The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-15
The EVENING STORY
Christv,s Reward.
by Muriel Haynes.1

but best brother that ever lived,'|
concluded Richard Ames. Look here,
Maude, III give up my intention OF
taking Miss Hempsted out driving and
devote the time instead to the noble
cause of rummage. but only with the
understanding that if 1 give up the So
ciety of the beautiful Miss Hempsted
for sweet charity, 1 am to pick my own
company.
THE way you fired me at Nella
Brewster's head the night of the
indecent. If she doesn't want to speak
to me again why should you deprive
her Of that satisfaction"
ITS not a satisfaction" insisted
Dicks sister. "Nena is as utterly mis-
cradle as you, and you know it."
"She didn't look that way this after
noon when I passed her skating with
Ben Harkinson,'' commented Dick.
She's game. She would smile if she
had the toothache. and happened to see
you coming" persisted Maude. 'She
wouldn't let you see that she was hurt
by the way you have acted, but-well,
any woman can see that she is dread
fully hurt
so much hurt thai she could not
answer letter of abject apology I
sent her" suggested Dick.
Did you really send it?" demanded
Maude curiously. "She says she never
got it. and that you didn't even answer
hers"
Because there was none to answer"
retorted Dick. "Come on nowI Let us
get down to the church and to that
charity which is its own reward"
Maude paused uncertainty. 1t was the
first time that Dick had spoken freely
about his quarrel with NelIa Brew
ster, and she wanted to sound the trou-
BILE to its greatest depths, but here was
Dick drawing off just as she had SEEM
ed about to reach the bottom.
That the trouble had been trivial at
the start she knew, and with two per-
sons like her brother and Nella it was
=rs1 &aI1 IL -
end, but the chances were that they
would drift further and further apart.
Meekly she slipped into her wraps
and prepared for the walk to the
church where a rummage sale for the
poor was being prepared.
Old clothes were pouring in to be
sold to the needy for whatever their
slender purses could afford. When
Maude led Dick into the Sunday school
room he whistled in surprise at the
stacks of clothing.
They are stopping all the time to
talk about Styles" explained Cheevers.
'"The moment they get a dress that is
out of the ordinary they all stop to see
how it's made
''I heard Oracle Chester say that at
last she could be certain that Mrs.
answered Dick, with a chuckle.
by the way" went on Cheevers,
"here's something found in the over
coat of that little darby that the
with them last winter. Looks as
though Alexander had been hold
ing out some letters on you"
He passed over a thin package of
letters, and Dick gasped. The en-
velopeS were griny and worn, but he
could see that they were some letters
from himself that never had been de-
livered and others from Nella that
had shared the same fate.
He recognized even the letter in
which he had sought to win her for
giveness for all he had said during
their last QUARREL quarrel which
which he now held in his hand for the |
first time.
There was a bulky one form Nella |
that he opened first, and his heart |
glowed as he realized that without
waiting for him to speak Nella had |
written her own letter of forgiveness. |
ST didn't know that there were so
many old clothes in town. he declar- |
ers directed him brislkly toward one of
the piles.
''These are the mems and boys |
clothes. Will you help get those |
Strengthened out? we want them sort |
ed roughly by sizes
Dick followed the example of the |
other men in the room, and slipped |
off his coat before he attacked the |
pile of garments.
Here were clothes of all sizes and |
weights, and as he picked up the first |
garment one of the men on the other |
side called to him:
Better go through all the pockets |
first. I found a dollar bill in a vest
a while ago, and Cheevers did better |
than that. He found two"
I'VE should leave them in the
clothing" suggested Dick. perhaps
the donors put theme there on pur-
pose
''They found them" declared the
other man as he turned to lay coat
on it's proper heap, and Dick again
The pile of clothing seemed
men working briskly they had dis
posed of the entire lot before the
mounds of feminine wear were half
sorted.
1t was clear now. Alexander was
worse than forgotten. He could not
forget because he never seemed to
know anything.
The letters that were handed him
he failed to deliver, and then lied
out of it when he was taxed. Now
Nella was angry because Dick had
not answered her gracious little note,
and he could not blame her when he
knew that she never had received any
of his more recent letters.
He slipped the package into his
pocket with a word of thanks to
Cheevers, and then he left the turmoil
of the rummage sale to look for Nella.
He met her just leaving her home,
and as he came up the walk, she re-
garded him curiously.
ct came to deliver my letters in
person, and to make certain of their
delivery" announced Dick. "Can you
give me few minutes?
NeIla made no move to re-enter
the house, and Dick was too wise to
press the point.
81 was helping Maud at the rum
mage sale,'' he explained. "Cheeyers