The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-09
THE EVENING STORY
Fate's Second Chance.
1By Lester Rose.l

lBy Lester Rose.1
Jean Griffith looked about her curl
| ously. The street was at once familiar
and strange, like an old friend en-
| countered after years of separation.
| Five years had passed since jeans
father had moved out west-flve years
of mingled pain and pleasure, and this
was her first return visit.
| She was stopping at downtown no.
tel and had come uptown to call on
some of the girls she knew to be still
living In the old neighborhood.
The altered aspect of the street re-
minded her that she, too, had changed.
| one learns much in five years.
| She had been glad to leave the city
broken her engagement with Tom
Fleming, and had felt that every one
in their set was talking about it. 1t
had been an absurd quarrel. She had
wanted to live in the city, and Tom
had set his heart upon the purchase
OF little home in the country.
They had been walking down that
very street one afternoon. and she had
insisted upon inspecting the apart
| ments in a house just being completed.
Tom had protested that it was useless
| to look at flats when they wanted
| country home, and though Jean had
| her way, Tom had grumbled all the
time they were being shown through
| the rooms.
AS they had stood on the steps after
| the caretaker had left them. Jean had
| declared her intention of living in one
| of the corner apartments, and Tom
| had turned stiff1y away with the de-
| claration that it was apparent they
| never could agree.
With her head held high, she had
watched him go down the street, but
when he had turned the corner she
| had hurried home to wash out in tears
her pain and indignation.
| A few weeks later she had moved
away, and Tom, his anger slowly cool
| ing, had found out too late what that
| going meant to him. He had written.
but his letter was half apologize, still
| half defiant, in tone, so Jean had not
| answered. He had not written again.
| Jean found none of the girls at home
! and with hurried step she started for
| the avenue where the cars ran. A
cloud of ominous blackness was form
ing and the wind blew down the side
| streets in cold gusts that threatened
an immediate precipitation.
She was within a block of the car
line when the storm broke and she
| huddied under the nearest awning. 1t
was the only shelter in sight. and since
it shielded the windows Of saloon
she could not enter the place.
The fury of the storm was soon spent,
but in place OF the terrific downpour
gentle rain fell, and since there was
a suggestion of clear weather, Jean
/
have to ruin her new hat.
As she stood thus her heart gave a
| great leap, for coming down the street
his head bent, was Tom Fleming. MOI
until he was almost opposite her did
! he sees her, then he halted with look
of glad surprise on his face.
II did not know that you were In
town." he cried as he advanced with
outstretched hand.
IT only arrived last night" she ex-
planned. II came up to see some OF
the girls, but could find no one at home
and was starting for the car when the
storm broke and anchored me n mere,
gested, 1.-The rain is almost over and
that dress doesn't look as though the
damp would hurt it. I'll see that your
hat doesn't get wet. :. r
Almost before she knew 1t, Jean
had tucked her arm through Toms,
,, and they were going down the street
in the old familiar way. To her sur
prise Jean found it very pleasant to
be under the umbrella with Iom.
had passed since they had walked I'M
der the same umbrella. Tom had
greeted her so quietly and had ac-
cepted her presence so much as a
matter of course that she forgot all
: that had happened in the interval
The rain battered softly, almost
ltunefully on their umbrella. The
flood had swept clean the dusty
streets ana the WdikS anu Iodu W. y .
were now scarcely more than wet.
There was q clean, sweet smell in the
air. rid of its excess of dust, and here
and there they passed a private resi-
) dence with its tiny garden and the
! turned earth.
Few people were abroad, for the
!. rain had driven most of them to
! cover. SO these two had the street
: pretty well to themselves. Tom
chatted of the people she had known.
, and lean was so interested that be-
! fore she realized it they were in front
! of the apartment house on the steps
:, of which they had their first and last
, quarrel. She half stopped as she
; recognized the place and Tom, feel
: ing the pressure on his arm came to
' a halt.
"Maybe they have not rented the
: apartment YETI he declared with
whimsical smile, as he pointed to a
, sign beside the door announcing that
there were four and five room apart
4 ments to let. with steam heat and
D hot water. Lets drop IN ana see II
y they have?"
! For an instant Jean halted. then
y she Welded to the within and followed
l Tom up the steps. The janitor made
5 his appearance and in answer to
E Toms questions declared that there
FL were several empty apartments.
5 s"There's one on the second. two on
: the third and one on the nfth," he
!. said
FL With the unenthusiastic manner OF
Z 1anftors he rapidly enumerated the
good points OF the apartments IN