The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-01
THE EVENING STORY

[By Izole Forrester.l

by Izole Forresterl
What is a phoenix mean definite
Typ Jesss tone was full Of perplexity
as she leaned forward on her desk, her
pencil balanced, waiting for the an
swer. THE bird that rose from some
ashes, wasn't it?"
"Why?" Phyllis, her sister, stopped
| petting the Persian cat to listen. II
| don't remember myself"
It's the subject of Rory Latimer 8
new painting" Jess went on. "And
they say it's founded on his own
| career
Phyllis hardly caught the words.
| She was accustomed to her sisters re-
searches and was vaguely interested in
| them, but tonight she frankly did not
want to be bothered over ancient his
tory. She had seen Rory Latimer's
name SO many times the past month
that 1T almost annoyed her. But so
far she had not run across him, and
the future held a strangely sweet I'M
| certainty that she could not have ex-
pressed even to herself.
| Three years before her father had
| been killed in a motor accident abroad,
and the mother had followed within a
year. The two Newell sisters found
| themselves with fortune invested for
them and a quiet, lovely old mansion
on Montague terrace, whose windows
| swept the harbor view for miles.
| Mrs. Newell had been a Kentucky
| belle. and in Phyllis one found all Of
| the charm and beauty loving, generous
nature that had made the Dunderdales
of Lexington famous for generations.
| She loved music pasSionately, and
! horseback riding. pictures, art in all its
! interpretations, and, as Jess said la
conically, it was natural she should
! love Rory Latimer, for Rory was an
/ incarnate Interpretation of art.
| 1t had been Jess's fault, their meet
| ing at all, and she took the full re-
| sponsibility of it with stoicism that
was admirable. considering Rory. There
| had been an entertainment at the set
| Element, a Greek dance for the chill
dren, and little play that Jess had
written for them, full of pastoral beau
ty and tender charm.
II want to try and bring some of that
old world glamour into their poor
lives" she had told Phyllis "Oh l
know what you want to say, that they
will make a mess Of it all, but they
don't. dear. They may live in squalid
tenements and live on rye bread and
coffee, but the recognize art when they
see and hear 1t, these babies of Italy,
who have been bred on song and sun
light and color back home. And, be-
sides, 1 have engaged the interest of
Latimer over the phone, and he has
promised to help
Phyllis sat in the big armchair OPP
posite, listening idly and smiling, but
at the name she leaned quickly for
ward, her gray eyes suddenly darken-
ing.
Rory Latlmer, JESSE
Jess added absently as she ran her
finger over an index file.
THE artist, dear. He does mural
stuff, don't you know? All old Greek
scenes. You liked one called Spring
time in Melos.' A lot of little children
throwing pink blossoms at some mer-
maids on dolphins. He's a very nice
sort of a boy. I thought he was still
abroad, and 'phoned to his studio on a
chance of finding him there
Has he been abroad since-I mean
very long?" Phyllis asked in low
tone, bending over to stroke a huge
Persian cat that leaned lovingly
against her velvet dinner gown. Phyllis
always dressed for dinner. It was part
of her own little personal creed Of
right living.
Three years, I think" Jess answer
ed briskly. HE was a perfect cub then.
A big, placid boy, with q wonderful
opinion of his own powers. He'd been
earning fabulous salaries at comic
illustration-yes, dear. comic-and then
he went abroad to pick up the foreign
touch And nobody knows just what
happened, but all at once he threw up
every comic order and contract and
pitched head over heels into real art.
Turned picturesque tramp, and did all
the dead cities and the half dead and
the merely slumbering ones And now
he has come back home, and is seri-
Gus, dear sort of a boy, with nearly all
his hopes come true. And he doesn't
do any comic stuff any more"
Doesn't he?" PhYliis's eyebrows
lifted ever so slightly.
ct believe you know him" Jess
turned on her suddenly.
ooh, I knew him abroad. little"
you had better retain a favorable
impression, dear" Jess's arms were
laid with a quick impulse around her
sisters bare soft throat. her cheek
pressed close to hers.
ST have retained a very faVoraole
impression" laughed Phyllis, flushing
And I am glad, so glad, that his
hopes have nearly all come true"
They both paused, as step on the
way caught their hearing, and Rory
Latimer came in, boy1sh, courtly as
always. showing not a whit in his face
or manner whether he had heard their
talk about him or not.
For nearly an hour he talked with
Jess over the plans for the settle
ment fete, talked together earnestly,
merrily, as the subject changed tint.
and with an air Of rare friendship
and understanding that carried its
own message to the heart of Phyllis,
sitting somewhat in the shadow from
the yellow glow of the broad. low
mission library lamp Vividly she
recalled that joyous spring in Paris,
when she and Rory and all the world
had seemed so young together.
She had always been ;dealistic. His
work as a comic artist had seemed the
very degradation Of art to her, even
if his salary did count UP to three
rose even now in her cheeks as she
remembered the quick, burning words
she had said to him, words that
Iscorched his ambition dead, and left