The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-12-21
THE EVENING STORY
The Season of Good WIN.
by Troy Allison.l

too dark in the car to finish his novel.
and Jordan, waiting for the porter to
ught- up, tried various positions yafnly
| seeking some attitude that would COM
fortably accommodate his length of
limb He was frankly Disguised that
circumstances had made it necessary
| Tor him to spend Christmas eve and
Christmas day itself on the train
The season had always meant much
| to him, and he had expected to have a
! time of jubilee playing the double role
/ OF Santa Claus and bachelor uncle to
ms sisters children. But his firm had
| decided that he was the only man suit
| ed to handle the Arizona transaction,
| and as it was necessary for him to be
| on the spot immediately after the holi-
days, Jordan comforted himself with
| the hint Of substantial raise in salary
\ and left. Chicago to it's season of jolli-
1 fication.
He was calling up memories of past
Christmas eves-as far back as his
| days on the farm when he hung a home
knit, badly shaped stocking to the
chimney piece in the best room, when
his gaze fell idly upon his neighbor
across the aisle.
1t was not the first time he had no
ticed her since she first boarded the
train early in the day-but she was now
leaning her face listlessly against the
cold window pane. and in the half-light
she seemed to put her handkerchief to
her face with a suspicious regularity.
Jordan was blue and homesick him
SELF and he .growled under his breath
that it was a special brand of shame
that such girl had to spend Christ
mas eve in SO desolate fashion. When
the porter finally arranged the lights,
and the girl sat up with youthful
dignity whose effect was somewhat
marred by her disordered hair and de-
cidedly pink, retrousse nose, Jordan |
racked his brains for a plan by which |
he might make things a little less deS-
oIate for her.
She's not much more than a child
and a lonely Christmas is hard for |
grown-ups to endure. It's doubly tough |
on a little fluffy -haired girl that's |
scarcely old enough to be called a wo- |
man.. Then he rose and went toward |
the smoking car for a period of medi- |
tation. $50
When Jane Dudley finished her maya
zine and decided that the best thing |
for her was to go to sleep early and |
forget her loneliness, the porter came |
toward her with telegram. The por-
ter had sent a telegram for her when
they had been delayed three hours
during the early afternoon. Now he
"A telegram, Miss Dudley-just took on |
at last stop" -~
She read it eagerly, then laughed.
Have instructed the porter to hang
Christmas basket on your berth. Don't |
be alarmed. SANTA CLAUS"
OF course it was some of Bobs fool
ishness-and he was trying to cheer her
up bit on the train. She felt glow
brother so thoughtful. She rundressed
and finally settled down to sleep with
a feeling much similar to the joyous
peculiar to her little girl
days when she fastened her stocking to
the chimney corner.
Early next morning she saw the bas-
ket tied to the curtain fasteners, gay
ly striped fruit basket. filled with oddly
shaped parcels and Surmounted by a
sprig of holly She dressed hurriedly,
postponing the opening of the parcels
until she could enjoy it at leisure.
When she returned from the dressing
room, she found the porter had ar
ranged her section and across the aisle
her neighbor was studying the flying
landscape by early morning light.
She read the penciled label on the
first package:
These presents are queer-but please
understand
Twas the best could be done-from
materials on hand.
The package contained peppermint
creams A huge golden apple was Ia 6
THE fair piece of fruit hope you'll q
enjoy III
Twas. honestly won from Helen of
Troy" In
The nonsense of it appealed to the
girls humor-Bob had always fatter-
inCly insisted that he had the prettiest =
small Japanese doll moved her to new
For a good little girl this cute little :
dollie,
Call some child next door-play ana De :
jolly" =
She looked at the Child next door I
and the mere thought of playing dolls
with Jordan was too much for her :
He leaned across the aisle ana peered s
you to be enjoying Christmas all by
yourself! Mightn't poor desolate
chap at least have a bite OF that apple! :
1T In
he spoke.
s.I'll do even better-do you think you
would like to play with this?" showing 5
him the label on the doll.
). .0 overwheimfngNan accepting the seat
offered. he helped unite the new BOOK. the
in horn and the small cup w a9d sa as Great
show Of curiosity as If he had not jump
a off the train md dur naiy bomsht 'o wat
.ver he CHANGED to see In small snop II
pointed out by the porter :. 49,. ,.sx.t
vas on her way to her brothers ranch
# his children while he took his wife to b
hospital Dor an operation on her eyes h
Jordan, hearing of Brother Bob, was
inspired to more plotting. and an hour or
o later the porter. grinning. handed her II
"Introducing your neighbor. Thomas "
-ou and see that you had a real Christ II
$50 that's the way Bob managed i'll" ii
he sad oonIHg Mn the
how he fixed ed up that l I'd
uriosity must have been rather hypo- "
riticaI- Didn't you write those rhymesT
Please call them poems?.'' he begged. .
If you knew the amount of mentality I e,
sed composing them. my dear young wo- =
nan, You would feel cruel to designate b