The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-05
THE EVENING STORY
Katllerine's Lessons.
(By CeciIy AlIen.)

| week at the settlement house. It was
also a week of revelations She was
now alive to the fact that despite her
father's wealth, her liberal education,
her years abroad, she knew little or
nothing of the great mystery of life.
| Katherine had plunged into set
| Element work most impulsively, d.
rectly after her quarrel with Arnold
Gresham. If a war had been in pro-
gress, she felt sure she would have
gone out as a field nurse. She had
| thought seriously of entering a num-
| merry. but being a Protestant this
| would have taken time-and at that
| particular moment Katherine did not
want time to hang heavily on her
hands She wanted action, and a diff
| ferent action from the usual round of
teas, dances and dinners. Moreover
she wanted action apart from the
world where she would meet Arnold
remarked to her tearstained image in
the dressing table mirror that unques-
| tionably Arnold never would find time
to visit settlement house!
Neither wealth nor careful chap
eronage had been able to protect
| Katherine Morgan from the shafts of
! one Dan Cupid. Heretofore the
4 wealth at least had bought her every
thing that she desired. but it could
not buy the slavish devotion which, in
| her unthfnking way, she demanded of
| Arnold Gresham. other men had ap-
| parently been willing to spend their
| Gays ana large pOrl1On- OF Inelr
nights in serving her smallest ends,
| meeting her least important desires,
| but grave-eyed Arnold Gresham, who
| had asked her to marry him and
placed the betrothal ring on her fin
| ger, had actually fnsinuated that he
was not sufficiently enamored of her
to play the role of doormat nor a
| lord-in- waiting.
To be sure, it was not Arnold who
had spoken those words literally, but
7 1tH he hTnf
words ranked. Arnold had merely
refused to break important business
engagements to follow her in sudden
flight to Mrs. Croxton's house party
| in the Adirondacks.' And on various
occasions when she had called up his
office on the phone he had been out,
when he had said that he fully ex-
pected to be in all morning. If, dur
ing their engagement, he was so indif-
ferent, what chance had she to queen
it over him after marriage? And
Katherine, down in her wilful heart,
wanted to queen it over him as she
had queened it over all who had come
her way since babyhood.
Wherefore the settlement house and
Katherine seated in a deep window
ledge with Maggie Delany, discussing
Saturday half-holidays.
Its fierce to get all your plans laid
and then have the boss turn 'em all
upside down. Maggie was saying, with
tears very close to her big gray eyes.
1T wouldn't care so much for myself,
but Tom, he's sort of rundown and he
needs fresh air. We was gong out to
! Rfdley's park, where you can get
boat for % cents an hour. and the
music's fine. Tom he always takes
nap under the trees and then we have
a row and a bite to eat, and he feels
just fine for dancing. The dancing
pavilion at Ridley's is just grand"
care you fond of dancing ?" inquired
Katherine, mechanically.
do 1 love to dance? Well, guess
yes," answered Maggie, enthusfastical-
ly. "And since Tom and me are en-
gagged it seems sort of different When
the band plays, I'D Rather Two-step
Than Waltz. Bill seems like it ought
to be Tom instead of Bill could
just dance right through life with
Tom Funny what a difference 1t
makes when you know some one loves
you!''
companions lovely face. but there was
no answering enthusiasm.
'I really don't know how 1t feels,''
replied Katherine. as If her body, be-
side the young factory girl, had sud-
denly been unlinked from the soui
which answered the question.
The mobile face of the factory
worker changed, and her voice soft
"Of course, know 1t amt Toms
fault But If he's ever going to make
a home for me and take me outen the
factory. he's got to stand In with his
take a trolley ride after supper any,
how, so 1 guess I'll be moving on and
make a new stock out of that lace you
gave me. Say, that's a lovely piece.
I had a mind to save it for my trous-
seau, only 1t will please Tom If have
something pretty and new on. Might
as we'll chirk him up bit. He's worse
disappointed than me-"
The daughter of the rich and the
factory worker went out of the door
together. At the corner they paused
before separating.
ct wish you'd take this to. your
Tom" said the impuIsive young heir
ant in the park. Tell Tom to take you
there for dinner" She opened her
gold-mesh purse and handed out a |
crisp, clean bill. The factory girl
flushed and drew back.
"Tom amt that sort. He'd never |
take money from a woman"
The young heiress saw her mistake
"Well, then give it to some one you
think might not be able to afford a.
no Tom to take her out" And she |
sprang on board a waiting trolley car |
before Maggie could reply. The car |
stopped at the next corner. .. |
"This car goes to Ridley park P" de- |
manded an elderly woman
"Yes'm, step lively" yelled the con-
ductor.
where Maggie and Tom had planned
to CO. Katherine felt sudden whim
to see the pleasure ground of the
young people among whom she had |
worked during the past week. She |
would go to Ridley's park.
Away the car bowled, stopping now
and then, but less frequently as the
A. Z