The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-12
THE EVENING STORY
When Day Is Gone.
(By w. F. Bryan.)

| (By w. F. Bryan.)
Somewhere at the other end of the
| room, gong changed, out its harsh
| brazen note. and soon the hum of in
| dustry and the clatter of machinery
gave way to the chatter of tongues
as the operatives shut off the power
| from their machines.
AS they gathered about the inspec-
| ton desk to turn in their days work
| the great shafts overhead ceased their
whirring and the sharp tune they had
sung ali day ended in a descending
| scale as the momentum died out. The
days work was DONE
NOW the girls were hurryinG to-
ward the washroom. a screened COM
partment supplied with an iron sink,
| cakes of yellow soap cut to convenient
size and few roller towels of coarse
| a dozen at the sink. and, urged by
the waiting line. the girls cut the
additions scant and perfunctory.
| When they had changed their
working clothes for cheap and garish
| street fnery, they descended in the
elevator to the street where the men
| employees were waiting for the ia
vored few
Ida Clark hurriedly rinsed her
hands and slipped on her worn, dark
skirt and frayed Jacket. 1t was grow
| ing too warm for coat, but she could
| not afford a new waist just now, and
! there were patches in the elbows of
the old one. The jacket was at least
whole, save on the edges, which now
defed further binding.
For more than a year she had fol-
lowed the regular factory routine, yet
she had never become accustomed to
| this rush and turmoil of the streets
when the mountainous buildings sud
denly disgorged their hordes Of work.
ers into the narrow canyons below.
hIIv-r riv,r nfAe G<~lf L. ~
way east. west, north, and south.
terrified her. and as she found herself
caught in the tide bound for her
| home, she gave a little sigh of relief.
1t would be all right until the cor
ner was reached, when the cross-cur-
rent of humanity again would be en-
countered. She still dreaded the i'm
pact Of the human tide. She thought
Of tho quiet country lanes of home.
! and how the sun was now slanting
| under the warming sun.
Hers had been great hopes when
she had left the country for the city.
| She had planned to study shorthand
and typewriting while she supported
herself at lighter clerical work. But
and her fast vanishing funds had
| forced her to have recourse to the
| factory, where her back was soon
wrenched and strained and her
| fingers twisted and tired from hand
| ling the heavy material she forced
through the speeding machines.
| 1t was vastly different from the
machine sewing at home, for the fac
| tory exacted the utmost work from
| each machine, human or iron, while
a sharp-eyed forewoman prowled uI
and down the aisle ready to pounce
| upon any one who faltered.
Ida's hands were too stiff to hold
a pencil after the days work was
| done and the dreams of advancement
had to be forgotten in the necessity
| of the moment. But though her mus
cles ached and her eyes seemed to
burn in their sockets, she would mo-
give up. She would not go back tc
Carsonville and confess failure.
| She blushed as she thought o.
| what going back meant. She had
come to the city because Jack Deer.
| ing had scoffed at the idea Of hel
| earning her own way.
/ Some unfortunate twist of his
| words had given Ida the belief that he
offered himself only because she was
left alone in the world, because OF
pity for her condition. She was too
proud to admit her love when he did
| not confess his own affection
Deering, looking only on the prac-
| teal side of the matter, had never
dreamed that he had been refused be-
cause of her belief that he did not
love her. He had supposed that, OF
course. she knew how dearly he cared
| for her and he had not thought 1t
| necessary to tell the ofttold tale. So
he had allowed her to go.
Ida had not lost her fresh coloring
| in spite of her hardships, and, to the
fear of the great masses of men and
| women hOmeward bound, was added
the dread of an encounter with one OF
the human brutes who presume their
attentions will be welcome to factory
girls because they dress we'll.
More than once she had felt hand
placed Familiarity upon her arm or had
hurried on to escape the running fire
of talk from man who had dropped
into step beside her and had persisted
until policeman came in sight.
Tonight Ida was frankly homesick.
There was something in the breath OF
spring, tainted though it was by the
reek of pavements and the noisome
smoke of the city.
Back in the old days. when home
| was home and not a hole in the
wall, when she trod green earth and
not the hard stones of the pavement
this was the hour she liked best, when
the day was done and the evening
shadows changed into the purple
night.
1t was not often that Ida let her
self get homesick. for those who
would work by day must not cry all
the night, Out Will IHlS SuDlio oo6
gestion of home In the air and in the
sky the tears x7elled into her eyes.
The dreaded crossing, with its roar
of traffic and its rush of humanity
was passed successfully and Ida did
not notice that a man turned out OF
the commencement and hurried after
as rapidly as he was able.
Not until a hand closed upon her
arm did she realize that she had been
followed. She wrenched herself loose
and hurried ahead, but second time
the hand fell upon her arm and she
turned with little cry.
please let me co. she said, while
the tears blinded her eyes.
"Not much" was the triumphant
answer. i've spent too much time
looking for you to let you go now
that I have found you"
With a quick movement OF her