The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-31
The EVENING STORY
on Jack o. lantern Night.
CBy clara Lucy Deacon-)


sounds of scampering Footsteps dying
away in the distance.
''What was that?'' asked Miss Ger
rick of her startled guests
/ A ripple of laughter came from the
lower end of the table. ''Why, Aunt
| Grace-don't you know It's Hal
Ioween? Kitty Gerrick's mis-
chievously pretty face peeped around
! the flowers at her handsome, dlgnlneu
aunt.
| Halloween? Why-dear me, had
forgotten there was such a festival!
exclaimed Miss Gerrick SO sincerely
that everybody laughed again
! thought the festival rites were rather
weird and fantastic-indeed, when L
was quite a little girl my old German
nurse called it 'Walpurgis night, and
! recolIect she Impressed it upon me that
| it was well to keep under cover ON that
eve, for witches and goblins were
abroad"
This is a twentieth century fan
tasy." remarked Mrs. Bliss cynically-
NOWADAYS we are convinced that hob
COLLINS are delusion of the ignorant
and superstitious, but in tolerant rec
doorbells, steal gates from their hinges
and toss gravel against the window
panes to startle our sensible or for
getful neighbours
''Oh. Mrs. Bliss" cried Kitty re.
proachfuIly, what q turncoat you are!
Don't you remember what q delightful
Halloween party you gave us two years
ago? We did all the proper things
worked all the old charms; We had a
perfectly lovely time
Mrs. Bliss smiled at Kittys en-
thusiasm "Thank you, dear. know
you were all the most charming guests
but / will confess 1 was disappoint-
ed when my young people took II IN
such q matter of-fact way They SEEM
ed bored with the charms, but perfect
| " happy when the dancing began. You
all spoke of it as Jack o'Lantern
night when in reality it was the Eve
of All Souls!''
do you really believe in those old
| charms 2" asked Kitty rather timidly,
and the young man beside her seemed
TO listen as eagerly as she did for Mrs.
Bliss's reply.
yes, indeed" returned that happily
married Inatror, exchanging a SWIFT
glance with her husband. why, Mr..
| Bliss and 1 became engaged on Hal
| loween."
.sDid one of the charms really work
true?'' asked Kitty, blushing under the
gaze of the interested young man.
Yes" Mrs. Bliss smiled reminis-
] Gently, sit worked true and in the most
unexpected manner possible
! I'm a very forcible manner. may
add said Mr.. Bliss impressively-
''It was one of those old games
where you pare an apple and toss the
pairing over your shoulder to see what
| initial will take form. I had pared
the apple and held it in one hand; with
the other hand I was to toss the pairing
over my left shoulder; only, unfortun-
ately, I became confused and tossed
the apple over my right shoulder and
/ it struck Mr.. Bliss in the eye
after that 1 could not escape"
complained Mr.. Bliss gloomily, land
as 1 demanded an explanation and
compensation for my pain and-er-
fright-we compromised by acceding
to fate's evident selection and were
married forthwith
There was a little murmur of de-
lighted interest, for the Blisses were
markedly an ideally married pair
There must be something in this
Halloween business, after ALL ex-
claimed young Hazen, who sat next to
Kitty Garrick, and as a little smile
went around the table he blushed furi-
ously.
Capt. Aymer ut in a word Of in
ouiry. please tell us about these
charms. Mrs. Bliss" he said in his di-
rect sailor way.
All eyes turned to the handsome
white-haired and sea-bronzed naval
officer who had been a quiet listener.
If anyone had glanced at Grace Ger
rick he would have noticed that their
hostess had flushed to the soft waves
of her snowy hair.
AS Capt. Aymer listened with grave
attention Mrs. Bliss gave him a. viva
cicus account of how the festival of
All HallOWs Eve should be observed.
All the time-worn charms were related
and lastly the one which bids the ex-
pectant maiden walk fearfully around
the house. with hair unbound and mir
ror held in her hand, tin1idly hoping
to see the shadowy face of her future
husband peering over her shoulder and
reflected in the glass.
THAT would give a chap a fair
chance" observed the captain serious
~, when Mrs. Bliss had concluded
ANY fellow that really wanted a girl,
you know. could arrange it SO that he
might peep over her shoulder just as it
struck eight bells"
THAT wouldn't be playing fair,
cried Kitty Gerrick. You wouldn't be
giving the fates their due
s'Then there is hope for me-" re-
piled Capt. Aymer, with mock solem-
nifty. and as they laughed no one saw
the lightning-1ike glance that he shot
at their hostess II they had seen 1t
nobody would have wondered, for they
did not know that Grace Gerrick and
the handsome captain were old friends
and would have been more than
friends had not some naisunderstand-
ing arisen between them They had
not met for years until recently, and
the captain had Joined the house party
more as q distant relative OF Tom
Bliss than as a special friend of Miss
Gerrick. Not even the Blisses suspect |
ed a blighted romance between the |
two. although many wondered why /
two such handsome and altogether de- |
lightful people should have remained
unmarried
After dinner there was music in the
drawing-room and the topic of Hal
Ioween was not brought UP again. AS
iii 1r-1 lar r7c n