The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-28
THE EVENING STORY
Sany's Knight.Errant.


lowed the gayly caparisoned horse
with it's mail-clad rider down the
crowded thoroughfare
Mary Mccain, at the next table,
gave snort Of contempt
Sure he did," she conceded good
humoredly. Hell smile at any little
softly he thinks is fool enough to
smile back. I'll bet Miss Cady won't
pc sm1iln when she sees how far be-
| h1nd you are with your wrapping"
sally flushed as she cast an appre-
| rore- woman and bent to her task with
n1mble fingers. She was one of the
| Iastest wrappers in the ROOM but ever
since the knight had taken to riding
| oy' her work had suffered and Miss
Cady, who trusted to Sally to set the
pace for the other girls in friendly
rivalry. frowned over Sally's piece
work tickets at the end of the day.
Until that week Sally had been the
record holder for more than a year;
| it looked as though a girl on the other
| side or the room would wrest her lau-
/ rels from her.
| Sally only tossed her head indiffer-
| entity. The new champion could not
| even see the knight from where she
worked, and that to Sally was the i'm
| portant thing.
She was an omnivorous reader of fic-
ton, and the romances of the novelette,
/
| brain. When her knight rode past the
/ first time and cast a gallant glance
toward the window beside which she
worked 1T seemed to her that the ro-
| nance of the dead ages was revived
| again. The grimy factory building be-
came castle, Miss Cady was her hard
| hearted jailer and the knight in the
| street below was her true love and
| rescuer.
A dozen times that day he rode past
the factory on his mettlesome horse,
| and each time there was the same up
| Waro glance, the some lifting I'D his
| lance, and Sally's heart beat more
rapldly as she bent over the piles of
| cans Which were to be wrapped and
| stacked in the trays to go to the mack
ing room.
That night the knight rode on and
on through her dreams. Always the
| same he seemed to be, and vet ever he
grew more glorious in SaIly's dreamy
eyes as he suffered untold miseries. and
| praVed per1ls innumerable for her sake
he was the hero of "Ivanhoe'' and
taies or the Round Table. He was of
all countries and times, but ALWAYS he
was the man of the day before, and
sally went to her work with eagerness.
because she knew that presently the
knight would come riding past and
that he would look up and salute her
| with his lance.
And come he presently did. His he'll
met shone gleamingly in the sun, his
chain armor displayed to the best ad-
vantage the finely muscled shoulders
and set off well against the rich ca
par1soning of his steed. That there was
a theatrical advertisement embroider-
ed upon the trappings of the horse she
did not care She was looking for the
silent lifting of the lance and wonder
ing whether the eyes were blue or
brown beneath the heavy brows
| She could shut her eyes and remem-
Der every detail of face and costume
n RI =
save that golden legend "A Knight of
Old, the Adelphi," that cleaned against
the crimson velvet of the saddle cloth.
She recalled the heavy flowing mus
tache, with Its graceful droop, the
clear color of the skin and the ruddi-
: ness of the cheeks, and then remem-
bered with distaste Tim Holran's
stubby, determined chin, with it's blue
black tinge of clean-shaven skin. Tim
was already in disgrace because he
was out Of a job, and when he called
that evening the chill reception he re-
ceived abashed even that self confident
young man.
For two years they had been keep
ing company and he had entered
| with the air of one assured of welcome
and with a light apology for the late
ness OF his arrival, only to be inform
ed that it was a matter of indiffer-
ence. to Sally whether he came or re-
manned away. Presently he slipped out
of the little parlor with the optimistic
suggestion that Sally would be feeling
better on the morrow and that he
would try to get around early.
He was unprepared for the snappish
declaration that she did not expect to
be home at all, and he flung down the
| stairs in the heat of an anger that
rose as quickly as it fell.
Once down the cool street he told
himself that Sally had a headache, so
he built castles in the air-four-room
castles in which Sally presided as mis-
| s1t. L, L -
his days toll was done to sit down to a
| savory mess of corned beef and cab
bage with Sally across the table from
: him.
But Sally's castles in Spain were
stately edifices. thronged by knights
, and ladies, wherein her knight led all
: the others in beauty, grace and daring.
: She wondered how she had ever thought
{ Tim Holran good looking, and shudder-
: ed at her own want of taste. She was
glad that she knew. better now; glad
< that she had found out before 1t was
too late.
, She did not even miss Tim when he
: failed to call for two evenings. for her
anticipations were all centered about
l the knightly figure on the coal-black
) charger who spent the entire day rid
| ing up and down before her window at
2 the factory and who always, as he rode,
: gave silent salute.
t THE girls we're held for a couple of
z hours Friday evening to get out rush
, order and it was late when Sally hur-
ried home There was short cut
/ through an unsavory portion OF the
Y town. and, unmindful of the leering
{ chances thrown at her, she hurried
along, intent only upon getting home to
8 supper as quickly as possible.
0 She had almost cleared the sectlon
i | when with a shout young felioW
' i,,rched out from one of the corner
: saloons and threw his arm about her
s shoulders.
r Sallv screamed In terror, but the men
: a., +he corner regarded the scene 1ndul-
e gently. Dago Joe probably meant only
j to kiss the girl. and, anyhow ne was