The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-17
THE EVENING STORY
The Auburn Haired Girl.
IBy Anita w. EdrerIevl

The Auburn Haired Girl.
(By Anita w. Edgerley.)
hali mile north of the Stevens
farm mouse. where Miss Irene Kings
aunt and uncle, was the byroad ,e s,S.
ing TO what WAS called the gIen.
mere was glen with a cascade and
II was a rather wild and rocky spot.
| !. was quarter of a mile from the
main road. and on this byroad lived
widow with an auburn haired
| daughter 16 years old
AFTER Miss Irene had been at the
| farm house for a week. and had be-
cpme familiar with the sights of pigs.
bind in one eye. she was told about
the glen and was anxious to see it
Inc road was plain before her. Take
the rirst turn to the right and she
was there.
| She was told about the byroad. but
not about the auburn haired girl. In
TINS world there are always some
/ things left out to make US trouble at
a future date.
The young lady of 10 started ont
i hravely and her spirits were unruf
LEO until she turned into the byroad.
| Inere she came across the auburn
haired girl sitting on log by the
] ROADSIDE The proper way would
nave neen for her to have stopped
and asked question or two about the
glen and thus open up a pleasant
| conversation
Unfortunately she took another
way She held herself stiffly erect
/ and passed on. The auburn haired
] girl, who was almost as pretty as
Miss Irene, followed her. Miss Irene
! heard her footsteps but would not
| look back. Auburn hair coughed
and began to hum tune, but it was
| no use.
Just how long it takes an auburn,
haired girl to get her dander up has
never before been recorded for. use
OF the Agricultural or any other de-
partment In this case it was four
minutes. She had heard of Miss
Irene as being from the city, and of
| being naughty and having at least
two hats, and she ached to take her
down peg.
From a distance of ten feet in the
rear she remarked quietly that some
| folks considered other folks as dirt
| beneath their feet.
Miss Irene reached the glen with
flashing eyes and blazing cheeks, and
OF course she could not be expected to
IND any grandeur or romance. The
moss grown rocks were there, and
the waters cascaded but they were
naught to the Inundated and indig-
nant girl. She would go home, but
she could not go by the same route
and pass that young mink again and
receive more sauce. She would go
by the fields and woods.
1t was in carrying out this deter
mination that she soon found herself
in an old clearing and realized that
she was lost. She had started to weep
over it when another female entered
the clearing and advanced toward her.
! The newcomer was a lady of 80,
and she was also lost. She had not
been lost in leaving the glen, but in
seeking to find it. She was cool and
calm, and did not fear that they could
not find their way to the highroad af-
ter rest.
AS the couple sat on a log talking,
events were happening elsewhere.
The auburn haired girl had gone
down to the main road, and as she
reached it a young man came driving
along in a buggy. She recognized him
as young MerEifield, a lawyer in
:, Bel1eville, five miles away. Having
| all the law there was on his side, he
| was not afraid of a pretty girl. even
i when he didn't know her. He check
ed his horse when near her and said
Say, miss, have you heard that one
of the female patients in the Belle
: vile insane asylum escaped this
morning? p,
/ NO." she replied, with deep and
excited interest, and prepared to lis
ten.
Eyes, and when last seen she was
headed this way. I am going over to
Liverpool and they wanted me to
spread the news as drove along.
thing of a stray female around here -
''Oh. but 1 have. She passed here
an hour ago on her way to the glen.
I thought she was queer in her head.
| Yes, you'll find her at the glen"
1t was a pretty girls opportunity
at rival and she took it. The law
yer decided that if she would ride to
the glen with him to soothe and calm
the patient in case she was violent. he
would make an effort to return the
patient to the authorities. The girl
chuckled and climbed into the buggy.
OF course Miss Irene was not found
at the glen, but the lawyer was a
Sherlock Holmes in his way. He
looked about and found framents of
her wardrobe sticking to the rails of
a fence she had climbed; and, leaving
the horse and buggy, and enthusiast
tically followed by the auburn hair,
he chung to the trail until the ciear-
ing was reached.
"That's her!' exclaimed auburn
hair, as she pointed to Miss Irene. and
| smiled wickedly.
!. If the lawyer hadn't been lawyer
he would have advanced and seized
the guilty party and thrown her over
his shoulder and started for the bug
CIV: but lawyers don't rush In where
angels fear to tread. Here were two
females. Indeed, with auburn hair,
there were three.
He hadn't a description of the es-
capped patient. He had been told sne
: was "youngish female. The three
: were "youngish.'' 1t might be. any
one of them.
Il It might be the one who had CIV
J, en- him the information. Insane peo-
pie are cunning and up to all sorts
of tricks.
well, why don't you take her?"
demanded Auburn Hair, maliciously.
..Sir. what does this mean 2" asked
Miss Irene, as she drew herself up.
"Sir, what does this mean? asked
the strange lady, as she did likewise.
Il sswhy-why," stammered the law
yer. zone of you has escaped from the
asylum at Belleville. / am here to
ask you to return with me. You
i.shau have a nice ride in my buggy,
| - 80, xr<.r.,r cs,,iaf I'll Lot VOL