The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-04-05
THE EVENING STORY
A Man of Action.
(By Donald Allen.)

There had been present Mr.. Charles
Montague He loved to be called
Gnarne. He spoke with a drawl.
He was always bored. He hadn't am
pition enough to throw one of his
| numerous creditors downstairs.
ana there was Philip Manchester.
ne had a studio used for smoking
alone, and he was waiting for his
aunt to die and leave him a hundred
thousand dollars. He was anguish
er.
And Capt. Noble had put his hand
on his heart and started to propose to
ner' ana was stopped only by Sec
ono cup OF tea. He belonged to the
Horse Marines, or some other military
pody. and was extremely proud of
MS dropping mustache.
Also, there was Reggy Pendergast,
the society pet. He wrote sonnets
and stole poems. He cultivated a lisp
and blush. He always held some
ones poodle dog in his lap when he
ingly of his eccentricity.
AND there was But what was the
user There was only one gentleman
present worth remembering, and he
nae nad vexed her little by his attitude.
He had scarcely paid her a compli-
ment. He hadn't come and dawdled
and departed, but had remained less
than half an hour. He hadn't chum-
med with the dawdIers. He had be-
trayed no eccentricity. She couldn't
remember who had brought him, but
she had liked his face and the little
he said. Franklin was the name he
had given-Worth Franklin.
There were a dozen chaps who
would have given a dollar or two to
be assured that the widow Chalmers
remembered them after their depar-
ture from one of her teas. She was
on the right side of thirty, handsome,
and rich, and not at all understood by
society. Society picked out this one
and that one for her to marry, and
he was dawdler. He was a ladies'
tea man. He was talker of small
talk. He had eccentricities and
drawl. She was given credit for a
fat bank account, good looks and a
good figure, but her nature was sup
posed to be frivolous. She could sign
have heard of the tariff or cold stor-
age.
And the widow recalled the face of
Worth Franklin and somehow felt
glad that he had called in and lowered
over the other men. And when she
thought of the Stiffness and the fop-
perry and the hypocrisy of it all she
wrote out a telegram to her dear
friend. Mrs. Lee, down in the country.
and said she was coming to visit her,
and would be there on the evening
train next day.
Mr.. Worth Franklin was an archi-
tect just getting foothold. He had
ambition, earnestness and persever-
aunts to leave him a legacy. A ctti-
zen down at Glendale wanted a mod
est little skyscraper, and some one
told him of Mr.. Franklin, and he
wrote to him to come down. The ar
chitect telegraphed in reply, and so
it was electricity as well as steam that
landed him and the widow at the viii
lage depot together. They did not
occupy the same car coming down,
and as both were bundled up for
stormy weather they did not recog-
nize each other when they got OF.
And the weather, which had been
threatening all day to play high jinks,
broke with a blizzard and things be-
gan to howl There was no carriage
from Mrs. Lees; no man who wanted
a skyscraper! The other passengers
struck out for their homes and were
lost to sight. and the architect and the
widow found themselves in box. At
least the depot agent looked at them
and grinned and said:
mo hacks for the hotel tonight. No
hacks for anywhere. Telephone has
gone dead, it's going to snow all
night, and you will have to sit here
by the stove till morning"
The agent was working for $45 per
month, with no chance to make any
thing on the outside, and had lost So
at poker the night before, and he took
pleasure in making the announce
ment.
It was when the widow exclaimed.
the architect recognized her voice
and reintroduced himself. She was
glad to see him and shook hands
heartily. She felt right away that
something would be doing.
Fill up this stove!" he command
ed, as he turned to the agent.
He was grudgingly obeyed, but at
the same time asked if he thought he
was running that railroad.
And now what's the matter with
your telephone? All, see. A boy 10
years old could fix it in five minutes:
There's a livery stable in town of
course. What's the numbers"
Its 432, but you won't get no
hack. The man is drunk and his
driver his quit"
Ring Ring! Ring! No answer.
But you won't go out in this
storm ~ said the widow as the archi-
tect turned up his coat collar.
Back in half an hour" he replied
as he passed out.
Yes the owner of the only public
stables in the town was asleep in his
own barn. He was locked in, but the
door was pried open. He woke up
and objected and was flung into
stall. A horse was led out, harness
ed to a cutter, and the drunken man
objected again. This time he was
pitched into the snow. In forty min
utes Mr.. Franklin drove up to the
DEPOT It was showing and blowing,
and it was the horse who found the
way
land now for Mrs. Lees"
'But-but don't know the way. All
I know is that it's about a mile away"
The agent had gone across the road
to stand up to declare that the rich
were growing richer and the poor
poorer, and that the life blood was
being ground out of him, when some
one entered and grabbed him by the
arm and demanded to know where
Mrs. Lee lived.
Never heard of her." he replied as
he saw that it was the architect.
Then you'd better get posted at
once. Come on!"
And Mr. Franklin ran him across
4h a ntronA and infn the der0f and I'M