The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-06
The EVENING STORY
At the Junction.
(By Donald Allen. }

~ 0OAdlQ Allen.l
MISS carrie Mayberry had made q
journey of seventy miles IN the state
70 pay months visit to her aunt
she had had to change cars at a iunc-
uon en- route, but the conductor had
Deen SO courteous. and there had been
50 many passengers changing with
ner' that that she had not minded the
ten-minute wait. In returning after
ner VISIT was up, things were differ
e1I- Inc conductor was cross-grain-
ca oid cnap who had no cookbook
ing daughter of his own and then
the only other passenger to get off
ana take the G. & B. road was a
young man, who proceeded to saunter
up ana down the platform without
giving MISS Carrie second look.
AS II these three or four things
were not bad enough. she learned
that the train she had to wait for
was three hours behind time. She did
not learn this from the young man
on, no. He found out for himself and
then Kept the information to himself,
though he must have known what a
hurry she was in to get back home
and see pa and ma. He just didn't
care whether she got home that day
or the week after.
Miss Carrie learned about the late
ness OF the train from the red-headed
depot agent. 1t was a country junc-
ton. The depot and his house were
the only two buildings there. The only
made up of a spotted COW, a swamp,
haystack and a water-tank. 1t took
the red-headed man just one hour to
get ready to come out on the plat
form and say:
Your train was three hours late
an hour ago; now it's only two hours"
What Ny train late!" was the
exclamation. why didn't you tell me
SO when I got off?''
mo good. You'd have had to stay
just the same"
The young man saw her look of
chagrin, disappointment and anger
from the flour barrel on which he
was sitting, but did not come forward
ana take the red-headed man by the
neck or speak words of consolation to
her. She looked at him and mentally
called him names-real hard names.
The agent had a home. a wife and
two children. 1t was a few rods away,
and the right thing would have been
to invite Miss Carrie to tarry there.
He didn't do the right thing. He
didn't care whether she walked the
platform or roasted on the haystack.
And that young man! A nice speci-
men he was. OF course, Miss Carrie
had made up her mind when she first
got off that If he tried to scrape ac-
quaintance she would promptly freeze
him out, but that was on the under
standing that the G. and S. train was
on time. Now it was hours late. and
that made all the difference in the
world. He ought to know that it did.
Just after the red-headed man had
told Miss Carrie that she still had two
hours to wait, she looked at her watch
and found that it had stopped. There
was no clock in the depot The young
man had a watch which he frequent
ly consulted in a somewhat ostenta-
tious way, but would the girl humble
Never in this world There were some
yellow flowers growing alongside the
tracks twenty rods away, and he could
have jumped down and culled her a
bouquet.
The two hours were about up when
the red-headed man came out to Miss
Carrie to say:
your train is another two hours |
late, making five in all. Mebbe it will
be six, but III say five to you"
"And 1--we got to wait two or
three hours more!' she almost |
UNLESS you want to walk"
The young man was at the far end !
Of the platform inspecting a patent |
machine that had arrived by |
freight, and yet he must have heard |
the message and known her feelings. |
If not why did he grin? For a minute |
Miss Carrie looked around for dyna-
mite to blow him off the face of the |
earth, but then it began to rain and |
she had to seek shelter. The young /
man also sought shelter.
The sitting room was about twelve |
feet square. 1t contained a rusty stove |
and single bench. Its windows had
not been washed since the surrender /
Of Lord CORVALLIS and the only pic
.ure on the walls was that of a young /
ady with long hair and holding in |
her hand a bottle of the stuff that did |
he trick. Miss Carrie took one end |
other For twenty minutes she gazed |
1t her toes and he at his. Then they
sazed at the rusty stove. Then they
'aised their eyes as high as the long
haired girl and kept them there a
ong time. She could have grown an
,ther foot of hair while they looked.
Then the red-headed man came in
md said he guessed it was going to
ain, and went out again. AS it had
been pouring for half an hour his
observation struck home. The young
nan wished to himself that he had
uch a father-in-law and Miss Carrie
wished to herself that he would come
o the Boston weather bureau and
'un the weather for a while.
Then the young man consulted his
watch. The girl wished it would stop
With a bang, and she walked over to
me Of the two windows to see If the
,ow still stood out on the marsh. He
walked over to the other to see if
he haystack still stood upright or
lad a Pisa tower lean to 1t. Silence
or twenty minutes. The two could
Llmost hear more rust gathering on
he stove. Then, all of a sudden, Miss
carrie gave way. She had been want
ng to cry about something for three
weeks past The something had come.
There were tears and sobs
s'what's-what's the matter" ask
d the young man.
"You are!" she answered fiercely.
"HoW am I-I-?"
you know. Here I've been for a
Whole week, and you haven't-haven't
ven spoken to me! No, you haven't,
nd I'm ready to tell you what 1
hink of you'll"
"But, you know-you know"!
e faltered. {
"Of course. I know. Was it my
fo onnae I'm and