The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-28
THE EVENING STORY.
Two ON a Tour.
6By Troy Allison.l

monument reached the ground a1te1
its solemnly slow descent of twenty
minutes, and Rhoda Jamison, feeling
somewhat overawed by the world as
seen from the top of the monument,
sat down on bench near the elevator
door She needed a few minutes to re-
august her thoughts ana TO plan for the
rest OF the day
Rhoda had saved every possible pen
ny from her salary during the scnool
term IN order TO take this w asnington
trip, ana had determined to crowd as
much sightseeing into ner ten days as
any other Washington tourist had ever
done.
She had spent hours with the visit
ing mllilner N her town, planning ey-
cry detail of the time, ana had flnaIly
arrived in the city and taken a cal d.
rectly to the quiet lodgings she had
recommended. The millIner had. how
ever forgotten to take into considera-
tlon the fact that the girl had never.
been accustomed to city and to city
ways, and had therefore failed to pre-
pare her for the feeling Of desolation
ana loneliness that grew more and
more oppressive every minute.
The congressional library had salts
fed ner love of elegance, the capitol
and the White House had seemed like
old friends from the pictures in the
geography and history from which she
had taught for months-but in her
classes she had been the personality
Here she seemed to dwindle into Moth
ingness, and the things that had been
mere ideas and pictures lowered over
her oppressively, and she was over
come by her littleness and. her loneIi-
ness and longed for some one to speak
to her Witn a hint of friendly interest
The big, broad-snouldered man sit
ting on the other end of the bench she
had seen walking down the steps of
the monument. He had evidently felt
so secure in his superb physical
strength that he walked down to ex-
anime more closely the inscriptions on
the stones that could not be studied so
we'll from the elevator
She saw him take a fountain pen
from his pocket, adjust it, and finally
sort a package of souvenir postcards
and begin writing industriously
She remembered the package she
mad bought to send her pupils-so she
took her own pen from her handbag
and commenced racking her brain for
little things to write that would amuse
them.
The postal she liked best of all.
daintily colored view of the monument
itself, she addressed to her mother
Across it she wrote, Its so very big
and l feel so little and so lonely"
She leaned forward to f1irt a bit of
dust from the tip of her pen, and a
whiff Of air blew thfe postal from her
lap and left it lying at the big mans
feet.
thinking
dropped one of his own, stopped and
picked it up, reading it leisurely.
Il feel SO little and lonely he read
and, surprised, turned to meet the flush
ed face of the girl.
It's mine," she said, holding out her
hand for it.
DO you feel that way, too?". he ask
ed, eagerly. That's me, exactly"
Il shouldn't have called you really
little,'." she answered with the frank
of OF no hod
met with a circumstance that would
cause her to be suspicious of humanity.
Il reckon you are referring to the first
part of the sentence,-It is so big
would really seem more suitable"
That's right he laughed, looking at
he postal, but that just proves that
can hold more loneliness than you, |
Tor 1 am feeling lonely from the soles |
nat that I bought in Carson City to see
he sights of Washington in
AT least you are farther from home |
han I'm from South Carolina" she |
conversation having left her with
surplus on hand.
II was just sending some of these |
Kings to the boys" he said, they are
living in a shack near mine, and it will /
tickle 'em immensely to get these pic |
ures Of civilization. You see, We had I
,een out there for two years digging /
tway for gold without any success, !
md just as we'd fallen into a fit of I
gloom and shortage in grub why, we
truck it rich"
How loveIy-did you find it in
hunks?" her eyes sparkling like a
hilds.
auehed with a whole-souled heartiness
le hadn't experienced for days; I'VE
ure found it in large-sized pieces, and
just thought I'd take vacation to
ee the world. I've never been east
,efore."
"Do you like it?' She failed to put
8 much doubt as to the charms OF
Washington in her tone as she might
ave put half an hour earlier
I've been about the loneliest person
he dome ever Swallowed. / could get
n very well in the daytime, but I've
7anted to sit round the fire at night
nd talk it over with the boys. How
ong are you going to stay? he asked
agerly. II
s'Ten days. I've been here three"
lis face heightened visibly.
"I'lI be here a whole month" he 4
dded doleful1y. why don't you stay
,nger?" a..
you see I haven't struck it rich
! huge chunks. The trustees of my
,hoo1 are rather parsinonious lot.
ST don't know much about eastern
Liquette, but 1 wonder If 1t wouldn't 1
2 tolerably proper for us to do some
ght-seeing together this afternoon" t.
E said with a touch of boyish shyness.
"I wonder she said slowly. a
The Joy of companionship settled
lie question for them; and he called at G
err boarding house morning after
orning, guidebook in hand, the plan
II the day already laid out. \
/
They had left the trip to Arlington I
IF the last afternoon of her stay, and =
lev wandered through the grounds,
ore beautiful than ever in their early
lmmer foliage, until they reached the =
,ot overlooking the Potomac, where l.
e tall shaft rises in honor of the he
es of the Spanish war. q
This is the loveliest spot of ALL he 8
id. as they sat down the grassy
ope with their faces turned toward n
..vxyr, 81, -, 80, ', x,-;II ra.,,a 49, n