The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-27
TIE EVENING STORY
COS.
e. I.oweIl 90 80. }


Il hope you do not consider the
time iIl-spent?'' she said, with the ris-
! ing infection.
I ignored the apparent question.
1T isn't seemly to have a fellow
| dangling about you for two years.
said, unless you
ooh, If you are contemplating a new
line of action-by all means don't con-
slider me- Then she stopped. for
she realized the cruelty Of what she
was about to say.
DO you know how many times I
| have proposed to YOU" I demanded.
You have been rather prolific in
/ that regard haven't you?" she said
cheerfully Really, you've got the
habit I shouldn't wonder If you do It
/ in your sieepi Try It now, and let's
see! Do! Go to sleep now. There's
good fellow. and I'll stay awake and
listen and keep tab
I've proposed to you just twenty
/ three times" I said coldly.
"Only twenty three p She drew her
brows together in mock seriousness
1T seems to me I had made it twenty
five She pretended to consult
her memory Yes, twenty-five But
no doubt you are right. woman has
no mind for figures. you know
DO you know what '23' means in
the Geographic code 2" I asked.
mo, please tell me-.
ut means, in effect Good night.
Nothing more The teIegrapher sends
this message over the line when his
work is done and he is going TO quit
! "Ohi" She regarded me out of the
corner of her eye and seemed to be
studying me. How interesting"
4 know a little story regarding
90" I continued. Perhaps you'd
like to hear it?"
BY all means
"a boy was acting as station agent
away out on the plains One night
band of robbers came and shot him,
robbed the station and went away
leaving him, as they supposed, dead.
After a while he regained con
/ seriousness. raised himself with his
| dying strength, placed a weak hand on
| the key and sent the call Of his boy
| friend who was operator twenty miles
up the line. BIZ
sounded the call. over and over. The
friend heard, recognized the hand that
| was sending the call and realized by
the disjointed sound that something
was wrong. He sprang to his key
'B-F,' he responded. What Is It
There were few incoherent. feeble
clicks, for the dying hand at the other
end of the line was struggling to make
one more ineligible sound jim
ME it said, and then after rev
noments-'23i' and the line was silent.
They found him with his hand on
Miss Winston gave a sympathetic
sigh Poor boy" she said.
for mel said. you can break a
heart that loves you-and that's a
whole lot worse than shooting some
chap you never saw before!
II think I'll go IN now, the air is
getting damp
"It's s23' then!" I said
you're not going to die, are you p
she asked with assumed sohcitude-
I was silent
III you are@I wish you'd tell me
when q. man makes a fool OF him
self for two whole years ne doesn
care to go back and have the world
talking about it every time ne ap-
You're talking nonsense. I'm go
ing now promised to go riding with
d party tonight
with young Bruce"
mr.. Carter is a gentleman, and you
shouldn't mind"
Il wonder what is the sensation of
dying by illuminating gas?" 1 said,
irrelevantly again.
Miss winston looked startled. STOP
Jumping off a ferryboat is a nice,
easy way of getting out of it. 1 con-
tinued and il is also very popular.
BESIDES If one is prudent enough TO
iii ones pockets with scrap iron, Il
saves people a lot Of trouble and IS
much appreciated by the coroner
Miss Winston looked at me wildly
For heavens sake don't talk such
nonsense. jack" she said. ''It's-it's
4 shudderyt"
u Mems Men hearts heal quickly-so I'VE
been told!' she added Hastily, and then
she blushed.
Good night. Jack"
Good night I said solemnly, and
shook her hand as though for the last
. time. You've had your last proposal
from met It's 23' all right!
For moment she paused irresolutely,
as though not exactly sure whether |
meant it or not. Thus we stood. hand
in hand, the red lights Of passing
steamer dancing in the dark water
away over toward Goat Island. the
thousand lights Of San francisco lying
on the far-off hills like bank of stars
on a thunder cloud.
She turned hurriendly, but not IN time
to conceal a soft light that had crept
into her eyes. blessed the kindly
stars which had furnished light enough
for the discovery. Then I stepped upon
a loose stone, turned an ungraceful
dip-fap and went head first into the
bay. Miss Winston turned just In time
to note my downward flight. She had
not noticed my nlishap. and she at
tributed It to acute melancholia. Now
she understood what my suicidal talk
had meant
Ny flight downward was so swift that
missed the Shrek she vouchsafed,
but the life savers at Ocean Beach
that it was not far behind the fog horn
at Line Point. When came to the sur
face she had stopped yelling and was
acting.
Tearing around the point OF the blufr.
she ran down the beach to a little
boat, tore the rope from fits moorings.
sprang in and dug the water into a
foam with the oars. And with every
stroke she was sobbfng and praying and
calling out incOherent terms OF endear-
ment to me-. and begging me not to
drown till she got there. And there
was I, treading water with joy IN my
soul and telling myself It was a at
reconpense for two years OF anxiety
She neared me at last, glancing IN
agony over her shoulder. sank hur-
- I.