The Topeka state journal., 1905-12-11
THE EVENING STORY
Miss Granniss' Decision.


green, was musing somewhat bitterly |
upon this fact. 1t was over a month /
now since he had seen Helen 0rannis. |
a month which had done great deal |
toward quickening a spark. hitherto |
not entirely recognized, into a vivid !
E1lanae He had tried to see her but un- |
successfully, and now his thoughts were /
I brooding as so often before. over that
last unfortunate meeting. Was he to
blame or she? Yet how could the
fault be his2
Once again he went back, mentally, |
to the beginning; that day when he
had telegraphed to ask if she would
ride. They had often spoken of so do
ing, and this had been his first oppor-
tunity. The answer had been that she
would be at the club at o'clock.
johnson, promptness itself, cantered
over from the stable at 4, precisely.
There he waited. He waited until half
after four; he waited until quarter Of
! five. There was no sign of Miss Gran
I mis-. At last, reluctantly, he rode to-
! wards the park, wondering what could
nave happened. The first person he
met, walking her horse slowly down
i the main drive in the direction of the
gate, was the girl herself and with her,
I talking eagerly. was Ransome Sinclair
/ The man of all others whom johnson
most detested.
For moment Johnson had stared,
really incredulous, unable to trust his
eyes.
/ Then, with a formal lifting of his
/ hat, he was past, the dark red mount
ing to his ch heek, and rage in his soul
/ Had she forgotten the engagements Or
| had she, deliberately thrown him over
for Sinclair Sinclair with his mill
lions, who could give her everything.
In the sudden blackness revealed by
/ the flash of Jealousy, Johnson realized
for the first time how much this slen-
der, dainty girl, with her pretty little
/ air of stateliness meant to him.
He had hardly gone a mile before
! the impulse which had made him bow
and pass on looked the height of
i Righteousness. OF course there was
some mistake. Why had he not
/ stopped and asked? But although he
| turned at once, it was too late; the two
| had vanished.
He had teIephoned that night. Miss
| Grannis was out for dinner. He had
called the next afternoon. Miss Gran
mis- was not at home. He could not
/ write. for there was nothing to say
/ One could not ask a lady why she had
| chosen to ride with another. The week
after when he tried calling once more,
1 the house was closed. He found that
the family had departed for their
| country place.
Johnson was in despair. But it was
/ not entirely a bad thing for him; it
| taught him a lot.
As he turned in now at the New
! lands place, and dropped off his horse,
some one moving down by the tennis
| court suddenly brought MS heart into
his mouth. Could it be she? He
| knew that Miss Grannis and Ida New
/ lands were great friends. Was it pos
/ sible she might be stopping here for a
week end? With tingling pulses he
/ went forward. 1t vast Wasl And
he might never have known! Some
| how he managed to answer properly
the greetings of Ida and the men
/ grouped about, then he turned to Miss
/ Grennis.
He was unreasonable enough to be
/ disappointed when the girl gave him
| merely a conventional smile. He felt
that he was the one with the right to
be angry; Ida Newlands looked sharp
ly al them both. She knew Helen
| Grannis well enough to divine that
| something had occurred.
Now, as she saw Johnson, after a
i moment, turn aside, her nimble wit
] leaped to a sudden guess at the truth.
| And as she caught JohnsOn's flush as
Sinclair came across the lawn, her
conviction deepened But what could
i be done? In this last month Sinclair
had been pushing his advance hard.
She knew that Helen was wavering
1 Ida did not fancy Sinclair, it was her
brother who had asked him today
And she did like Johnson. With a
swift inspiration she jumped to her
feet.
Lets have some tennis.' she ex-
4 y
and Mr. Johnson to try to beat Mr..
Sinclair and myself. Here's your
racquet" pretending not to see the
girls reluctance. It was the only way
she could think of to bring them to-
II gether.
Johnson could put up a strong
game. He was tall, with long legs
and arms that seemed 10 cover every
corner of the court. And Helen had
/ a clean, telling stroke. Sinclair how
1 no adv r,Y-xr- hey
> would have to play up. But Johnson
was not thinking of tennis. This was
his chance. He must make the most
| Of it before she joined that chatterng
group. As he brought the balls to
, Miss Grannis for her service, he
looked down at her for a moment.
''Why did YOU not come to the club
| that day >" he asked abruptly. Il
/ waited. and waited
5 Waited" echoed the girl. why
Ready Sinclair, and
Helen flashed a ball over the net.
Johnson, his heart beginning to beat
, fast, tightened the grip on his racquet.
Ii There had been surprise, unnistak-
able surprise, in Helens eyes.
Did YOU not expect me to meet
you at the club?" he demanded as
they changed courts.
you lost that point" was the i'm
patient response. mo, OF course nor.
j., always mount at the park entrance .
But the maid said" persisted
| Johnson.
Then the maid was mistaken. All,
be careful" as he nearly missed a re-
turned ball
i A strange desire not to be beaten
, had suddenly sprung to life in her
| breast. They must win this set, she
and Johnson; they must not be
beaten-by Sinclair. She looked
: across the net at his red. rather
/ heavy face. Could she marry him +?
Her family had hoped for it; he was
a splendid match. of course-and yet
: what did Harry johnson mean by
! | asking why she had nov come to the
club? She had told the maid to say
that she would be at the park en-
trance and then to telephone the club
for her horse.
Waited there an hour" said
| u.