The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-10
TIE EVENING STORY
The Skeleton in His Closet.

ras,it 81 iittie Ethel Murray could
promptly penned to the profiieate
EHery Jarvis assuring him that she
nad learned all and asking to he re-
seased from her engagement.
- know of the skeleton in vo,r
closet, wrote Ethel (here she anD,ie ed
= uaihty bit of cambria to streamjnr
ives ordinarily as sunshiny and bIue
am ar ' s,srn SKY Of a June morning). Il
to ma prrsed at youi. Had you come
could have forgiven you-but never
now that find the truth throueb
oLnef people. I return herewith YOUR
The rest of the letter was ram
ping plant, save on one subiect-
tne engagement existing between
t lHese Two must be considered past
history. That was plain.
for more than a year the dau1bter
| OF Burgess Murray, the biggest man
Poi1tlcally in the community and
Emery Jarvis. a clerk in Gisson's
eeFug store. had been making plans
s e0In. jarvis was an ambitious young
1eliow, well liked by every one. and
seemingly having the best of habits.
Ethel had believed in him thor
old Mrs: Pollet had disclosed Certain
tnlngs that no girl of spirit could toll
crate in her fance Therefore the
return or the handsome solitaire that
she mad so proudly worn and the
letter to her betrothed asking for her
release. W
Jarvis read the lines in the secIu
SION OF the little prescription room in
the rear OF the drug shop and his
dark eyes c1ouded as he vainIv strove
to solve the cause of the maiden's
anger.
she shouldn't be cross about
little thing like this" he Illuminated.
way?"
That evening Jarvis called upon the
girl She was not at home. During
the ensuing week he made several
other fruitless attempts to see her.
1t was after this that the ire of the
| tions.
"My dear Ethel" wrote Jarvis. ct
nave called several times. as you know.
ana you nave not been at home. Pa
thence has ceased to be the proverbiaI
virtue, and I shall not try to see you
again / am done. I release you from
the engagement as you ask. I also
acknowledge the skeleton in my clos
ct, but why normal minded maid
should take this amiss is beyond me.
II anything. my dear. I am rather
proud of it,
Ethel positively stormed when she
read this communication. She clinched
her fists until the nails bit cruelty in
to the tender flesh and angrily tossed
her little blonde head.
Il shall never. never have any
thing more to do with men," she com
planned bitterly. ''The very brazen-
! ness of that Emery Jarvis-to say
| that normal minded girl shouldn't
take such things amiss. I'm sure no
girl with common sense would allow
her hance to act in that scandalous
| manner. Anyway, I'm glad it's all
| over" To prove this, Ethel burst into
convulsive sobs and hid flushed and
tear wet face in convenient sofa
pillow.
Weeks passed. but the two erst-
while lovers seemed hopelessly es-
tranged. Ethel made no attempt to
salve the wound caused by her letter.
the misunderstanding.
Gradually the gossips in the little
town-and there were many-grew ac-
customed to the new order of things,
and everybody ceased to interest
themselves in the affairs of the Young
couple.
1t was a month after this that old
Pollit Che was a portly butcher own
Ing the meat shop next to the drug
emporium) ventured to incorporate
something in a remark that caught the
youths puzzled interest.
What was that?" demanded Jar
Wis, ears metaphorically a-cock. Just
repeat that last sentence"
81 said,' came from the butcher,
that that there book I've been read
ing-'Dr. Jekyll and Mr.. Hyde'-re-
minds me of your doings." He poked
pudgy, forefinger playfuily into the
you'll have to be more explicit"
snapped the drug clerk. 81 can't
understand. What are you driving
at?
"cant understand. chr" commented
the other sourly. He was angry at
the tone of the lad. well, guess I
can put it palmer, all right. mean
that you tried to play double Just like
~ T~rA4 R>11 uNxxnv
evening after you called on the girl
you was engaged to, you went straight
to the house of old Doc Blyly to see
his daughter. My wife she seen you
do it time and again, she did"
The dull red stained the face of the
angry butcher. "She's the one that
put a crimp in you, too. Ethel Muir
ray is too fine girl to be galavanting
thinks thinks heap of her. and all
the while he don't, but is making her
out a fool by sneaking away from her
house to call on another girl"
this trouble between Ethel and me.
was it? Pity she can't learn to attend
to her own affairs, isn't 1t ~
The butcher, his mind relieved,
but he left a knowing youth behind
him. Mrs. Pollit was a gossip-monger
| of some notoriety in the community.
She resided just opposite the Blyly
man had given him his cue. Jarvis
could understand many things.
| That evening his heavy Jaws set
| firmly, and his broad shoulders thrown
| defiantly back, the drug clerk mounted
| the steps to the Murray home and
rang the bell.
| Ethel answered the summons. An
angry flush dotted her cheeks when
| she saw who her visitor was, but
Emery ignored these troubled signs,
and pushed by her and into the ia
miliar parlor.
| "I am here to explain" began Jar
Wis Mrs. Pollit's 1oquacious husband
/ has Just told things that I think un-
| derstand-"
Il don't care for explanations" in