The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-23
THE EVENING STORY
Evolution.
(By Nellie Cravey Gilmore. }

Evolution.
(By Nellie Cravey Gillmore.)
Patricia turned from the window
with little shiver. The leaden sky
had just released a hurricane of white
| feathers, and the rollicking flames in
| the great, brass-andironed fireplace
magnetized her into the depths of a
| huge armchair. where she could think
| comfortably.
! At last she drew in her breath with
| a deep sigh. She had reached a de-
| cision. Her face was very pale from
the past hours conflict of emotions,
and her lips drew a determined red
line above her dimpled chin.
| She glanced at the clock. Four!
She had promised him her answer by
| six; and it was still to be written and
| dispatched. She dashed refractory
| tear from her eye, and resolutely
crossed the room to writing table
| The transient tenderness died from her
| fact as she seized a pen from the rack
and hastily dashed down the super
| scription:
| The Films, March 8.
| My Dear Frierson: Certainly not.
can never be your wife after last
| nights revelation. Fortunately for
| me, I've quite outgrown my taste for
| fairy tales, and nothing you might say
| could alter my determination, in view
| of the evidence Of my own eyes. Very
|
| PATRICIA THURSTON.
| AS she reread the words, some Of
the savage indignation that had come
into Patricia's face while she was
writing them died out. She pondered
a moment. then tore the sheet in two
and tossed it into the wastebasket-
The clock struck the half hour after 4.
| She took up the pen again and wrote,
painstakingly:
The Films. Thursday.
/ ri r,cf6 or-
/ ing the matter thoroughly, 1 have
come to the decision that 1 can not
marry you. There are so many things
that make for a happy union which,
| lacking in many of the requisites,
fear it would be an unwise step. For
instance, two people, Just entering
upon matrimony, should IN all cases
begin by being able to trust each other
| implicitly.
| 1 shall return all your letters by
express; please do likewise. Yours
| sincerely, PATRICIA T.
She signed her name with a hys-
| terical flourish and ran her eyes quick
ly through the curt sentences. Uncon-
| sciously her red lip curled upward.
| "Too sentimental" she shifted, and
crumpled the paper in her hand. The
clock licked with warning insistence.
Without hesitating she drew up a fresh
| Thursday evening.
| Dear William: OF course after
practicing a willful deception upon me.
it is out Of the question for me to fur
Their consider your offer of marriage.
i We should never be happy with the
knowledge Of it between US. even if I
could go to the length of overlooking
| it-which I can not. After all, 1t
| would have been simple for you to
\ have told me that you had a pretty
young aunt who was coming to spend
| the week. Fancy the shock I expert
enced upon seeing you kiss a girl
| Shanghai the Clanceys last night!
| And SO farewell.
PATRICIA.
| She stared at the composition a Sec
| ond, the words running together in an
| aggravating fashion. At last her gaze
| cleared. But how ridiculousi The next
/ thing he'd be thinking she was-jea1-
| GUS! She must be more dignified; more
| impersonal. Once more she wrote:
| Ny Dear Billy-No. do not get the
| ring. We have made a mistake. Let
Us s''" 20 -leS' PATTY.
P. s.-By the way. I never knew
| before that your grandmother had
| been twice married. Strange you didn
| mention it all these years. There
| quite a difference in your mother s
| and Miss Heaslip's age, isn't there!
p
The clock announced s. Patricia
! glanced around startled. to assure her
| self with her eyes that her ears had
heard Alright In the tall mirror op-
posite, that stretched from floor to
ceiling, she got transitory glimpse
of her face It was pathetically alter
ed; her eyes, purple hinged with misery,
stared mockingly back at her. The
self -contempt that swept over her
hardened them instantly. Anything
written under the influence of such an
expression could not be other than
absurd. With a petulant hand she
swept the still unb1otted lines aside and
scratched laconically:
Billy-A1l is over between US. My
answer is mo- Come for your let
tiers. and don't fail to bring mine.
She folded the note with cold, dis
passionate fingers. A pang went
through her. She caught in her breath
with a dry, audible sound. "Unexpect-
ed; telegram indeed!' she unused ang-
rily. II don't believe a word OF it,"
The striking OF the half hour nerved
her to seal the letter quickly and adj
dress It to:
1913 West Twenty ninth St.,
Mr.. William K. Frierson.
CITY"
She stamped it with deadly delibera-
tfon. and pressed the bell. While wait
ing for the messenger she sat staring
absenfly at the name she had written
Ibis name; written 1t for the one
hundred and seventeenth-and the last
time. She continued to stare at the
stereoptyped address, through a blurred
vision. After all, perhaps she had not
expressed herself Just right; at least,
she might have been more courteous.
as this was the end. There were still
80 minutes Of grace. The chauffeur.
running at speed limit. could make the
distance In 20!
Sic roee and threw the letter into
] the 1re. thsn with . funny little gleam