The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-03-30
THE EVENING STORY
Thinking Of something Else
(By Maud fIalIowell.)

Thinking of Something Else.
(By Maud HalIowell)
| Whatever you do. Sue.'' said DR..
Sonn Murray's wife. half laughing.
| absent minded man. A man that Is
always thinking Of something else,'
IKE that big husband of mine, may be
wonderfully good at his profession, be-
J cause that's what he's always think
1 ing about. but he is surely a domestic
| trial at times
Mrs. Murray laughed, her ilI-nature
| having evaporated completely under
the heat OF her little outburst. Her
visitor, Susan Harland, laughed with
! her, for DR.. Murray's wonderful feats
| in his fits of abstraction were famous,
why, Sue" continued Mrs. Murray,
| laughing gayly at the recollection, do
you remember when I had that touch
| OF rheumatic fever? One night when
| I was burning with thirst I woke John
| and said to him, John, If you don't get
me a drink OF water quick. don't
know that I'll live till morning.
He got up. sort Of dazed, walked
over to the mantel piece and came
back to me holding out an empty vase.
wanted drink of water so much
| that hung on to my patience until he
was wide awake and knew what I was
talking about. Then he went to the
refrigerator and came back with a
glass trimming full of good cold wa
ter. Bdt If you will believe it. Sue. he
just stood there looking at me. and. be-
fore could say a word, that man
drank every drop Of that water himself
with me sglaring holes through him. I
declare, it makes me angry to this
day.
Mrs. Murray ran to the foot of the
stairs and called out, Hurry up, now,
John! Sue and 1 are both waiting. You
VIII hnd your evening clothes laid out
Tor you In the bedroom and there
| isn't any time to lose"
Miss Sue and Mrs. John sat down to
| talk They exhausted their store of
new gossip after while and began to
| hdget. Goodness" said Mrs. Murray
at last. looking at her watch, "that
man must have done something fool
ish. 1t can't be taking him all this
| time to dress!"
| DR.: John had done nothing foolish.
He had done something rather wise.
He was sound asleep in bed.
MISS Sue overheard some very active
| and excited conversation, carried on
exclusively by Mrs. Murray. At last
the deep bass Of her husband resound-
ed MY DEAR" said DR.. John, don't
you know anything about the wonder
fully powerful control that habit has
over all the species of the animal
| Kingdom? When I began to undress,
wasn't it natural for me to keep right
On and get into bed? OF course it was"
mo. Sue, don't you ever marry an
absent-minded man." said Mrs. Muir
ray, fmpressively. when they drove
d
posite them.
AS long as he isn't too absent-mind-
ed to attend the wedding, Sue" chuck
led DR.. John, you take him, providing
his name is Dick Kendall
Sue was glad that the darkness hid
her bushes.
dick is going to do something great
in chemistry, do believe" said DR.,
John. There's his compound of phos-
pho"
| your old phosphos and other ILL
smelling things said Mrs. Murray.
| Dick Kendall is as bad as you are
He's just as likely as not to come to
the dance tonight with his old
| laboratory coat on
Dick Kendall did not fulfill Mrs.
Murray's dark prophecy literally, but
| he did so in effect. It is true that he
| was soberly and blamelessly clad in
his evening clothes, being correctly
ensemble was somewhat marred by
the sad fact that he had a patent
| leather pump on one foot and a bright
russell shoe on the other.
Sue blushed, and then she flushed,
and then she grew angry as the filters
and smiles ran around the room when
unconscious Dick hurried forward to
meet her.
She was not a young woman given
to exaggerate trifles. but she was not
it is a small thing to have ones
evening pleasure marred a bit, but it
seems unduly important at the time.
Luckless Dick was doomed to fur
Their disgrace. He had barely re-
| paired the disaster of the shoes by
sending a messenger posthaste to his
home for the other pump when some
thing worse happened.
During waltz, when Miss Sue was
his partner, somebody brushed against
chor oc1yl
of broken glass and the next instant
the couple was wreathed in beautiful
violet smoke that gradually filled the
room.
serve the beauty of it's color, though.
1t was so instantly suffocating that
there was mad, wild rush for doors
and French windows.
The accident filled Sues cup and it |
brimmed over-only a little, but too |
much. In her anger she stamped her |
foot and cried: "Dick Kendall, your |
Observation-Disclosures apparently extends |
only to me and not to your profession. |
1t is plain that you care more for |
chemistry than for me, and 1t would |
be thousand pities to disturb your |
devotion"
She stripped the ring from her finger |
and he took it in bewildered silence. Be- |
fore he could reply, she had turned her |
back and the next moment was walking |
up the corridor with Dicks pet aversion, |
Charles Maule, whom everybody called |
1.-The Model Maui" in apt description |
of his mental equipment.
Miss Sues words had been uttered in |
the hearing of many persons. Next day |
the news of the broken engagement was |
all over town.
Dick tried to placate the girl, but |
with characteristic lack Of policy he did /
rot wait for her anger to cool off. The |
result was that the breach seemed final
to him. In his simplicity he believed !
every angry word she said and did not
realize that the girl was eager to for
give as soon as she had punished him