The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-11-19
TIE SPANGLED BAT.


From the ReCOrd-Herald.4
He noticed her the moment the cur
tain rose on the great cavern scene IN
the first act. His was the corner seat
in the Droseenium box just above the
stage, and his heart beat violently When
she glanced upward at him and seemed
20 smile involuntarily. His colleagues,
all medical students, sat about him, but
they didn't notice how he delVed for ms
programme and ran his trembling niger
down the list of characters till ne came
70 THE Spangled Bat" and her name
0pposite-IOne Montagu.
Humphreys was a bit of a iav. as
the average country youth with no
wider experience than that of fresh
water college is likely to be. He was IN
town studying medicine, and incident
ally spending quite share of his fafh-
er's hard earned money, but he was an
Impressions Bile, romantic, whole -SouseH
fellow and-lonesome. About every oUh-
er man in the college had sweetheart
or was engaged. Some few were mar
Fled. He envied all of them esaeeially
the benedfcts. and wondered what MS
father would say if he. Frank Hum
phreys, aged %, should send home sud
Gen word that he had taken WIFE
He meant to please the folks at home,
behave himself as well as a healthy
pleasure-lOving youth may, and go nome
with bonors if he could win them. but
certainly without disgrace HIS virtues
were OF the quality and his Creullec-
lions of the wholesome sort that make
matrimony the ideal condition OF both
success and happiness He had never
seen a creature so beautiful. so grace
full, so perfectly conforming to MS
dreams of the only one. He wrote the
letter. They always do that. but it Is
probable that young Humphreys letter
was couched in language more appeal
Ing, more reverential more humbiy
idolatrous than many such mlsslves.
He pleaded for a chance to meet her
deprecated the necessity for thus IN
truding himself upon her But he lett
out a lot of things that have been writ
ten to pretty ballet girls before ana
since. He said nothing about rendez-
vous. He didn't accompany his note
with flowers. He was afraid that might
be audacious. impertinent.
She replied in kind Her letter was
modest hesitating and full of the terri
fed elusiveness of startled maidenly re-
serve. She had noticed him, she wrote.
and though she received many letters
from admiring men whom she dld not
know she made a practice of ignoring
them But his letter was different. So
respectful. etc.-in a word, on Friday
night, if he would promise on his honor
to be very silent about it, he might meet
her al the stage door, WhereupOn she
might permit him to accompany her to
the hotel. where she lived with her sis
ter. But he must never breathe a word
to any living soul about 1t, she warned,
for it was so wholly at variance with all
her beliefs and habits thus to meet an
utter stranger, that she would die Of
shame If anyone should hear about it.
When the crucial moment came and
he saw her cloaked and eXpectant, tip
toeing down the narrow, dark stairs
that led from the stage to the alley, he
didn't know what to do. He had a car
riage at the end of the alley and its
presence had served to reassure him till
now. Suddenly he felt that she might
resent this hint of desire for privacy.
His arm trembled when she touched it.
and they walked away. The wise driver
saved him from the necessity of speech.
for the door of the carriage gaped for
them as they emerged into the street
light, and she hoped in like scared
dove into its cote. He didn't remember
much Of anything then until they were
at supper, but he was hugely conscious
of an indescribable, aWed and yet glori-
fled sense of joy that amounted to-
ecstasy. She was al and more than all
that he had ever dreamed of angelic
womanhood. He had asked her to or
der the supper, and she had proved her
taste. her patrician habits. her aristo-
cratic breeding he thought, by rafting
off instructions that seemed to include
everything that was fneand toothesome
and dainty. She called him Mister
Humphreys" and was the embodiment
of grace. decorum, vivacity, intelligence
and wit When he had left her at the
hotel door and had ridden home en-
tranced and looked in the glass at his
pale, curl shaped face, he could hardly
realize the sublimated glory of his sex-
perience of the past few hours. Perhaps
it was the sateurne, but he was no long
er sure of what he had said He only
knew that she was divine-his divinity.
He recalled vaguely that he had asked
permission to send her a little present,
a token of his deep and undying re
gard" before she left the city, and he
was quite sure of what she had said.
Il have a few friends men whom [
like or admire but I never take their
presents. They send them often, but I
always send them back. I think it is
not right to take gifts, unless"
That was as far as he could remem-
Der, but the glance which she gave him
somehow encouraged him to hope that
she would not scorn his present. She
would grant him but two interviews
after that first blissful evening He
bought the present the day before she
and the company left for New York. 1t
was a ring-of course. Serious, honest,
high-minded lovers always send a ring
Humphreys knew that much, and the
bauble was beauty not worthy of her
but yet a fine present He dreaded and
yet yearned for the hour to come when
he was to see her off at the station
If she returned the ring he would die
He was sure of that. If she kept it?