The Topeka state journal., 1911-06-15
The EVENING STORY
A Journey to Already.

A Journey to Already.
(By Maude ]. Perkils.)
ct don't know what's the matter with
me-" said the great lawyer, trifie
fretfully. my business Is getting on
my nerves and I didn't know I had
any nerves."
"We'll soon find out what's wrong"
replied the doctor, cheerfully. What
are your symptoms?"
ST don't sleep well nights. I'm ner-
vous and easily angered. And a case
didn't even take is worrying me-"
Didn't take?"
"Yes. It was two weeks ago. A girl
came here from Edgewater, Saranac
county, and insisted on seeing me.
She'd heard about me and no one else
would do. -
at was about a farm-all her father
and her mother and herself had in
the world. A money lender up there
had found a flaw in the title and was
going to take it away from them. The
case was perfectly clear. could have
minutes. Butt didn't take it."
"Why?" -..
ITS out of my line, and besides, my
fee would have been more than the
farm is worth. 1 couldn't afford 1t, you
see But she looked SO sorrowful when
told her-so disappointed. She had
set her heart on getting me. Her cous-
in-I didn't ask who he was-had sent
her. Confound it, I explained very
kindly I couldn't bother with it!' he
broke off, irascibly.
"I haven't been able to get her and
her miserable little farm out of my
mind since. 1 get to thinking of them
in the midst of really important mat
ters. Why, even moon IN court about
her! You don't imagine I'm breaking
down, do you, doctor? I'm only S5."
The doctor prodded and sounded and
thumped his patient and did other pro-
fessional things in a very grave, pro-
fessional way. Then he asked suddenly:
"Was she pretty?"
Moves. That is, don't know. 1
never really noticed. She has red-brown
hair, lot of it. rather curly. and
brown eyes with Titles gold specks in
them. Those eyes seemed to grow
darker when disappointed her. Her
| lips made you think of June roses
they were so fresh and warm red. Her
cheeks were pink, with a little bit of
tan over them. She smiled once, at
first and her teeth were as white as
that paber-and as even.
GAS to fgure-well, she was dressed
quietly and nicely, and she seemed
more slender and at the same time
more rounded than the women here In
the city. I can't say she was Wnat you q
call pretty or not. didn't nave time
to thing about her looks had some
OLn6r important 1ll16dliOil A-A AAAAAA0 N@-A~
| 1 barely glanced at her"
What is her name?'
Bonita Lamont Rather odd, isn't
it?''
"Odd-and pleasing" returned the
doctor. "It seems to give one an IDEA
| of what she looks like.
"Now to get back to your case. It's
| serious, but not necessarily fatal. IT
| you will follow my prescription, you'll
| be all right. First, you must take a
months vacation
st am going abroad in a few weeks
Your vacation begins tomorrow re-
| turned the doctor, firmly. wind up
your affairs today and start at sun
rise"
I'm my carp
brusoue rejoinder. "You need regular
exercise and fresh air, and plain food.
Carry a knapsack and a staff like
pilgrim of old. And do a kindness
every day"
sI don't like to be conspicuous" OBJ
jected the lawyer.
"You won't be-" was the dry re-
sponse "Kindnesses are not SO rare
as you crusty old bachelors seem to
! imagine And as for the knapsack
and the staff, plenty of better men are
trudging along the highways like that,
breathing the dust the automobiles
kick up"
But
| Don't interrupt" snapped the doc
tor. walk fifteen or twenty miles a
day. Avoid the newspapers as you
would smallpox. Don't leave any ad-
dress behind you. Take a book in the
lknapsack-someth ething tbat was old
and musty and thumbed over by eager
Ireaders before the first best seller was
ever heard Of
county, and find MISS Boulta Lamont
''What?'
| "What?" Knocked the doctor. That's
the only way to lay the ghost OF your
conscience. Go, and offer TO heIp her.
After you have saved her farm trust
Won will be able to give me some sort
| of an ineligible description OF her.
| The Young man rose with spark
ling ewes. "I'Il do it, doctor!" he
cried.
sHuhr" grunted the doctor; "of
course you'll do 1t"
Sanford Mortimer, which was the
great lawyers name, to do kindness
every day. He was bit out or prac-
ltice. and kindnesses are nearly as
much a habit as anything else But
after the first few days it was really
astonishing the number of kindnesses
THAT intruded themselves in his vision,
| Just aching to be done
| Late June when the bees are dron-
ling and the sun is SHINING, ana the
grass grows an lncI oNS. Hi6hN, oiio
the creeks run clear anu brown, is an
easv time to do things for other peo-
ple' Or so Mortimer decided, on Civ
ling the matter thought as he trudged
along the highway shifting the fresh
scents like foxhound.
| He helped small boys dig worms to
go fishing. He organized the success
| ful pursuit of black-and-whit pig
which escaped from its pen in San
ibourn village and set out to root up
1.-The neighbor's gardens. Ee replaced
la punctured tire for motor car OF