The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-20
TIE EVENING STORY
Beware of the Dogs.
(By Rita Kelley.)

7
Interrogation point" quoth the girl re-
sentfully. refusing to look up at the
athletic chap striding toward her Sne
was seated on a. boulder making sundry
dabs with scraps of old newspaper at
some black spots on her gray skirt, and
at sound of his voice the color hao
rushed furiously to her cheeks
Cant a girl get tar on herself il
she wants to? And I'd like to know II
I haven't as good a right to be here
The man laughed joyously and flung
himself down at her feet
Delicious he said. Go on"
The girl bit her lip.
You were always taking advantage,
she flared out
He laughed again, rolled over and
touched one of the spots She had for
gotten them. will they come out?'' he
asked.
She flushed again. more painfully than
before at being thus off her guard when
she wished of all times to be mistress OF
herself.
Il don't know" she exclaimed, land
I don't care; but 1 think you are mighty
mean" She stood up suddenly, flinSs 1g
away the blackened newspaper DUN
tell you that I never would speak 70
you again. and that 1 never wanted 10
see you? And here you are making me
misera Bile and yourself obnoxious On,
don't want you to touch me. nate
YOU
.Agathar' He leaped to his feet, the
boyishness gone from his manner, his
face grown strangely tense. II
thought you meant thatr' he cried,
clenching his hands till the knucxles
showed white "Oh; if 1 thought you
meant it,
She turned away unable to meet the
searching pain in his eyes and gazed
down at the river rolling its placid
length between the October hills. It
was all peaceful out there in the
woods A squirrel cheeped exultant-
" as he Jumped for a falling beech
nut and a belated thrush warbled out
a song of sweetness and light from the
hedge nearby, only man
knew strife=and girl.
The silence that is more deadly
than a battle of words and more diff
fcult to end, grew appalling Agatha
felt driven TO bay by relentless pur-
suer, While she CROPPED frant1cally Tor
something to dismiss him utterly, to
free herself of his oppressive nearness.
s'Well, why don't you go2 she
gasped finally, struck cold by the need
for saying it.
II cant go, Agatha can't go-dl
I know that you mean 1t.
The misery in his voice stung her
Haven't I said it % she cried in self
defense.
yes, Agatha. but have such a tiny
hope that you don't always mean what
Don't you think meant it when I
told you three months ago l never
wanted to speak to you again? Don
you think I meant 1t when 1 released
YOU from --Our-engage she
hid her face convulsively in her hands.
Agatha he said slowly, his voice
dropped to it's lowest, most vibrant
note. Agatha, what did you mean
our engagement being
known except to ourselves = you
vent into seclusion and lived like a
rergfeuse2 Is its it." he insisted,
that you cared more than you wished
to confess?' -.
were always like a surgeons probe!
And. with a beseeching fiinging OF her
hands, please, please, go! Don't you
see you make me wretched p
Tor a moment they stood measuring
each other, her smolderlng, pleading
ewes vainly trying to wrest away from
the intensity of his steadfast gaze
There was a cracking OF underDrush,
and a little, wizened old man. carrying
a bunch of newspapers, shambled INTO
the small open-
Thought you might want some more
miss to clean your skirt with, he sald,
ignoring the silence of the two and the
presence of the young man. How did
the scraps dO2 / come back as soon as
ever I could Know'd you'd be pretty
sight goin' into town If didn't
"There.'' he said oficiously, crumphng
IN a large page and thrusting it tow
ard the young man. you clean that
side and I'll go at this, and Wen soon
have her in some sort of decent shape
He sduatted beside the girl, and began
scrubbing the spots as though he were
polishing harness.
The man looked at the girl, the girl
looked at the river, and neither moved
4 muscle though the man looked sheep-
oh with his big wad of paper, and bit
helpless and quite a good deal forlorn;
.stSirls is strange critters" speculated
the old man, beginning on anotner spoli;
.Allus doin what they ain't got no call
10 do. and jumpin' the traces when you
east expect it. Funniest part OF II IS
hey don't allow as they ought to get
heir consequences, neither. II you
ell EN- not to do a thing they go
straight and do it, and IL they get INTO
rouble they expect some one to yank
en- out. Here, you" he called sudden /
tut them spots-near as you can"
Tin afraid it won't do much good.
le said obviously cycling the girl rather
han the tar smears-
The old mans eyes cleaned mis- /
.hievously. Haven't you been intro
luced yet? Well, now. that's an over
light, Young man. this is girl that /
cad that there sign about no tres
,assin' on these premises and decided I
light off to come in and make me a +
all That there barb wire fence is .
nough to keep ordinary trash out,
,ut YOU can't never reckon on girl
Urls mostly needs key o tar, too
nd she got both
The old man backed off and squint
d his eyes. mighty fine skirt to get
cratched up But. then, girls is skit-
ish. I'd sooner break sixteen colts
ne winter than try bringin' one girl TO
ime." and he grinned illuminatingfy
10 at the young man from the safety
f the back breadths of the gray skirt
The girl shook herself impatiently.
THAT will do, thank you she said,
moving quickly forward. 1T Is grow
ag late. I must be going"
But the old man had firm hold on
he skirt. and she stopped short He
ontinued to rub away-he had never
topped.
elf" he said reminiscently, when