The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-15
THE EVENING STORY
Not Highly Recommended.
(By Carl Jenkins

Treadwell, who had come out from the
city to spend couple of winter weeks
at the manor house, ct want to warn
you that you will be apt to meet that
Kitteridge girl while you are here
And who is she?' was asked.
1.-The daughter of the widow of
that name living half a mile beyond
here
"And does she bite?"
"She might as well. I don't want
to criticize people, but must say that
can't bear that girl. Her name is
Effie. Her mother is well off, and
she got quite fortune from an aunt.
She thinks herself the salt of the
earth. She has snubbed everybody
for five miles around. All the young
men are afraid of her. If you happen
to meet she will be sure to snub you.
| for she says pick out hats altogether
too young for me-"
rs this dragon fair to look upon ?''
Eyes. I will do her justice to say
that she is. That's one reason why
she's stuck up. should hate to have
| her snub you. You've got lust as
some day you'll have more money.
You won't always have to toll away
in the old bank
WELL" he replied. eff she doesn't
fail to see where she will get the
| chance to snub me. If snub comes,
however, I must bear UP under it
some way
| Arthur Treadwell, although still in
| his twenties, was SO steady and set
| tied that many considered him already
| an old bachelor. While he did not
avoid society. he mingled with it very
little, and he had yet to find young
| lady 70 attract him.
There had been a good fall of snow
on the land, and a day or two after
his arrival, the nephew had a horse
| and cutter out for ride. He was APP
preaching the village when he came
upon a cutter upset in a snowdrift, a
horse plunging around, and a girl
\ holding fast to the reins. The horse
had probably SHE'D at something and
brought about the upset. Here was
a fine chance to play the gallant. Mr.
Treadwell was slowing down his horse
TO come to the rescue when he caught
sight of the girls face. 1t was a hand
someand a naughty face. The eyes
were full of fire, and it took him only
an instant to repeat the name of Miss
Kitteridge to himself There was
snub certainly waiting him
Mr.. Treadwel1 drove straight past
with hardly look and neither a query
nor a bow. He snubbed the snubber,
and that it went home he could tell
by the swish of her whip as she con-
tinued to punish the poor horse.
I'm just tickled to DEATH" ex-
claimed Aunt Sarah when the incident
was related. "It will make her sit
up and think. One snub won't cure
her. though. She'll just ache to snub
you back. Arthur. I'm a woman, but
| I must say that there are members of
my sex SO ALFRED hoity-toity that
they don't deserve decent husbands.
Beware, nephew-beware"
But the nephew didn't. There was
a pond with one end running down to
the Kitteridge line. At that point there
| was a dam and a ruined old gristmilI
preserved for their antiquity. The snow
had blown off the ice. and there was
| fair skating. Mr.. Treadwell sent to the
| village for skates and appeared on the
| pond to find it in possession of Miss
Kitteridge. At least she acted as if it
were all her own. and thus awed half
a dozen boys who wished to try the ice.
| She saw Mr.. Treadwell when he was
head toss and bit her Lip. Let him
but speak to heri Let her fall down
| and he offer to help her upl
Mr.. Treadwen was a graceful skater.
| He skated as some men waltz. Not
the slightest attention was paid to the
presence of the other skater. He skated
all around her, forwards and back
wards, and made her own movements
look like Is cents. She was being snub-
bed again. and she didn't mean to put
1 up with it. When she had suffered for
I 20 minutes she suddenly fell fat on the
ice as Mr.. Treadwell was coming UP be-
hind. He sWerved and passed her, and
she scrambled up and went home.
On the wav home she called him
| names to herself. but the consolation
| was not all that could be hoped for,
However she did not go to sleep that
night until she found out who he was
and muttered to herself:
eff only he stays down here long
enough I'll take him down a peg OF
two or perish in the attempt
Two days later. she had a chance
to try the peg business. The horse
she had punished for the upset was
her own. and was accounted very
driver. She had driven into the village
to do some shopping; Mr.. Treadwel
had driven in for mail He had start
ed for home first. and was jogging
along when he heard bells behind him
and looked over his shoulder to find
that Kitteridge girl coming up. He gave
her half the road. and she put on the
whip to sail past. 1t was nip and tuck
for a few rods, and then, alas. she
was left behind to take the flying snow.
She tried 1t again and again, but with
the same result.
Mr.. Arthur Treadwell didn't glory in
the incident. He simply mentioned il
in a casual way to his aunt, and she
at once insisted on shaking hands and
replied:
ARTHUR. my dear nephew, did think
of living at least Is years longer, but
now believe I'll die next week and
let you come into my fortune. How
grand How beautiful How almost
heavenly that at last we have a snub-
Der to snub the snubberi''
There were fish in the pond. Miss
KitteridSe had read that fish could be
caught through the ice In winter. She
had got a boy to chop a hole and to
drag a bench to the ice. and she had
sat there in her glory and lured hall
a dozen fish to their doom. She in
tended to lure others.
One afternoon she went to the pond
for the purpose, and she could scarcely
credit what her eyes behend. On heI
own bench, and over the hole cut fol-
her. shat young man. was fishing