The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-10-19
THE EVENING STORY
The Man Behind.
LBy Jeanne o. Loizeaux.l

Free OIL the ONCE 4OE LIE HAOA0 o.
ternoon, James Portland, after
hasty lunch, swung down the street.
rejoicing in the fall splendor of the
day and the thought that if he could
find Anne he would take her for
walk in the woods. He had been un-
able to get her on the telephone, but
as the phone system was out or or
der, he concluded to go cut ana see
her.
1t was not so far jaunt to the
funny old beset place which she
and her father loved and would not
for the world have modernized, ana
as the young man STROBE thltherWdfo
he approved their taste. He approved
in fact, of everything, about or con-
nected with Anne-her IatheT, Mno
liked him, her conservative buldog
who was impartial, old Macy, the cook
who detested him because he was
suiter for Anne's pretty brown hand-
and very especially, Anne herself VINO
was airily and firmly friendly, but
whose real hearts opinion OF him was
evidently not to be come by easily.
There was, however, an item IN the
surroundings of Anne, which he very
thoroughly hated. This was Mr.. JonA
Macintosh, who was apparently IN the
lead of the girls not brief procession
of lovers.
AS James Portland neared the house,
he saw that which made him stop SUD-
denly and swear beneath his breatH.
Out of the driveway came Macklntost
with his blue car: and oesloe ni.t'
trim in the blue suit that agreed with
her eyes, laughing and pleasure heht,
sat Miss Anne. Again Portland knew
himself to be the man behind
He walked bitterly on past the house
not caring now what became of his
nrecfous afternoon. 1t had been going
like this all summer. He had always
| been too late; try as he would, she
was either not there to De asked 70
GO with him, or already PROMISED 70
some one else-usually MacklhtosL. ~
would have been funny had 1t not peeh
SO tragfc-and at % tragedy ls-tfag-
| edy. 49,.
But now things had come to the
point where he had to do somethihs;
He wondered if he was q concerned
something in her answered to ms ap5
peal? Though frank and free ana anu
Iaughing--it was as if she held MN
off: she seldom let a silence ran pez
tween them; once she had plushsa
like anv rose when suddenly her glance
met his adoring gaze in a moment
when he mad been off guard. he was
not a man to wear his heart on ms
sleeve. to-, +ba
Then. as he walked alone into the
autumn splendor Of the WOODS, ne pes On
~ wonder whether he had MADE suon
a devoted fool of himself that ne mao
no chance with her? His sister haa
fold him that no girl wanted what sue
could trample under foot. he mad tTieo
not to be servile, ebedient, Wofshlp-
ping-the hardest task IN ths Mo ttlot
what should he do? Was the fact that
thew had been playmates from child
hood against him? Was she TOO used
to him? He felt that the OLD sweet
friendship had been rather lesseneo
and nothing given him IN It's place.
In %rAs
illness. the wooded paths were not for
him alone; men and maids IN tWos'
met or passed him, gay, hitting Chances
to each other, scarcely seeing him. he
was even shamed at being alone.
He turned into the woods ana cut
across naIhless space. Then he sat
down, and for comfort put his head
against a big birch while he thought
it out, closing his eyes to the light
which filtered itself to greater yellow
ness through the leaves above.
What should he do about Anne? Here
he had been dangling for years-all his
life She knew he adored her-and she
trained constantly about with fellow
like Macintosh who had known her
less than q year. He denied in Mackin-
tosh anything good save mere prute
strength and disgustingly big bank
account. The man was mere idle rich'
though everybody seemed strangely
to like the fellow! Why was 1t? Then
the Young architect fell into a naII-
dream of the house he would build for
Anne-supposing she would let him.
Then-perhaps he slept He must have
for he thought bees were murmuring
about him, and then he woke gradually
and knew it was human Voice-a
girls.
He opened his eyes, but did not move
But the stranger lovers had not seen
HIM How could they, considering that
they were leaning on each ofher,
searching each others faces? The man
| was saying:
And the three years we've wasted
when we might have been happy ike
| this!'
The girl broke in, her voice tense
with feeling:
your own fault Could ask you to
| marry me? Could I tell you-I cared
when you didn't ask me? Men are
! such-geese!'
| Then they passed on, and James
Portland sat up straight and considered
| himself in a new light! He was worse
| than a goose-he was fool, bhfher-
| ing idiot of an imbecilei Here he had
| been shadowing Anne like ghost
and as SILENT Come to think of it, he
| had not for ages said he loved her She
| had then thought herself too young
/ had he ever asked her straight out 10
/ marry him? No, he had not!
| On this thought, he rose and brushed
| the yellow leaves from his hair and
| clothes. and the cobwebs from his
mind He struck back towards the
paths. She was out with Macintosh
1 all right he James Portland would