The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-09-20
THE EVENING STORY
Looking for a Lady.
(By Taylor White !

| VINO IS tne g1rI?" asked Bradley
album
Hanged if I know" he answered
| as ne glanced at the photograph
THAT was off the last film roll l had.
L snapped it on the train Just as we
were pulling out. Pretty little thing,
isn't she?"
| Bradley nodded. To him the pic
tured girl was more than pretty. she
| side of the door of a waiting room,
( evidently watching the passing of the
train, and the Inconsistencies of her
pose was one of it's charms.
she was dressed in something white
ana her nat swung from her hano'
| the hair-Bradley was sure that it
must be golden-fluffing softly about
| the perfect oval of the face From
| the first glance Bradley had fallen in
| love, and 1t was irritating that EiWooo
could not remember which station IL
was.
Surely you must know something
ABOUT it, said Bradley impatlently'
out p"
Search me-" was the Irritating re-
ply Its one of a roll OF a dozen
| rims that l exposed along the line.
After the film was cut up, I could not
tell which were which. l Just took
| them to use up the film.'
Il wish you'd let me have print"
said Bradley, trying to appear uneen-
Elwood's grinning face. His anger fell
when the other promptly ran a paper
cutter under the edges of the print and
handed it over to his friend. Bradley
put it carefully into his poeketbook
and sought to lead the conversation
into other channels.
But that evening when he reached
homer he tucked the print into his
dream of the girl. The L. and v.
had three sets of plans from which
it built stations. These were Of wood,
brick or stone according to the i'm
pertanee of the place, There were
probably fifty or sixty stations along
the line precisely like the one in the
picture. Instead of buying a ticket
to the fishing country, as he had at
first intendeH, he purchased a mileage
book and started out to find the sta
ton.
Just above the door in which the
girl had been standing he noticed a
peculiar knot in the boards, and, giv-
ing up only sufficient mileage to car
ry him on to the next wooden station,
he made his way down the line. He
rode on the same train until dusk
prevented him from closely examin=
ing the stations and then left the train
to the great relief of the conductor,
who had early IN the day come to
the conclusion that his passenger must
be insane.
The second days search was no
more successful and on the evening of
the third day he had come to the end
of the line without having located |
the station he sought.
He bought another mileage book |
and turned back over the road and |
this time he found the place for which !
he sought. The station had been new |
ly painted and the knots had been COW |
cred up by the paint
But finding the station was only |
the first step. There still remained |
the girl. There were half a dozen |
places where summer boarders were |
taken he learned from the station |
agent. He picked out one and made |
arrangem ents to have his trunk for !
warded and then he settled down to |
prosecute his inquiry
Seeing the train come in" was a |
popular occupation with the summer |
visitors and Bradley did not let a |
single train escape him. He hung about /
the station at all hours but, beyond
station agent, he made no progress.
1t was apparent that the girl he had
sought had gone.
1t was near the end of the second
week that Bradley summoned up the
courage to show the agent his photo
graph and ask information.
"a friend of mine took 1t the other
day from the train" he said. II
thought that perhaps she might like
one if I could locate her"
II remember her." said the agent.
Bradley's heart gave a bound.
''She's gone out West somewhere"
said the agent vaguely and Bradley's
elation was suddenly checked.
"I suppose that some one has her ad-
dress" he suggested. IT might get it
from them and mail her a copy.
The agent smiled.
.sShe wasn't visiting no ONE he ex-
planned. "She just stopped off here a
couple of days to see the lake. think
her ma came from here years ago
and she wanted to see it,
What was her name 2' Bradley re-
Elected that perhaps she lived in a city
where they had a directory.
molly something" said the agent.
II don't recolleet that I know what
her other name was"
perhaps the woman who kept the
boarding house at which she stopped
might know" suggested Bradley, but
again his hopes were dashed with the
answer that the girl had stopped at
the hotel.
Bradley searched the register for
TWO months back, but there was no
mint there. The little hotel was run in
fashion, and the register
was Ornamental rather than useful
At last he gave up in despair. He
had run every clew to earth, and he
xnew no more than on the day of his
arrival. His vacation had come to an
End, and since it was useless to linger
he gave UP the quest.
The town had never seemed as hot
md dusty as it did on his arrival and
Is he came at last to the apartment {
louSe in which he lived and recalled /
he hopes with which he had started
tut his depression reached the lowest ,
Joint. He climbed the stairs. At the /
op of the last flight a girl came out
# the rear flat, and in his surprise ,
Bradley dropped his suit case. The girl !
# the picture stood before him.
AS he stood staring, Mrs. Harold ,
anne hustling out of her apartment.
Did you have a nice timer" she
-sked as she greeted him.
THE homecoming was the best of :