The Topeka state journal., 1906-06-21
TIE EVENING STORY
Love Is Esaough.
LBy q. n. Phelps.l


you a story" Alwyn commanded. 1T
begins as stories ought always to be-
gin, Once upon a time
Dear me! I know I shan't Ike it.
Those once upon a time things have
grown to be such a BORE Lolita muir
INJURED plaintively, but without in the
least checking the story teller.
He ran on, his eyes fxed high above
her head: "A foolish fellow-foolisher
than the common-set himself to hate
Wisdom. whose other name is Wo-
maE-"
He got his come-uppance, of course,
tney always do, in stories; never out of
them." Lolita interJected dispassion-
ately.
This time Alwyn laughed. Whose
other name is Woman WOMAN he
repeated, with all the emphasis of capi-
tails. but you're dead wrong, he got
no coTne-uppance-it was rather his Ill
luck to come down, very hard. So hard
he groveled in the dust, when one par
ticular woman looked him over without
seeing him. That has happened, let
me see-about three times a day for
tul six weeks; result,
''One hundred and twenty-six grow
els II your figures can be trusted.
doubt it. doubt indeed if there is
anything trustworthy about YOU
Lolita flashed at him, with q smile so
cOyly engaging it took all the sting from
tiresome," she went on. I don't ask
you to be sensible-I'm so far from
sensible myself. But let's get away
from the eternal Me There must be
such lots of things better worth while"
What Will you have? Shall I dis
course on Ships and shoes and seal
ing-wax and cabbages and kings? p
Alwyn asked, his voice submissive
enough, but dancing rebellion in his
eyes.
Lolita smiled demurely. Il think"
she said, with an air of grave ref1ec-
tion, If you don't mind I had rather
hear things about Gordon Fleming"
There's nothing I can tell you-hes
so openly, so extensively, so disgust
ingly rich-and SO patiently in love with
you" Alwyn burst out.
Lolita gave him sidewise look
Are you sure?' she murmured. Don't
you see it would be cruel to experiment
with my credulity?"
AS cruel as your experiments with
my affection?" Alwyn hung back at
her, trying to speak tragically, but
laughing in spite of himself. What
rogue she was, to play with him so. She
loved him, almost as he loved her. 1t
had been instantaneous-they had
hardly more than looked at each other
when eye spoke to eye, heart to heart.
But she had fouted him daintily all
along, thereby making him more than
ever captive And he IN turn had teased
and vexed her, now with exaggerated
and open devotion, now with reproOfs
for wholly imaginary faults. Really he
did not think she could own a fault
she seemed to him perfect and alto
gether lovely. But in spite of his over
coming. he had wit enough to see that
tame and abject devotion would never
suit her-he must show himself a man
of spirit and temper else he would be
no man for her.
It was ten days since they had come
! together at the GIenWold house party,
/ ten blisSful days of Lolita and love.
Y =
I rides, drives, go1hng and moonir
/ maunderingS. Mrs. ArklOw, Glen
woods chatelaine, had looked on in
smiling approval. Lolita had but
seant fortune, and AIWyn, though not
( over rich, was clearly at the beginning
/ of a great career. Were not the FIem-
! ings, father and son, behind him The
| Flemings who had millions in hand,
and the potentiality Of other millions IN
! their mere approval. Gordon Fleming,
the son, was well in the middle age;
! he had married very early-as had his
| father before him-but It had turned
out very badly. In a year there had
! been q separation, later the threat of
4 divorce, but Fate stepped in to save
! the family pride. The wife sailed away
! on ship that went down at sea. She
/ had not been heard of in the fifteen
/ years since, so it was safely assumed
! that she was among the lost. None of
/ the few survivors had any knowledge
/ of her; she was, moreover so slight
and frail, she could hardly have lived
/ through the terror.
Morally and legally her husband was
free-to love, to WOO, to marry, if he
| chose. So far he had not chosen. In
deed, until Lolita came in his way,
women had been to him but as shad-
I Ows-shadoWs which must be well and
/ tenderly used, but given 20 further
/ thought. Her freshness, her unspOiled
fairness, her simple natural charm had
| swept him off his feet as completely
as they had bowled over Alwyn. AT
/ first he had seemed to see how the
land lay between the pair, and content
| ed himself with standing aside to
watch their delight in each other. But
! for three days past he had shown a dis
| position to enter the ltsts@a dfspOsi-
! ton which reused in AIwyn rather pity
| than apprehensiOn. Lolita knew-that
/ to love- to be loved All Fleming s
millions were no offset to the know
| edge; still, it did no harm to make be-
! lieve he was in fear of them.
Lolita looked at him in silence for
/ minute, her face the while subtly
changing It smiled STILL but with no
mirth in the smile, and the dimples
| and curves somehow shaped them
selves to 7rmer lines. At last she
said abruptly:
sDon't you see. have to marry
/ him; If DON'T shall marry you
and that will be your ruin. Don't in
| terrupt-I must say it all at once-I
have not promised-but that's how it
Will end. Last night I had letter
a home letter-you know we're des-
perately poor rich folk-which is much
worse than being poor outright. Moth
er has heard how things are-that
made her tell me things-things I had
never guessed-of debts, privations,
humiliations she has endured to make
me what 1 am-something TO retrieve
| our fortunes. Mr.. Fleming has writ
/ ten, asking her leave to court me. She
1 gave it. of course, in her own dignif1ed
| diplomatic way. I am free to choose.
/ If L choose to take him the choice Will
meet her approval. oh. know it ali
/ by heart"
''I know by heart you are not going
1 to do it. You can't" Alwyn broke in.
] I,iS faca e.1-a1 and lined Lolita hooked