The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-09
THE EVENING STORY
Elizabeth's Big Boy.
(By A. Maria Crawford.)

loved him. so 1 am not surprised to
hear of her broken engagement How
did it happen?"
Aunt Martha Bradner laid down her
embroidery and looked over her glasses
at the girl. You're right, Teresa ;,
| she said slowly. elizabeth never
loved Jim Martin. They just drifted
into an engagement. She thought she
was hurt the other day. but it was
pest thing possible had happened to
| her Time, after all. is a sure sur
geon; his knife may cut slowly, but it
always goes deep enough to take out
the sting
4 DIR. Martin has felt so sure of Eliza
beth that he didn't care what he said
! or did or left undone. for that mat
ter. It has been his sins of omission
that have resented most for Eliza
beth. He thinks every woman is in
love with him, and I am glad that
everybody in this town knows that she
refused him. 1 was afraid that she
| wouldn't resent what he said the 9TH
er night, or else that he would come
| back the next day and explain things,
as he has a habit of doing, Aunt
| Martha"
'.I have never liked his attitude to-
ward Elizabeth, but I wouldn't inter-
| fere. Young folks can usually fix up
| their own matches better if we older
| ones leave them alone. He was al
ways telling Elizabeth that he had to
pay some attention to visiting girls
| for the sake of his practice, but 1 be-
lfeve that if a doctor can't make a
living by depending on his knowledge
of medicine he had better go into some
other business"
eff only you could have heard the
silly things he said to that Howell girl.
| She is visiting Fanny Warren, you
| know, and have seen the way he tried
to take care of her, you would have
f1oh hat. xx-f&I
| eyes just as we did. I am glad she
turned him down, but how did she do
1t? She is always SO afraid of hurting
somebody"
"He came here the morning after
that dance and asked her to go on
country call with him and was dumb
founded when she thanked him and
said she couldn't go. 1 didn't know
| when he began to argue and apollo
| gize left the room. Elizabeth cried
so when she told me about it after
ward that don't think I quite under
| stood. What did Jim say to her?''
"A crowd of us was standing with
Elizabeth on the side gallery of the
| club house, cooling off between
dances, when DIR. Martin appeared on
the scene with the Howell girl. He
very carelessly asked Elizabeth for her
dance card and after scratching his
name off two places remarked that
Miss Howell had just promised him
/ LnOSo dances. L Q1On'C neSlCaIo ABOUT
| taking them back, Elizabeth he said,
for you know we'll have to dance to-
gether for the rest of our lives any
way Just then Jack Dunbar leaped
off the balcony railing, and with a
| rather nonchalant air, said: That's
good, Doc. You've saved Miss Eliza
beth and me from being abominably
| rude, for we were expecting to go
rowing on the lake during those very
1 Dances I could have Rugged him for
| mr. n
to tell DR.. Martin that since he had
| come 1000 miles to see Elizabeth she
| had given him permission to take her
home in his car and that they would
| leave early, for he knew just a duck
| of an inn where they could get sup
per and he wanted her all to himself
for a little while. Elizabeth took her
cue Immediately and they went off
| together to the boat house.
'What did Jim say?"
mot word. His face was a study,
| looked as if something had flattened
it out suddenly and I'll wager he
| didn't enjoy those Dances"
'1t takes something like that to
make men like Jim realize they love
a girl. He has been here repeatedly
and telephoned a dozen times, but
Elizabeth seems to have turned COM
pletely against him this time. Here
she comes now"
Teresa, how glad am to see you"
Elizabeth said, and then fell to crying
at sight of the dear friendly face.
When Teresa would have stopped
her, Aunt Martha said, mo, let her
cry, dear, it will do her good. Tears
for a woman are like steam for boil
err, if there wasn't some outlet. child,
something would have to blow up"
run, Elizabeth" cried Teresa ex-
citedly a few minutes later. catching
sight of a broad shouldered fellow
swinging up the path, run wash your
eyes and put some powder on your
fh0Vn 10 in
here with a big box. I hope to good
ness it's candy"
The young people stayed to supper.
Elizabeths Aunt Martha insisting
laughter. Later the dear designing old
lady felt satisfied when she heard
Elizabeth's voice ring out merrily and
observed that she was beginning to
been taken home and Aunt Martha
had declared it was time for old folks
to be "abed," she had had enough ex-
citement for one evening. Elizabeth
and the young artist sat down on the |
vine covered porch and looked out
over the old fashioned flower garden |
where the moon had mysterious1y |
touched the blossoms with her silver |
brush.
ut was good of you to help me
out the other evening, Jack. have |
wanted to thank you ever since then, |
but somehow couldn't bring myself |
to the point"
THAT little matter at the dance? II
certainly enjoyed that night. I think |
gave the doctor a turn he won't for
get soon.'
I'I broke my engagement with him |
the next morning, Jack. He thought |
that he could say or do anything and |
my word. once given, would protect |
him. Real love has no sting in il |
and have come to the conclusion that |
have been cheating myself by a false |
belief"
Jack Dunbar f1icked the ashes from
his cigar and waited for her to finish. |
''It wasn't the first time he has
sighted me-" she went on, land lately /
have been realizing that things were |
coming to an issue which would mean /
severine our relation. / wouldn't hurt 4