and between his eyes
and the paper was a fair, childish face,
with Cupid's bow lips and blue, frighten-
ed eyes.
Before two days he met her on the street.
Their eyes met again, and they both spoke.
Then he walked home with her and car
ried her sohoolbooks, and all the world
was suddenly fair and sweet as rose gar
den in June. She understood his every
word, and newell, he lived in a world of
his own. He walked in a dream. The
real thing-the murders, marriages, d.
vorces, even the men and women he met,
seemed faroff dream, and only Daisy and
himself real people. He was in love, and
for the first time.
Her mother soon became aware of the
state of affairs and decided Daisy was
much too young for love or lovers. Her
father told him SO, and also that he and
Daisy must see each other no more except
as acquaintance. There was nothing
against him-they were simply too young.
And SO she was to go to school, but Gordon
could call to say goodby.
That night he went to see her and came
away filled with wonderful schemes for
he-future. He was to become rich and
famous, and when she came back he would
marry her. That was his plan, and from
that day he worked as he had never dream
ed it possible that he could work. Before
he worked because a certain amount of
work was necessary to keep grim want at
bay, but now he had an object for which
to work, and he threw his whole soul into
it. It was for Daisy. and that thought
kept him going. For two years it was
constantly with him. Each time he sat
down at his desk he peeped at the dainty,
childish face in his watch case and whis-
pered her name. 1t was Daisy always
the alpha and omega, the sum total of his
existence.
She was to be home in June, but went
to visit friends and wrote him that it
would be the ist of July, and that her dear
friend, Bessie Thornton, was to come with
her.
1t was evening when she would arrive,
and he started to the station to meet her.
Instead a telegram met him. Daisy had
been married that morning. She was not
coming at all The lights in the streets
danced up and down, and he repeated it
softly, "Daisy married.
His hand went mechanically to his pis-
toll pocket. Only enc idea was left in his
stunned brain, and that was to carry out
his old time morbid fancy and put an end
to the existence that he now concluded
was not worth living. He did not take
time to argue the pros and cons, but felt
a slight sense of disappointment when he
remember he had left his revolver at the
office. 1t would not take long to go for
1t, he thought dreamily, and glanced at
the telegram in his hand. "Daisy mar
riedl' 1t must be dream. The train
came in, the train Daisy was to have
come on.
The moments were like hours, yet he
did not hurry. 1t was not far to the office.
"Daisy married!'' One finger on the trig-
ger and then
There was touch on his hand, timid
and soft. He glanced down and for an
instant did not see who it was. Then he
knew. 1t was Bessie Thornton, Daisy's
friend. There were tears in her eyes, and
he read pity-and was there something
elsef-in her soft brown eyes. Neither
spoke, but neither felt the need of it.
Once again he was looking into the awak-
ening soul of woman. A sudden light
sprang into her brown eyes, Unconscious
ly their hands met, and they turned and
walked together. The lights were golden
globes through the dusk, and far overhead
the stars began to peep out There was a
subtle softness, dreary languor in the air
as they, hand in hand. went into the gray
dusk of the evening.
Next day his friend Jim received the re-
volver as a gracious gift.-Exchange
P1ucking the NettIe.