The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-17
TIE EVENING STORY


in the studio when all was finished. The
girl. a brown-eyed, slender creature.
with masses of soft brown hair around
a small oval face, smiled contentedly as
she surveyed the results of three days
labor.
A few pretty rugs were scattered over
the floor. Pictures in various stages OF
completion leaned against the wall. And
on the hearth a coy wood fire sparkled
cheerily.
Beyond was a glimpse of a tiny bed
room and a kitcherette. Miss Wander
vier drew a long breath. 1t was what
she had been dreaming Of for years TINS
return to New York 10 studio OF nef
own Now she could show what the
hard work in Paris had done for her.
now she could prove what was in her.
The janitor. watching her with ms
shrewd, kindly old Irish eyes, nodded
a silent approval. She would do. Pat
was father, friend and counselor to all
the eager, ambitious young hearts gath
cred under the roof of the big studio
building. And it did not take him long
mentally to fix the status of each new
conner But to Miss Vandervier, for
some reason, he vouchsafed a peculiar
attention, studying her face, whenever
unobserved, with sharp intentness. He
/ nodded again.
miss he said, as he gave the IRE
rafting poke. I'VE are rather nice
lot judicially.
THANK you responder the girl,
] L
much boosted independence. Are there
are there many other girls here?"
Pat waved the poker.
Well there's Miss DelamO," he re-
f1ected aloud. shes water; and Miss
Brown in oils, and Miss Merriton, who
charcoals. All nice, quiet young ladies
as you'd wish to find. But the young
gentlemen lifting eloquent hands.
'Them's the noisy lot. All but Mr. Law
renee, that is consideringly.
Miss VanderVier Jumped.
Mr.. Lawrence - she echoed, faint
~. The old Irishman nodded.
Mr.. Robert Lawrence. YOun no
doubt have been seeing his things.
Some likes EN-. But as for me, Xix es
a bit of color meself,' gazing admir-
| ingly al a fragment of vivid blue Nene-
/ tan water and sky. But sure, Mr.
Lawrence amt troubling the paints
much these days" barking back to his
subject with sigh. But well. well,
suddenly changing his tone. I must
/ be going Good evening, miss And
| if there's anything you want, don t
hesitate to call upon old Pat for it.
But the girl had drawn near the
door.
Isis anything the matter with Mr..
Lawrence ?" she asked. in a carefully
| Indifferent voice. II think I used
| to know him in Paris
Did We, now % The old man shook
| his head Sc IT'S very sick I fear he is, .
he answered, soberly. I'm thinking
that if no one comes to nurse him it's
to the hospital he will be going. We've
written his family, but they must be
away. The doctor said that if no one
came he'd most likely be took tonight
/ 'Tis sad to hear him, miss
Sad? ?" repeated the girl, with
averted face.
He do be calling all the time" ex-
planned Pat Marion, Marion. tbs
that he's Whispering.
8 Marion p . faltered the girl. She
bent forward. You are-you are
sure?" she demanded, tensely.
Marion, or Maude or maybe It's
Mary returned Pat, indifferently.
I'm not good on remembering names.
But it must be some one he's terrible
fond of. His whole studio is filled with
pictures of one young lady, drawn
every kind of way. TwOuld fair sur
prise you. He's sure got his eye on
some one a droll smile tightening the
! corners of his mouth.
''Well. / wish she'd come, then, the
sigh returning. I'D have a job for her.
But good night again. Miss, recollect-
ing himself with start here L am,
gOSsiping away when / should be DONG
my work. And don't trouble your head
about Mr. Lawrence. He'll most likely
pull through" And with a final clat-
ter Of the poker he was gone.
But it is very easy to tell a person
not to trouble. To follow such an in
junction is different matter Miss
Nandervier's face, as she turned back
to the pickering log, wore changed
expression: Bob Lawrence upstairs
and ILL That in all the big city OF
New York she should have happened
upon the very building which sheltered
Bob. What could be more unfOrtun-
ate? This had been the first thought
which leaped to her mind as the old
man chartered on: followed however,
[ by the consoling reminder that they
need not therefore necessarily meet.
And then, with a shock, the unex-
pectednesS of which set her aqulVer.
had come the news of his illness and
delirium. For a moment a cold finger
seemed laid upon her heart. Bob III,
and calling for another girl?
Yet. why should she care2 She did
not she told herself, with a quick toss
of the head She had taken the chance
when she sent him away. He had been
hers first, hers utterly. A sudden vision
of those old Paris days rose before her
mind, when Bob had begged her to
marry him and come home, and SHE,
/ trying her wings and rejoicing in their
strength. had only laughed. Give up
/ her work and go home2 How could
he ask it2
But he had asked it and then gone
away. And now he was upstairs i'll
and calling for another girl. Her mind
| reverted constantly to that thought
/ Naturally she had told him to forget
her. But equally naturally. with the
/ fine self-cOnfidence of her sex, she had
never believed that he would. Reluct-
antly the truth now forced itself upon
! her consciousness that in all daydreams
/ of winning fame the return of joyful
and proud Bob had always been the
/ climax.
With a determined effort Miss Van
| dervier flung herself into chair and
| tried to absorb herself in the cherished
studio-but to no avail. The thought
of that lonely i'll figure upstairs per
sisted to the exclusion of everything
else He was i'll. very i'll. and they
were going to take him away. And all
/ he needed was nursing. The girl
caught unsteadily at the arms of the
/ big chair and half sprang TO her feet
/ But-that other grill Could she, oh,
could she
And then with a singularly sweet
and gentle expression Miss Vandervier
arose What matter2 IF he were de-