The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-16
THE EVENING STORY
The sanlaritans.


Miss Duella Minis, as her cards read,
was an elocutionist, and quite willing
TO help others over the same road for
pay So long as her ambition was kept
within bounds and her prices were not
too steep her native town Of 5000 in
habitants supplied a fair number of
pupils. and the local press now and
then referred to her in a way that was
pleasing.
One unfortunate day Miss Minis de-
cided that elocution such as hers
should have no limits. The village boy
who fell into the frog pond decided
that If it was good for him it ought to
be good for the whole United States.
Miss Minis reasoned after the same
fashion. She collected her bills, pack
ed her trunk, and set out for the
metropolis, and never was young Wo-
man more sanguine.
In a week she was surprised. IN a
month she was tired. In two months
she had decided to drop elocution and
look for a place as typist and stenog-
rapher. Her mind was fully made up
on this point; and yet she could not let
go of elocution with a bang. She must
part from it by degrees and make the
parting less painful.
Miss Minis sat at the open window of
her boarding house and dallied with
elocution. In her well modulated voice
she went over three or four of her
choicest gems. and then brought out
The Wanderer."
She had always made a hit in this.
1t was about lovely girl who left her
village home for a great city, and after
using up all her money and pawning
everything that her uncle would adj
vance on she committed suicide, and
the landlady found her dead when she
went in to collect her weeks rent in
advance
In elocuting this pathetic appeal
Miss Minis had to simulate discourage
ment. sorrow, grief. appeal, resigna-
ton and several other things calcu-
lated to arouse human interest, and
she had an audience without know
ing it.
On the floor above was a young man
who had been in the boarding house
almost as long as she had. but they had
not been introduced and had taken
very little interest in each other. He
was the audience on this night. Miss
Minis voice fioated up to him, and he
listened and became interested. Grad
uaIly he found his syInpathies aroused.
From what he could make out she was
clean discouraged and ready for the
deadly fumes of charcoal. She was
even hungry for food at that moment,
and there was no one in the great city
to whom she could turn.
Inc young man was deeply affected-
Here was a case right under his nose
where sympathy and cash were re-
CURED, and only that evening he had
lodged the landlady when he came in.
He was perturbed and upset for a few
minutes. but finally reasoned it out
that if the poor girl stuck to her pro-
gramme and died it would save her
being disappointed in love IN the fu-
ture.
When a long silence had followed
her fearful appeal to heaven, he
brought out a manuscript and began
to read aloud. He was no elocutionist.
He might have been one had he not
become a dramatist at an early age. The
manuscript in his hands was a play
written by himself. It is needless to
give it a name. but it may be said to
have been pathetic. 1t had a hero,
and the hero went through trouble
enough to swamp a canal boat within
and hoping, but it was no use. AS
soon as he came in sight of a good
thing it vanish ed. He hung on. and
hung on, until the Beef Trust made its
last raise, and then he starved to death
with the same dignity that he had
lived.
What the dramatist was reading was
the solilouuy of the hero when he had
abandoned all hope and decided that
mince pie was no longer for him. me
reverie of the elocutionist below was
broken by his reading and raving. She
listened. and tears of pity came to her
eyes. She had thought the world was
harsh to her. but here was a worse
case than hers. She hadn't gone hun
CRY yet but here was a young man
literally starving to death. She had
heard him saw that even the mice had
abandoned his room, and that unable
to find another morseI of food the
cricket no longer sang for him.
woman should do under the circumstances.
The hour was not late. and she nut on
her hat and wen down stairs and hunted
up q deIicatessen store and bought some
smoked tongue and crackers. These would
keen the spark of life in the Young man
over night. and next day things might
When the dramatist had concluded read
ing his herO's solilonuy-it was the mil
lneth readins-his thoughts turned once
move to the young woman below he SUI
had a couple of dollars left and he could
not see her die for want of sustenance. In
handing in the sustenance ne would 9iso
hand in his svmnathies and encourage
ment. If he found her obstinatelv deter
mined to die he might even prOnliSe her 4
leading part in his come dv-draula when It
was finally put on the road
done since he spelled down country
school and got the idea therefrom that he
was born for dramatist. He put on his
bought bottle of beer and from the re-
mains of the free lunch he gathered up
some cheese and pretzels. Beer cheese
and 1Tetzels. as he had read IN a medical
magazine. will keep p young woman alive
for a whole week after she has determ-
ined to die.
The two samaritans did not happen to
meet al the door of the boarding house
nor on the stairs Each went to his room
for moment and then emerged on the
errand of mercy. They met In the lower
hall. The dramatist was the first II
speak.
NV Dear Miss Mi5ns-You see have
heard your name, he began. I have
learned quite by accident that you are
in a bit of trouble, and need i friend
have here some beer and cheese and
pretzels. and If you could manage to make
them do for a lunch this evening we VIII
talk matters over in the morning.
ssYou-you are also in treble. I learn
she starnmered IN reply. "I have Soma
smoked tongue and crackers here, and II
you can get along with them this even
ing
MY Dear Miss Minis"
MY Dear Mr. Davis
You surely don't think I'm starvingz''
And you can't think have tasted all
day?"
They sat down on the stairs and COM
pared notes and soon got at the right OF