The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-08-26
THE EVENING STORY
One August Night.
IBy virginia Leila Wentz,


ed sleepy or sleeping. Cobblers slept
with half-mended boots in their laps;
| italian women slept at their fruit
stands with sleeping babies at their
breasts; horses trotted conscientiously
along in front OF sleeping drivers.
In the department store where An
tona Wheaton worked the day had been
difficult. especially behind the stuffy
And. oh, what a godsend the loud
sounding bell at had been! Most OF
| the girls in the store were city-bred,
and they accepted the conditions OF
Wheaton had come from a fresh little
country town in the west, and as she
leaned from her boarding house win
dow-the third floor hall room, back
dinner, it seemed to her that she was
| locked in a place of torment from
which no escape was possible.
They dined at in Mrs. Browns
| boarding house. In the half hour that
Antona had been home she had taken a
sponge bath, brushed her silky, faxen
hair and changed her black alpaca
dress for a simple white muslin. As she
| leaned out of the window from the open
space beside the huge storage house in
! the rear she could see the dust carts
roll down the streets. The whiskng or
| their big, rotary brooms reminded the
country bred girl of large turkey COB
blers sweeping the earth with dtsdaln-
full, proud wings. The open space faced
the west, and resting her little oval
cheeks in her hands. Antona could see
that the sun was doing its best to set
with some sort of rightful beauty, even
| in this homely, downtown section.
Where the Quiet-colored end OF eV-
ening smiles
Antona was speaking to herself, in
reprehensible fashion that was growing
on her, trying to recall some verses
which Francis Logan had quoted 10
her one sunset time down on the bat
S11 eIaA TG-
member them-they were so simple
| and lovely.
Just then Mrs. Browns cracked din
Fer bell rang.
Logan glanced at Antona with some
thing like a lump. born of big, pro-
| tective instinct. rising in his throat.
Every vestige of fresh. country rose
bloom had fed from the, girls sweet
face. and in the intervals when she
| fancied she was not observed, the
young fellows alert eye noticed that
her black lashes rested heavily agalnsC
her cheek as would those of one who
Antona's WEAKNESS struck home, per-
| baps, because of contrast. Francis him
| self was more than usually happy that
right.
The big importing house where he
was employed had, that very morning,
sent a note to his desk informing him
| that his salary had been increased some
SIG nOnJn. his OSdT AAOIACA, w.
| in Devonshire, had just written him
| that a relative had left her an unex-
| pected little legacy. Altogether the
world was going well with Francis Lo-
gan
served Mrs. Brown from her accuStom-
| ed seat at the head of the table An,
| remember-this is your faVorlte
soup
For five years now. young Logan
had been an inmate of Mrs. Browns
establishment without having ever
changed his seat at table, or ms roo .t
Naturally, Mrs. Brown sought to IN
gratiate herself with him.
"Why, my dear" she had exclaimed
once to Antona in a burst of enthusl-
asm, che knows all the poets by heart.
He sees only the best plays-eVen thouSh
it may be from gallery seats He knows
all the finest pictures up in the Metro
politan. He has what they can an
artistic taste. too. My land! you
should hear him notice the sunset al
the end of a narrow city street, or
tinv flower out in the park. Or"
Eyes. I know" said Antona impul-
sively. for once coming out of her re-
serve, Hes pure gold-that's what ne
is!''
"fIuh! 'Gold'?'' Mrs. Brown had re-
torted disdainfully. None o your pref
ty, soft yellow stuff for him; he's GOOD;
solid. practical steel, If any one asked
me Don't YOU forget it, Miss Wheaton.
Mrs Brown had broken off abruptly
at a flash from Miss Wheaton's eye
One dared not presume too Tar Win
Miss wheaton. in spite of the silky.
haxen hair and the childish dlmples, as
many Of the young men in the Depart
mont store had found out.
IF only they could be a h hod raore
than once found herself commenting as
she pinned up her colored bolts. He Is
the soul of honor, and II don't know
what I'd do without him. -
HAD a stroke of luck today, little
girl" Logan waylaid Antona as she
was going upstairs after the scanty
saucer of raspberries, made purple with
milk, had been eaten Il want you 20
come out tonight and help me celerVale
IF you'll do me the honor"
A little later. from the basement On
ing room window, Mrs. Brown. who
was arranging her cloth for the next
I'D the street together. Antona, in her
simple white muslin, wore nooolne
spray Of pink roses at her waist a.
they walked toward the west. the
young fellows eyes were fastened auor-
SGuess they'll hit it off all right,
commented Mrs Brown as she went on
reflling the porcelain saltceHars.
.tPII tell you what We'll DO, sala
Francis as they walked toward tine
cars. well go out to Riverside drive
and sit there for while till the nlgnt
gets cooler; then Wen go to some big
uptown restaurant and order some Ice
cold chicken salad"
ooh" broke in Antona, in economic
defense, I'D just as lief go to drug
store and have some nice soda"
Now, don't you bother about the ex-
pense, little one" said Francis gayly:
s.As / said, I've had a rare stroke OF
lucIx TODAY and when we get out .on
one of those cool benches on the drive
Pm going to tell you about it." Also
he determined resolutely to himself ne