The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-19
TIE EVENING Story


don't know any girls. Simple rea-
SON. laughed Blake Narbel. You see.
ne pater grew to be a woman hater
a1ter mothers death We have retreat
gu Detore civilization ever since"
Il give you a couple Of mail intro
auclions back east laughed Culver. II
AlOW lot. You write a nice little let
Os1 ana III send it."
guess you'd have "a write the let
~ IL 700 chuckled Narbel II never
"tosS 70 q woman in my life"
on never can tell till you try sug-
S7sssu CulVeE. I wish you'd try now
- would keep you busy until I finish
this letter.
he went on with his writing, and Mar
NJ spontaneously picked up a pen.
1neIs was pack train going down
from the mines tomorrow and he could
understand why Culver wanted to fin
lsn on the letters he was writing back
east The train went down one week
ana PACK the next, authorizing them BIZ
I.a9sItniy communication with the out
manded.
Miss Lucy Mears,'' laughed Culver.
1hen TWO pens scratched over the paper
Narbeis painstaking. He was less &C
eustomed to writing, and Culver mad
nnlShed half dozen letters before the
others pen was still
NuAtEE 4auEUeQ over the eHusAOus IA
which the writer had pictured his dull
life and had pleaded for permission to
open a correspondence. Re explained
fully his relations with Culver as bust
ness partner and chun, and limited at
possibilities Of rnatrimOny.
Had he been in earnest, instead OF
merely seeking a means Of killing time
while Culver was occupied, he could not
have done better.
In the morning Culver came across
the sheets, and with a wicked chuckle
slipped them into an envelope and ad-
dressed them to Lucy Mears, anuclpat-
ing that elderly lady's surprise Wheh
she should. open the envelope PACK IN
the New England town.
Narbel, clearing up the table that
evening, noted the absence OF the
sheets, but concluded that Culver nae
torn them up along with his own oed
sheets, and thought no more OF the
matter until a month later ietteF
came which clearly was not from the
San Francisco firms with which he had
business dealings.
Culver laughed so heartily when ne
had read him the first few paragraphs
that he had become silent, and would
read no more, devOuring the contents
while Culver chuckled over the glrisn
letter the elderly spinster had indlcIeo.
It was more like the letter OF schoot-
girl than Of a woman Of 40.
1t was a girlish letter, If not schoot-
giriish, full Of excuses and explanations
that the writer had been tempted TO
answer. because of the sincerity OF the
communication and Culver's recon-
mendations. Culver rejected that II
had been a capital letter, and wondered
how long he should let It run on Pc
fore he should disillusionize Narbel
with a prose portrait OF MISS Lucy as
he remembered her
Before he decided to stop the fun a
photograph arrived, a picture OF a
young girl with frank, honest eyes, ana
Tf-sl-~ arfe n s17Hr ira
ton, though he shouted in his glee as
he recalled Miss Lucy, with her prlfn
ways and angular features.
He had intended to give the hoax
away; but this was too good to be
abandoned. and he listened with a
smile TO NarbePs rhapsodtes, until one
night Blake shocked him with the an
nouncement that Miss Mears- had con-
scented to marry him, and that ne was
going east to get her
As gently as he could, Culver ex-
planned the deception and sought to
dissuade his friend; but Rarbel would
have none Of It. at may be as you
saw he agreed coldly. But my word
is is passed and am going east 10 keep
"But she's forty if she's a day, -
pleaded Culver Surely, Blake you
don't want to marry woman seven
years older than yourself.
81 shan't have any woman saying
that I broke faith" he said soberly.
THE train from the mines is going
down tomorrow. shall 60 with II.
He was as good as his word. When
the train toiled back across the sandy
wastes, the foreman declared that he
had seen Narbel board the east bound
limited. and Culver gave up his time
to fixing up the house.
There was little to do in the orch
ard. The plants would not bear be-
fore the following year. by which time
A. he eT1TTr Of track to the
mines, and they could ship the fruit.
Meanwhile. all he had to do was to
see that the trees were irrigated and
that no stray cattle got in. It was
easy enough, with the help OF the men,
to set up a shack for himself and leave
the old house for Narbel and his
He even had time to ride over and
tell the men at the mine Of the joke,
and when at last word came over their
wire that the pair was due to come out
with the train, they all gathered at the
ranch to welcome the new Mrs. Mar
bel. They rode out to meet the dust
cloud which marked the track of the
long line of wagons across the alkaH,
but the figure in the buggy beside
Narbel was so swathed in buster and
wells that no hint Of her appearance
could be gained. and the men, with
many q nudge and smile, fell in behind
and rode along.
They all turned IN at the ranch
gate. but Narbel swung his wife out
Of the buggy and took her into the
house Mrs Narbel will be glad to
meet YOU when she has had q chance
to tidy up he said with a grave face,
sfbut she wants the dust of first
Culver took the horse to the stables
and then rejoined the waiting group on
the grass plot in front OF the house
(C.ulver knew now why NaFbel had in
sisted upon g. grass plot1. They had
not long to wait, for presently a gasp
from the crowd caused Culver to turn
and there. on the step, stood Narbel
and the very girl Of the picture. She
was smiling now as she acknowledged
the various introductions. Culver was
the last to come up, for he had not re-
covered from his amazement until
NarbeI called to him
IT feel that I ought to be very CRATE
f7ll to YOU she said, IN q low voice
-. X .---1. 80, ,.,e-s 4,~-s,,e- "a r,lev-