The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-07-05
TIE EVENING STORY
The Pink Kinono.

By lola EorreSter.l
It lay on the massive settee in the
hall, an innocent looking parcel, fiat
and somewhat square. Three OF War
wiek's letters lay on top of it neatly
as the hall boy had placed them, also
his weekly paper from home
Warwick glanced at the letters,
again at the clock, tossed of his hat,
coat and gloves and carried the whole
lot, parcel, letters and paper, into the
comfortable study and dropped into
a deep chair
There was an hour before the crowd
would arrive Everything was ready.
The spread would be sent up at $3.50
sharp. He hoped Stanton would be
able to get away. He liked Stanton.
The boy needed a good friendly grip
| just now. He knew himself what 1t
was to be in New York a stranger.
Money could not give one the pass
word that admitted one to the inside
of things the getting next to the IT.
ness of ALL" as Stanton said. And If
the right path did not open, and one
happened to be lonely, there were 9TH
ers wide ana welcoming. Warwick
knew.
The boy was young and clever. The
only thing that allied him was too
much money, and the confidence he
had therein. He was a bit handy with
| it a1l=the whirl and the swing, and
had kept an eye on him for weeks,
measuring and judging him, and now
he was satisfied. All the boy needed
was direction and a cool hand check
ing him now and then, and he would
win out.
warwick opened the weekly paper
from home and smiled to himself at
/ the familiar heading, THE Weekly
| Visitor" Ever since he could remem-
Der the Weekly Visitor had visited reg
tvsyr y.I~r nj ~
| that crowned Warwick's hill, up in
Hillsboro, n. H. And Stanton was
| from the country, too, some place
out west, out in Nebraska. He Won
dered if he had a weekly paper, too.
| to keep him in touch with the old
world, and the ethics and standards
of something besides New York.
The letters were unimportant. He
took up the parcel and slipped off the
cord. Laundry, probably; he had not
| ordered anything.
The paper fell to the floor and he sat
staring at the thing in his hands. It
was a pink, delicate, shimmering,
silken thing. He stood up and shook
| it out to its full length. It reached to
| the floor. 1t was not a bath robe. It
could not possibly be a smoking Jacket.
It was a woman's garment, unnnistak-
ably.
The texture was the softest Japanese
crepe. the silk interviewer around the
! d
butterflies. There was no mark on It.
nor on the paper. Warwick looked
carefully.
The doorben buzzed imperatively.
cnce, twice and a long one. That was
Billy Trainor's ring. Warwick hest
tated cast the pink silk thing behind
him on the chair and opened the door.
Billy stepped in smiling. interroga-
lively looked about the room, and spied
the pink silk thing.
"Rex," he said, reproachfuliy; why,
Rex!''
1T was left here by mistake" said
Warwick, hastily. THE hall boy did
it. What is it,"
Billy lifted it by the shoulders and
beamed with the appreciative eye Of a
connoisseur.
ITS kfmono, the real irlrorted ar
ticle No bargain sale. Who's the
lucky lady?"
The door bell buzzed again. War
wick took the kimono with deliberate
forethought, went to the wardrobe IN
his dressing room and concealed it
therein.
cts stanton" Billy announced,
land the rest"
Warwick played the host with more
inner discomfort than ever before in
his life. 1t was not the mere fact Of
the mistake that troubled him, nor that
he minded the boys knowing of it, but
he didn't want to see that particular
what mad Billy cdll6Q 1Il-klmOnO =
handled. and laughed about, and spec
ulated over. Somewhere there must be
the girl who wanted that k1monO- HT
hoped she was a brunette Pink was
best for brunettes. Not too much of =
brunette, perhaps with blue eyes, 81
gray-yes, gray-a gray eye or so.
Billy was pushing back the chairs and
, tabourettes for the spread. Stanton
was singing at the piano. Out in the
litchenette Yates and Rogers and the
DanfOrths were rummaging for dishes
and knives and forks Big De Neau
was up on the divan, with its red Turk
Z ish cover draped picturesquely about
! him, reciting some original poetry.
Rex, don't you own a decent table
] CLOTH you beggar?" called Yates.
warwick smoked without replying
Through the haze he saw the brunette
: girl with the pink lxirnono about her
smiling dehciously like geisha-no, ae
; don't want her to be a geisha-smiling
! we'll. Just as a girl should smile Wher
she had the right one to smile at
Stanton left the piano and came over
SAY, you're a prince to get me here
: tonight" he said. Il didn't know yot
had a place like this. Beats hotels
Studio apartment" said warwick
lazily. Half den, half home, not con
fined to bachelors. like it, When q
fellows had a home, 1t always sticks tc
d him a bit. There's a Jap comes in and
e cleans up for me, and If want meal
can have it,
q lin going to housekeeping, too,
! began stanton, awkwardly.
! Honeymoon" Warwick's eyes light
: | ed with amusement. He had no
= dreamt the boy had gone so far.
No, not as bad as that" Stanton
= hesitated, glancing at the joyous, riot
: Gus crowd about the piano. IT'S my sis
ter Mothers sent her on to take car
of me until she can come herself.
guess they didn't get very good accounts
of their little boy in Manhattan. Blu
1 wrote home and told them about you
and what sort Of a chap you were, anC
how you had taken me under your wing
! and promised to cut out the hotel, ant
we'll a whole lot of things mothe
didn't Ike the flavor of. and today
| ''Whoopeer' yelled Yates from tn
dressing room. i've found Wary