The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-06
TIE EVENING STORY
Cupid Tries His wings.
(By Jeannette Wilson. J

LII Ing Dacnelor apartment on the
Laurison paced restlessly up and
top floor OF Riverview court paul
down Occasionally he stopped to
sighed. ----~
You'll be all right now, my boy"
was the doctor's parting shot. Just
take plenty of fresh air. Get up on
the roof as often as you can"
Conround the roof, muttered
went up.
In the apartment below the bache-
lor 3. ner eyes red with weeping, Syl-
waist.
It's mean OF Sarah not to come to-
oay, she complained, regarding her
shriveled fingers ruefuIly. "She knew
mad to have this waist done up. And
Tow I've got to go up on the roof my
SELF and hang the thing out to dry"
But before she went up Sylvia
stopped to obliterate the effect of tears
head.
Il might meet some one" she ex-
planned, with a ,demure little smile at
Fer reflection in the mirror.
A strong wind, whistling over the
nc usetops, snatched the waist from
Sylvfa's hands just as she was pinning
1T over the edge of the roof had not
help come unexpectedly.
"Oh. thank you-thank you. SO
much" exclaimed Sylvia Then, no
ticing how good looking her benefac-
tor was, she stopped in confusion.
you're very welcome, I'm sure,
answered Paul, lifting his hat and re-
Stunning his constitutional.
"It's-it's my own waist, you see"
stammered Sylvia.
Paul turned.
us 1t, indeed 2" he replied. Then
I'm doubly glad I rescued It
'I mean, 1 Numbered it for myself.
don't go out. Sarah didn't come.
didn't think there'd be any one up
here
At this Paul burst into a laugh that
even Sylvia in her embarrassment
II see," he said, you are the queen
in the garden. hanging out the
clothes
Sylvia assumed an injured look.
You know that isn't right" she
corrected. cit was the maid who was
in the garden"
Honest, was it?" asked Paul. ct
never was much good on poetry. al
ways thought it was the queen, but I'm
delighted to find it is really both"
Without another word, Sylvia van
ished, leaving Paul transfxed with as
tc nishment.
How deliciously naive and childlike
she is,'' he chuckled, as he sought
lazy length. Having found one. he
a cigarette or two, and then
fell to scribbling.
What he scrubbed remained for Syl-
via to discover. This she did the very
next morning, for Sarah, the faithless,
and there remained handful of fluff
fy trifles that had to be laundered.
Sylvia went at the task with commend
able resignation. The drying stage
90
she ran up to the roof
Eareheaded and barearmed. AS no
one was in sight this time to rescue
articles vagrantly disposed, each piece
was pinned to the line with a flrmness
that defied whirlwinds. 49, esf..-,-
This accomplished, a scrap OF paper
tapping in the side OF the chimney at
tracted Sylvia's attention. She pulled
it out from between the bricks and
read the following:
The man was on the housetop
Seeking recreation.
When suddenly the wind changed,
Bringing variation.
The queen was in the roof-tree,
Hanging out her gown,
Along came brisk breeze
And blew the thing down.
With sniff, Sylvia tucked the pa
per into her belt. Then she picked
up one OF the little stones with which
the roof was covered, and tried to
mark with it, but without success. A
small, sharp-pointed stick proved
equally futile. Suddenly, in a corner,
phantly she scratched a word across
the rhymes and then put them back
in the old chimney.
Here, an hour or two later, Paul
found them. So the queen had not
come into the garden again. he ar
\ = 1,-r-k
was about to tear up the nonsense,
when Sylvia's scrawling letters caught
his eye.
silly" he spelled, and shouted with
amusement.
Then he pocketed the missive SO
oddly transformed from the ridicu-
lous to the sublime. and sought his
favorite corner. There was no sun
shining on it today and the wind was
bleak but he turned up his coat collar
and settled down to a smoke and more
scribblings. The latter he soon read
aloud:
One bright and sunny morning,
When windy was the weather,
I CHANGED to meet a young maid,
Sweet as scottish heather.
1 began to compliment
And she began to cry:
"How-do-you-do and how-do-
you-do,
And why do you say goodbye"
After applaudfng his own perform
ance, Paul got UP to deposit the effu-
sion in the friendly chimney crevice
A miniature wash, however, dangling
cearby, suggested other possibilities.
Closer inspection revealed a tiny mono
gram embroidered in the corner of a
handkerchief. There were
other girls in the house
girls who might have monogram
landkerchiefs-but Paul decided to
AXE the risk. Accordingly he in
scribed his rhymes ITO S. r." and,
hat he might not be accused of I'M
'airness, signed his own initials. He
hen fastened the jingle with a clothes
pin to the top of lace collar. The
handkerchief he appro-
ria ted