The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-25
THE EVENING STORY
Eve Of the orchard.
(By Izola Forrester.)

(By lola Forrester.)
You may say just what you please.
mother, but the very next boy l catch
climbing over that orchard wall I
shall either throw water on or throw
stones at. It's a shame. They're run
ming off with all the sweet apples
we've got, and We only rented the
place for the sake of the fruit
Isabel stood out on the lawn,
belligerent figure, in her short linen
skirt, and tucked up sleeves of her
MILDLY blouse. Her fluffy blonde hair
was pinned high on her head, for the
day had been extremely warm even for
early fall, and her pretty tanned neck
was bare.
1t was shutdown, the hour when the
summer jewellers of Orange valley
came out from behind their venetian
blinds and trellised verandas, and
turned neighborly hoses on the lawns.
and neighborly streams of CONVERSE
ton on each other. AS sole daughter
of the house, Isabel manipulated the
garden hose at the sunset hour, and
during that period for the past week
the little fruit orchard at the back of
the house had been raided. It was
enough to make any suburbanfte des-
perate to see the summer spells taken
from under her very nose.
Don't do 1t tonight, anyway Bell"
her mother said, laughingly from the
veranda, where she sat at a low wick
er table arranging some fresh cut
flowers for the dinner table. you'll
be all disarranged and probably wet
through, and the Bristows are coming
to dinner with Bob
mot Terry Bristow?" The color
rose quickly in Isabels face, and she
turned away from her mothers range
of vision.
'.Was that the eldest boy, Terry? L
forget, there are so many of them. It's
the one who went down to Ecuador or
Panama, or some such place, on a
civil engineering feat and won out. I
believe he's secured some valuable
concessions, too, from the government.
Was that the red-haired one, Bell?"
mo, dear. Terry never had red
hair. lists rather chestnut in color
and wavy, only he wears it cut so short
it hardly shows the CURL
ct didn't know you ever were we'll
acquainted with him."
"I never was" IsabeIs chin was
titled at most engaging angle. Her
tone was clear and disinterested. II
met him a good deal last summer at
Glen Allyn. Aunt Natica liked him
awfully we'll, and included him in her
house party later, with his two sisters"
THAT must have been just before he
left for the SOUTH
1T was" A lot of inference lay be-
hind the laconic words, but Mrs Or
vile said nothing. She smiled COM
fortably to herself and went on clip
ping the stems of the flowers. Bob
had said casually that he would bring
Terry Bristow back to dine with them
that evening, and had given her a
brief commendatory sketch of his pros
poets in life, for Bob knew his mother.
Half unconsciously, she let the flow
ers slip from her fingers, and watched
the slender figure out on the lawn. The
Orvilles were not rich. They were not
even well to do. Bob worked in a bank,
and Mrs Orville spoke sometimes
nj her Income which SOnndad most
isfactory in the abstract, but amounted
to precious little hard cash when the
dividend day came round. Isabel was
their one tangible asset, Bob said, and
even on that point there was chance
for divided opinion, for she was not
beauty. There was an eager, animated
expression to her face that gave it spe-
cial charm, and the profile was good,
her mother said, and her eyes were not
large, but rather long, with a little
trick of half closing when she laughed,
and that was often. But these things
do not make beauty, and Isabel lack
ed distinction, the family had long
since agreed.
Therefore-and in that short five
minutes after Isabe1's last statement
Mrs. Orville summed up the situation
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., If Terry Bristow
had the least intention about his COM
ing to dine after a years absence
abroad-if he had-but Mrs. Orville
stopped short, and sighed, as she went
back to her flower shipping. 1t was
simply terrible the way the decent.
eligible young fellows of today were
actually lodging matrimony.
There's the train, dear. Hadn't you
better stop watering the lawn, and go
and fix. up a little?"
Isabel had heard the train whistle rs
it pulled out for the north shore, but
she went on with the hose work
calmly.
II want to finish this while it is
light" she said. The minutes passed. 1t
took good ten of them 10 walk up
from the station, and half were gone:
when all at once Isabel gave cry of
alarm, and started for the orchard.
Isabel. dont!" called Mrs. Orville
but in vain. In the soft bloom OF the
afterglow. forlns could he seen down
in the orchard, and they were unnis-
talcably climbing trees after apples.
The hose was a long one. Isabel I'M
reeled it quietly, and dragged it tow
ard the fence, and then let it go.
Straight out over the trees 1T went, in
a beautiful stream of silver white. Til
ted bit higher, it obcyed the hand that
held 1t and made straight for the fig
ures in the tree. Isabel caught the
ound of voices but the words were
unintelligible. She didn't want to hear
excuses. She wanted revenge, SWIFT ana
sweet. And she got it.
Suddenly a form slipped down from
the tree. end made for her on a run.
Somewhere behind it was Bob. good old
brother Bob, who had common sense as
we'll as hun1or And the garden hose
dropped to the ground as Isabel was
caught bodily in the grasp of two mus
cular arms and held close to Terry
Rristow's heart.
Terry, let me go. Somebody will
see YOU. Terry, my hairs tumbling
down. How dare youi"
Haven't I a right Terry put her
down. and held her squarely before
him, compelling her to meet his eyes.
why haven't you written?"
Because you yourself told me not
to write until I had won out. And
row I've won. and I've come back and
isn't that all?"
II know / told you Tot to, but"
her lashes lifted to his with the old
,ex1r& ,rtr