The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-22
THE EVENING STOR Z
BY His Own Petard.


Even when ones af1anced has the /
reputation of being, besides fairly rich |
and more than passably handsome, /
the most whimsicalIy irresponsible /
pracaeal joker in New York, one has
right to expect that joking, on ones /
birthday. of all days, viii be shelved. /
At least Carol Merrifield so expected; |
but she was disappointed, and that
started the trouble.
Hunter Johnston was in love with |
Carol, thoroughly, so, but the practi- |
cal joking instinct is like conscience |
and a taste for olives-hard to for
get when once acquired. A brilliant
idea in the testing line came to john |
ston the morning of his sweetheart's /
birthday, and he Immediately set
about giving it to that portion of the /
ested.
Carrots birthday gifts from her
particular circle were ali that heart /
could desire, and she waited with |
happy anticipation for her hance's /
offering.
At / o'clock a messenger boy APP
peared with a long. slender package
Tor Miss MerrifieId. She opened it with
eagerness, and found single magni-
Ileent American beauty wrapped
carefully IN Waxed paper, and spark
ing as # with the dew of June. With
IN f1Ve minutes another messenger /
with another Ions slender package
rang the bell, and this also yielded
up q rose. When. with the regularity
OF clock-woTk, five uniformed imps
mad come and gone in twenty-five
minutes, all with similar votive Of
1erlngs, the girl conlpreh ended: John
sion of the fertile mind had hit upon
the plan of sending her twentv-three
roses, one for each year of her life,
puL the gift was to be delivered on the
lnstallment plan.
The ingenious idea was pleasing
Tor time With the tenth rose the
Merr1held family was holding Joyous
council over the ever increasing pile of
boxes IN the library, and Carol was
restless. When the fifteenth bona fide
messenger had come and gone-not
counting four small curiosity seekers
1 VINO smiled expansiVely, murmured
number and retreated-C,s r-roI was
I thoroughly angry. When, on the heels
/ OF the twenty-third accredited flower
/ bearer Johnston appeared. a partfcu-
larry desirable brooch in his pocket
/ and d sense of duty well done in his
heart she was composed. but the an
ger, though not visible was present
and controlled.
With true masculine density john
ston noticed nothing out of the ordi-
nary with his sweetheart. She thank
! ed MIN gaily and with the proper de-
gree of warmth for brooch and roses.
Mr.. Practical Joker must have a
! lesson, Miss Merrifield declared tn
herself, after his departure. as she
4 nDbied, with lips as red as the petals
! themselves, at the eighteenth rose. Il
didn't mind SO much his other tricks
/ but this time he has gone too far
He'd only laugh if he knew old Mrs
froude sat in her window and counted
/ those messengers. With the extra ones
mixed in-little wretches!-there we're
thirty-One of them.
She knows fodaV-,s NV 1,sra1. H..
and saw through Hunters scheme as
/ quickly as 1 did. And she'll never. be
lleve but what I'm thirty-one! So, Mr.
! Hunter Johnston, beware of an old
/ maid vengeance" and she waved the
rose theatrically in air.
On the morning of his own birthday
/ i've days later, when his man brought
| up the mail. Johnston's eve was i'm
/ medlately taken by one long white en-
! FelOpe- 1t was certainly peculiar in
/ appearance. for his name and address
were formed of letters clipped from
newspapers and pasted upon it. The
envelope contained the following mis-
sive. similarly constructed.
DO YOU care to see your sWeetb ca TT
eIoplng with another man? Be at the
Iwenty-third street ferry, Thursday
afternoon at four"
Like many other practical jokers.
Johnston had his blind side: he never
suspected that any one would attempt
/ to hoax him. He took the 1nisslve
IN deadly earnest, and interrupted dress
ing half-dOzen times to re-read it
His first sensation was one Of anger
that any one would dare libel his sweet
heart so. He resolved to telephone Car
rol immediately-or better to call upon
her and enjoy good laugh with her
over the letter. Yet even while he
smiled al its very absurdity. a sicken-
ing qualm of doubt, slow fitting and
ugly as a vulture's shadow. passed over.
his mind. Surprising it were true?
rms was the most unpleasant day
Johnston ever experienced. Brea xfast
was a farce; luncheon. mo perform
ance." Long after the time for the
latter meal, he remembered that lie had
promised to spend the day with a mar
ried sister over in Jersey.
He tramped the snowy streets aim
lessly, pausing occasionally to pore over
the mysterious MESA sc, while Folice-
men stared curiously and householders
thought of Raffles. All his journeys
brought him back somehow, to the
neighborhood of Carrots home. But he
could not enter Something held him
back At three O'Clock he was at the
ferry and sat himself down, with such
patience as he could muster. to wait
for four o'clock. III see it through. -
he said
At ten minutes of the hour. Johnston's
heart gave painful throb, for Carol
rosy from the searching wind, entered
the ferry building tall atbletie
S~tis7 eAAe-A-s With Lie diI Oh the out
lander about him-he was well dressed
and evidently well-bred, but not a New
Yorker-follov ed her in. He was carry
ing two heavy suit cases.
Johnston confronted them. MAY I
ask what this means, Carrol?'' he asked
quietly
The girl halted and seemed to shrink
from him. The athletic stranger step
ped forward: And may I inquire how
il concerns your He did not raise his
voice. and the attention of none of the
jostling scores was attracted to the
group
Johnston ignored him. did I de-
serve this, Carrol?' he went on. IF
you'd ask, I'd release you. When I
got this letter
The girl had determined to punish