The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-25


coat that usually fitted faultlessly upon
his broad shoulders was hunched about
his ears and his long legs stretched out
before His back was toward the fel-
lows who were playing bottle pool, and
when, every now and then, one of them
threw some laughing remark in his d.
rection. he made no reply, but pulled
angrily at his pipe or addressed nlInSel1
to the glass of Scotch and carbonic at
his elbow. The glass was his fourth He
usually stopped at two.
Upstairs little Miss Greene was max
ing her pillow unpleasantlv moist with
tears of wounded dignity and grief, and
asking herself how she could ever face
the crowd at breakfast.
why did he do it" she kept saying
to herself. oh why did he do it. And
/ liked him so much"
The respective states of mind of these
two were relative and this was the way
in which they were brought about.
Billy Kilgore was strongly of the
opinion that if he could not pass along
to middle age without seeing little Miss
Greene at the head of his breakfast ia
bic every morning he didn't care very
much about passing along to middle age
at all, and up to that night he had cher
ished a timorOus hope that little Miss
Greene, when she knew him better,
would be willing to admit the justice of
his views. Their mutual friends had
very little doubt about little Miss
Greene's feeling in the matter. They
had higher opinion of Billy Kilgore'
e~A-N- $1,000
Kilgore had. In fact, the young men of
the party that had been asked to the
Hammonds' for the holidays had made
a pool on the length of time which would
elapse before the two would announce
the first step on the road to rice and old
shoes, and that was primarily the rea-
son why Billy Kilgore and little Miss
Greene were unhappy and apart instead
of spoonlng together in the library as
they should have been
Dick Hammond who was the cousin
L.,
brother. had gone into the pool in part
nershiD. and had drawn the five-day |
slip, which brought rapid fire of guy |
ing upon them.
@You lose," yelled the crowd when the |
slip appeared Its shame to take the
money"
over in five days" said Jack Wash
burn derisively. Il can see him PLAIN
Why, the old dope hasn't been able to
male up his mind yet whether 1t bores
through a plate glass window. You've
got a swell chance-yes, no."
"ThatH be all right" said Tommy
Greene. In about three days wen
make that silly old three-nonth slip of
yours look like prep football team
playing against Princeton
That's good business, Tommy put |
in Hammond. Wen show EN- OF
course, there's nothing to prevent US
from using our friendly offices to boost
the thing along a bit. Anyway, I'd
next day or two, so that they wouldn't |
spoil the party. You know how it is
with people before they've made up their
minds. Wild one day because you We
paired them off. and wild the next be-
cause you haven't, and swapping your
head off when you butt into converse
ton between them You remember the
Blakes last year before they were en- |
gagged. I'm going to have the whole |
thing settled up by Christmas morning
Ell Tommy"
That's what" said Mr.. Greene and |
the partners withdrew with an air of /
perfect confidence, leaving the rest to
finish the drawing.
Then these two had begun to plot The |
result was that catastrophe had awaited |
Billy Kilgore and little Miss Greene |
when, earlier in the evening with which |
this story begins, they turned their |
steps toward the library. Billy with ex-
hilarating, but. as he told himself, focl- |
ishly futile thoughts in his head of tell |
ing her all about it. On the way down |
the hall he had made a half joking. |
half tentative remark about the mistle- |
toe, which for several days before |
Christmas and thereafter until Twelfth |
Night, being by custom over the library |
doorway at Redmount. and the lady had |
replied lightly, it is true, but in way |
that convinced him that it were better
for him to try deep sea diving, with 4
milestone for bathing suit, than at |
tempt to take any advantage Of the
seasonable decorations. They were d.
rectly beneath the bunch of mistletoe
There was a commotion in the por-
tieres and Mollie Greene was at once
aware Of pair of hands placed over her
eyes. and the voice of her cousin Dick
saying: Guess who it is" And an in
slant later: ''Now's your chance, Bill
Step up like a man."
Kilgore began a Mortified protest, and
Tommy Greene, suddenly emerging on
tiptoe from the other portiere. caught
him in the middle of a sentence. kissed
his sister on the lips and was off, over
nff +I,n T,nI =
around a corner in five seconds. Tommy
Greene wore mustache about the size
of Kilgore's, which, while it gave NJ
reason for arrogance on the part Of
either, was quite palDable.
This was how 1t seemed to little Miss
Greene as she vainly tugged at Dick
Hammond's wrist:
Kiigore-"Oh come, Dicki err
(smacl) say. nOwi'
Dick-"Good boy. Billy"
Billy Kilsore, as he sat sulking in the
big chair before the billiard room fire.
could see her, now, as she had struggled
free and turned to face him, her head
thrown back, the single crimson rose at
the bosom of her soft gray dinner gown
rising and falling with her quick breath
ing. her lips slightly parted and her
blue eyes flashing indignation and then
filling with tears as they looked straight
into his He could hear the little catch
in her voice she had said. Mr.. Kill
gorei Oh how could you? How could
you?" Then the back of a small hand to
her eyes. dash out of the room, and it
was all over.
1t surely was all over for him, Billy
Kflgore thought. as he sloomily turned
the incident in his mind. It had seemed
simple enough at the first to rush after
her and tell her the truth, but Dick
had grabbed him by the arm
Dick had been a bit dismayed himself
on the instant, but he was not the sort
of young man to lose his wits.
Hold on. Williami" he had said
Where are you going ?"