The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-29
THE EVENING STORY
His Lesson in Love.
(By Lulu Johnson.l


Had they only known it, two of
them We're ripe to fall into loves
basket For months Billy Gillen had
watched the shapely brown head bent
realizing that his appreciation of
brown hair with glints of gold was
merely an indication of a deeper feel
ing.
For as many moons Ida PawIing
had assured herself that without the
kindly aid of that nice Mr.. GiIIen"
Office life would be impossible and
she had not recognized in this feeling
| anything but an appreciation of his
Even the fact that Billy took to go
ing to church-her church-regularly
sitting where he could catch the same
glimpse of brown hair that was his
to enjoy in the office, did not open
his eyes, and this story might have
ended as it had begun-in polite
nothings-had it not been for those
letters
There were two of them and the Of
fee boy, with an appreciation of the
| fitness OF things, propped them up on
the desks Of their recipients. Here
they were being admired by the early
birds of the Office staff when Billy
came in with his brisk good morn
ing"
His smile only broadened when he
saw upon his desk the red envelope
with the huge black legend:
Own your own home"
TOO bad that some one wasted
two-cent stamp to give me that adj
vice." he cried: 81 wonder what put
them up to it?'
knowledge of coming events"
suggested the head bookkeeper, and
the rest laughed, for they were not
blind, if Billy was. There is meth
he nodded in the direction of Miss
Pawling's desk.
Billy caught a glimpse of a red en-
velope on the girls blotter and
sprang for it, but the bookkeeper in
tercepted him.
IT'S against the law to interfere with
the United States mail" he reminded.
You can't have a letter addressed to
Miss Dawling."
Its not a letter! It's an outrage"
shouted Billy as he struggled to reach
the desk. Before he could free himself
Ida entered and with a curiouss glance
at the little knot of struggling men, she
moved quietly to her desk.
She had seen the gaudy envelope in
Billy's hand. and when she found one
like it on her desk, she guessed the
cause of the confusion. The men had
stopped wrestling with Billy, and now
the glanceS of the entire office were
upon her.
With a woman's sixth sense she
could feel their interest, and with slow
movement she reached for the glazing
type, tore it across without opening it,
and raised the lid of her desk.
As the flaming fragments well into
the basket, the spell was broken. The
clerks moved to their desks and resum-
ed their work The incident was for
gotten by all save Billy, who determin-
ed to locate the man who had sent the
letters or planned the rude jest, and to
give him the thrashing of his life. For
himself, he did not mind. but it was
both unmanly and unjust to subject the
girl to such an indignity.
All day long he brooded over the mat
ter, and when the office closed he was
as far from a solution of the problem
as ever, so he determined to ask Idas
assistance.
He fingered for a moment after she
left, that the others might not suspect
his plan, then he slipped out, and, by
taking short cut through the alley he
managed to emerge on the next street.
GREATNESS but successful; for Ida had
just turned the corner half a block be-
yond.
She was startled to find him waiting
for her.
why you were in the office when
I left" she cried wonderlngly. Have
you some magic carpet that trans
ports you?"
Billy glanced down at his rather
neat patent feathers.
'T guess you could not exactly call
these a carpet" he suggested with a
laugh ''I cut through the alley and
got here first. 1 purposeIy let you
get out ahead of me. so that the
others would not talk. L want to
know if you have any idea as to who
sent those letters to us?''
ST did not notice the name of the
company" she said with a steady
voice. But you know that the
elevator men and the janitor are paid
for the names of tenants in all build
ings."
minedly. I'VE were the only two in
the entire Office building to receive
went to lunch. Some one sent them
to us to start trouble. 1t must have
been some one in the office, because
they are the only ones who know
Don't you like the other girls,
too?" Ida's tones were cool and level,
though her heart beat uncomfortably
fast. ''I think that Miss Bender is
dear, and one can't help liking Mrs.
Crouch"
Its not just that sort of like" ex-
planned Billy. ''I think that it must
have been Travers who sent them.
From where he sits he can see me
looking at you-and I guess he sus-
suspects % echoed Ida.
''Well, I can't keep the love out of
my eyes when I sit there" went on
love-I didn't until this morning,
that is 1 guess it must have been
love all along, though. for ever since
YOU came into the office I've had
trouble with my books and now 1
know 1t was because L could look at
YOU Then I'd put down a wrong
figure, and have to stay after hours
to strike a balance
"I'm sorry that 1 have such an
effect" began Ida, but Billy signaled
for silence.
Now that 1 know where 1 stand I
want to tell you" he went on impetu-
ovsIy, 81 do want to own a home, and
= x-o,1 m ha Wont