The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-08
THE EVENING STORY
Bogner's Lesson.
(By W. F. Bryan.)

Up ahead a twinkline lantern. swung
from the running gear of 1.-THE gov
4aor nght buggy, marked out the
way. At the crossroads the light
turned sharply to the left. and Ben
Bogner skillfully threw his fcur-horse
team around the corner and the pole
wagon ratified and bumped along the
Few pike. Like the children of Israel,
0olntaro Brothers colossal circus and
H.sstcdon menagerie followed q pillar
OF cloud by day and of fire by night.
In the night time the swinging Ian
Tern was the pilot and in the daylight
the smoke from Gil Quintard's hugh
cigar served a similar purpose
The new road had recently been re-
pared by the simple process Of show
enng the sides into the middle and
ieltlng the passing wagons beat 1t to a
ieVel. The heavily loaded wagon
lurched from side to side, and Ben
stopped humming mo Wedding Bells
and began to curse, not loudly. but
Iervently, tn. road committee Oh
Blashford township.
The other wagons. following In close
CT der, Jared even worse, for the iighLer
loading increased the pitching, and
presently from the rear of the carry
all a woman slipped out and ran aneao
to where Bogner was still explaining
to himself the tortures he would hke
to infiict upon the men who hau
mussed up the road.
give me a naIlQ, Den, SAS O@%AAcN-
Bogner, without pulling up, leaned
over and held out his hand me girl
grasped it at the wrist, while his nm
gers closed about her slender arm ;,
up" She gave a spring ana
broad seat. This is the worst this
season. she said. with laugh, as
she looked over the road now cleaning
as red as the eastern sky. None OF
us could sleep in the wagon, SO L
!,
''Why didn't you go to Tony?" he
asked ungraciously. you'll have that
dago knitting me yet"
sPshaw," she demurred, with an ad-
nIiring glance at the huge muscles
that showed under the gauze shirt
you could break Tony in two"
"Mebbe," he assented, as he glanced
over his shoulder to where Tony As
pirate, their trapezist and wire walker,
Grove the first seat wagon. Every one
worked with the Quintard show. Bog
ner was the principal rider and did
the heavy juggling. to say nothing Of a
act in the concert. Bessie
also did riding act and
worked with Tony in the double ira
peze, besides doing musical act for
the concert. In addition. the men had
to help raise the tent and drive the
wagons on the jumps, while the wo-
men performers cooked
Though he was pleased at the pref
erence Bessie showed for him, Bogner
was none the less uneasy. He had no
intention of marrying, and he knew
that Tony worshiped the ground the
girl walked on, but Bessie preferred
Ben and was not backward in display
ing her choice.
She chung to his arm now as they
bumped over the rough road and
drank deep fresh morning air. isn't
II splendicf?" she asked as she looked
across the green fields to where the red
flush of the sky was slowly turning to
gold.
"Pretty fair" assented Ben. Down
in his heart he loved the long, quiet
rights and the slow-coming dawn. 1t
was one of the things that held him to
a wagon show when he could have
travelled with a railroad organization
with a sleeper berth instead of the
wagon seat. Looks like it's going TO
be a good day
"So.ne day I want to come to place
like this and live" she said with
sigh. "I want to have nice little
farm with chickens and horse and
all that sort of thing"
"Anj you'd eat your heart out with
he concluded.
You're always spelling things" she
said as she drew away as far as the
seat would permit. Il never saw
man like you"
GO to Tony" he urged. Hes got
lsh as you can"
"He talks only about himself" she
said with a shrug of the shoulders.
Bogner grinned. He knew very well
that she would not go. 81 wish you
had his appreciation of things
Rogner laughed his slow laugh and
handed her his pipe to fill. II guess
one poet is enough with one-ring
circus" ne said slowly. Tony's death
en- poetry
the bowl, putting until the white clouds
his head as with a halo.
'sAIl the same" he went on. "Tony's
a pretty decent chap, and he's dead
gone on you. 1 amt ever goin' to get
with a toss OF her head. 81 guess I
can get along without either you or
Tony
"You don't seem to be able to get
along without me-" he said, with
buckle.
The girl glanced at his face for
m cment, and then, without a word,
she leaped to the ground, and when
the carryall came past slipped into
that vehicle, di=daining the invitation
shouted at her by Tony.
Bogner tried to convince himself
that he was glad she WAS gone, hut
SOMEHOW the bright dawn grew gray
TO him and he puffed modify at his
pipe. He did not love Bessie. That
.ort of thing was feolisfnAss, but he
lid enjoy her companionship in the
"a rly morning, and as the days went
Nv and she came no moro he grew mo
-ose and dispirited.
Even .hen he could n IT diagnose his
.roubIe and dosed himself with a pat
mt nostrun in the belief that his liver
vas out of order. Bessie was coldly
polite when they met at the table or
passed each other going in or out of
he ring, but that was all. There were
10 more little chats while the sun
climbed up from its bed of night.
The awakening came ten days later.
t was Sunday. and after reaching the
Jew show lot and getting the tent up
here was nothing to be done but look
lfter the stock until the morrow.
SEINE of the men had gone out to
ook at the town, but most of them |
we're lying in the grass on the shady |