The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-01
TEE EVENING STOR Y


If things had gone exactly as they
should. A proper young woman of
course would have reckoned chances
before barring her feet and dancing joy
1 S1 IN InIdstream, where the pebbles
Jay smoothly bedded in fine sand. and /
cleaning jewel-Wise wherever a sunray /
struck through the ripples.
Lorena did not let herself remember /
tnat the ford was but so yards higher
up, nor that this special shallow reach I
OF the creek lay between the two lakes
that gave the finest fishing. They were /
not true lakes of course-only water
mirrors, stin and deep, impounded by /
dams of the winter foods building. !
Lorena did not love them-they were so /
placid they reminded her somehow of /
Johnny-and whatever did that put her |
out OF temper.
She loved glitter, motion, excitement. /
It was ecstasy to her to dance all day /
long. and half the night after, footing 1
1t as lightly, as featIy, as wind blown
alone-but since that was oat Of the |
question, she naturally preferred part /
ners who kept step, and were nimble. /
Johnny was neither, yet all the time I
she had been engaged 10 him. he had /
felt it his right to say, if she did not I
dance with him. she must dance with /
hardly anybody else.
And not at all with Granville Gore, /
and very prince of partners, who was /
handsome and slender, and Iight-heart- |
ed, with money in both pockets and a |
Johnny hated him-without reason so /
far as Lorena could see. At least he
gave her no reason-onIy said, IF you /
are goln' ever to belong to me, Lolie /
low
Somehow. the emphasis on the last
word always made Lorena shfver when /
she recalled it. How could she help it, |
the soul of kindly justice? Still, she
had felt that he was unfair-if he. real
ly knew anything. he might let her
know it likewise.
If Johnny could have brought him
self to tell her. the break might not
have come. But he was too proud and
masterful for that. His wife must be-
lieVe in him enough to understand that
! he had reasons for any and everything.
! Besides he was afraid of seeming enVi-l
GUS and Jealous Of a man SO much
richer and better looking Moreover,
/ he did not really know much that could
! be told catego rically-it was Gore'sI
4 general air and manner, conjoined tol
i words dropped here and there. that
made Johnny certain he had no real|
/ reverence for anything feminine. A
/ girl, any girl was fair game to him
Il If she hadn't sense enough to look out
i for herself, he was not bound to look
out for her. Yet, Gore was not dis
tinctly vicious, rather inordinately vain.
He did not mean worse by womenkind
Il and girlkind than to make love to them.
/ then ride away. Marry! Not hel Not
Il the finest girl alivei
4 If Lorena had known that-unknoW-
ing it, she had thought great many
times and great many things Of the
fascinating Granville in the three
months since the break. He had been
away for two OF them, and since he
came home, she had seen him only in
crowds. But he had used his eyes 50
eloquently as to set her heart wildly
futtering. But oddly enough,0it had
!, fluttered even more when by chance
: she had encountered Johnny IN his
working clothes, driving his wagon to
the mill.
They had barely nodded to each 9TH
er and she had ridden fast afterward,
but not fast enough to get away from
a sense that Johnny, old Johnny, al
though his face was impressive, had
/ turned to look after her as long as she
was in sight.
Today she was not thinking of him
/ hardly, even, of Granville. Wading
was such pure joy. The water came
r lightly in both hands. and balanced to
her shadow upon the ripping stream.
{ Such a funny shadow-danclng gro
tesquely even when she stood still.
? Rapt in contemplation of 1t, she did
= not hear footsteps, nor anything, until
? a throaty, chuckling voice cried: 'Oh,
= hoi A mermaid. Gore, if the variety
= is Indigenous, understand, shall settle
? in your neighborhood just as soon as
can buy a place."
: Lorena flushed scarlet. She let fall
4 her slxirls, needless Of water-heedless
/ indeed Of anything, but escape. There
' were men on either bank, also one in
g wading approaching her mid-stream-
, Gore was farthest of them-a Gore
she had never seen. He looked her
over IS though she were a part, q Curl
Gus part of the landscape, with which
he had no sort of acquaintance.
1t was the man in wading who had
spoken-he was striding on toward her
: his rod over his shoulder, broad grin
: upon his fat red face. Her sunbonnet,
> her f.ded print frOck, above all, her
present case. had clearly made him be-
! lieve her some hoydenish milkmaid,
: rather than mermaid
Didn't I ten you fellows the finest
fish were here in the shallows?" he bel
I lowed at the men on the bank. Never
yet made such a catch. he added,
making to fling an arm about Lorena's
waist
She evaded him, springing to one side,
e and trying to gain the bank, but the
a sportsmen there set up laughing
= shout whic-. warned her nos to trust
e them. Desperately she fled upstream,
e cutting her feet on sharp stones, but
s never faltering- 1t was not easy to run
d against the current-the rock bottom
was slippery in places, and her wet
skirt hampered her terribly
Still, she kept out of reach until she
was twenty yards off the ford. The
. fat-faced man, laughing and painting
J, after her, caught 3ser there. and said, as
Z he gave her a resounding kiss: q" Pom
my soul Undine, it was worth it. 1
Il haven't had such lark since I was q
+ boy
! Torena broke from him. crying wildly,
''Granvilles Mr.. Gore. Kill this crea-
/. turer
+ At that the men laughed louder than
ever-Granville had discreetiy disap-
s. peared- He was sorry for Lorena, also
angry with her-even angrier than with
his friend of the fiat led face There
k were millions back of the fat red face
millions that might mean much to
Cores future Was he to risk their
help, to invite everlasting chan TO
r. make himself the butt of the grill rooms
next time he was in town, by cham
! ninnshin Of q girl q silly country girl.