The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-06
THE EVENING STORY
After the Storm.
(By Lulu Johnson.)

Brooks raised the shade and looked
out. saying things softly to himself A
sudden landscape merged into leaden
| skies and a fine, driving rain yelled
but slightly the misery of the scene.
| Across the road a score of ducks
waddled contentedly through the
muddy field to a puddle that had
| formed in a corner of the lot, but half
a dozen bedraggled hens squawked
dolefully as they picked up the angle
| worms driven to the surface by the
| continued rain and rushed back to
| shelter The COWS in the side pasture
huddled under the dripping trees and
| the dog trotted across the road with
his tail dragging almost in the mud
as he made for the protection of the
barn after being driven from the in
viting kitchen door.
| Brooks had come to Centerville for
a purpose that was not best served by
house for seven days and nights. Once
or twice there had come a break in
the steady rain, but in an hour or so
| it only came down the harder, as
| though to make up for the time it had
| lost.
He had wanted to take Bess over to
| the Big ROCK where they had first met
| the summer before and there make
the avowal OF love that had hung
| trembling upon his lips ever since. He
1 had been able to take whole month
the year before; four golden weeks
filled with sunshine ana love.
Inen hess naQ gone co Europe as
| companion to a rich relative, and just
as she returned Curtis Brooks had
been called to South America on
| matter of great Importance. They
had corresponded with such regula-
| ton as their uncertainty of movement
permitted, but there had been no OPP
| portunity for a proposal. and now
| their waking time was divided be-
| tween the parlor and the dining room
| of the old farmhouse.
daVG of rain had gotten
Brooks's nerves. With his whole en-
ergy bent upon taking back to town
Bess' promise, the dreary round of
parIor life irritated him.
Dickie Langdon, who had been the
| life of the stormbound party, had re-
| christened Willow Farm the Ark, with
an allusion to the animals that went two
| by two. The landlord was Noah, the
| colored servants Ham and his wife, and
with a sudden switch to Pinafore'
| Langdon had insisted that Brooks was
| Dick Deadeye because of his disposition,
and Brooks had not belfed his nickname.
! 1t was not easy even for a patient man
| to sit quietly and see the hoped-for OPP
| portunity pass, and Curtis Brooks was
/ not a patient man.
| All through those last weeks in Co
| lumbia he could shut his eyes and see
| the Big Rock with BeSs and himself
standing beside it just as they had done
| the summer before. Now that he was
here he could not even see 1t from the
windows because of the curtain of mist
and rain Tomorrow he would have to
| return to town and then there was an
other long trip to Catagena-
The frown was still on Brooks face
when he went down to breakfast. Lang
don's joIlity irritated him. and when
| thev went back to the parlor after the
meal he was gloomy and d1splrlted.
| Even Bess could not win him out of
himself, and finally he went to his room
to write some letters, he announced
| -se-%A eli a
table with pen and ink and paper near
at hand, and staring at the drenched
landscape before him. Even the ducks
had sought cover for now the rain was
coming down in sheets. He could scarce
Nv see across the yard, and with groan
at the lost vacation he let his head sink
forward upon his arm.
A light knock at the door had to be
twice repeated before he heard 1t. Bess
stood in the hail. smiling as though there
was no such thing as rain.
Don't you want to go up and have
look at the big rock this afternoon ?"
she asked ct think it's going to stop
raining at last Anyway, I can wrap
up we'll. 1t would be shame not to
see the old place before you go back
t.Bess, you're an angel" was all he
could say. She laughed at the re-
mark
TT would be more seasonable to call
me a duck she reminded I'll be
ready at 4 o'clock.
She darted away and Brooks, with
q new hope in his heart, caught up
pen and wrote the letter that he had
been trying to compose all the week.
Ress was prompt and at O'Clock
they met on the piazza. The rain had
gone back to a light drizzle, but Lang
don affected to take a last farewell OF
them and promised to try and recover
their bodies after the food.
Bess gave him a saucy reply and
thew started down the road. 1t was a
hard climb up the steep side OF the
mountain at the foot of which center
willie nestled but after the stuffy at
mosnhere of the house the wet earth
filled the clear air with fragrance
peculiarly it's own.
Bess drank deep draughts down into
her lungs "Im glad that we came,
she declared. "It isn't so very wet,
and did want to have you see Big
Rock again."
cd avay before we could get up here"
he said with a smile. This has been
a nightmare week, Bess. What can
YOU think of the way have been act
ing?"
w ssIt must be horrfd to have your
only week spoiled. But there Is Big
Rock" she added, as they came in
view of a huge boulder, relic of some
glacial period.
down the valley from the ledge on
which the.- stood. Even now they
were given glimpse of green fields and
fine darker tint of the woodland Sec
lions. though the silver thread of the
river had become a leaden reflection
of the cloudy skies.
| Brooks leaned against the rocks