The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-09-15
THE EVENING STORY
Her Gift.
(By Annie Hinrichsen. }

be like me?"
you are the most fortunate girl T
ever saw. I envy you beyond all
women"
''why. Miss Martin P"
Because you are a brilliant figure
in the wllirl of political life. You are
the cleverest woman at the capital.
You have knowledge of the world. ex-
perience and the gift of attracting and
interesting political persons. 1 was
raised in a stupid little village. never
had opportunity to live a broad life.
wanted to do things, to write, to
paint. to develop my brains, to make
for myself place among. clever peo-
pie. Recently father made fortune
and he told me to spend it as 1 pleased.
The state capital is the gathering place
of the brightest, most interesting peo-
ple-legislators, journalists, state off,
Gals, lobbyists, capitalists. So 1 came
here.
1.-The first day L was in the gallery
of the house of representative I saw
ycu,'' Miss Martin went on. You were
near the speakers desk and a dozen
men were with you. heard some one
in the gallery say you were Marian
Lewis, woman journalist. AS I
watched you I realized that you were
exactly the kind of woman I wished to
be. I want to do the kind of work you
1
long to talk to people and to interest
them as you do. You know every one
at the capital The men all like you
immensely"
What do you want me to do for
you 2" Marian interrupted impatiently.
TELL me how you learned to talk
cIeverly and without embarrassment
to prominent people. When I meet
them 1 am too scared to speak. Mr..
Whitney is the only politician of whom
I am not afraid
''Nfr. Whitney? Is he a friend of
yours?"
A soft color came over the babyish
face. ''He's-he's the best friend I
have in the world
Marian's hands pressed hard on the
arms of her chair. The satirical amuse-
mcnt of her eyes had changed to
keen questioning.
cit is for his sake-partly,'' said
Miss Martin, 'sthat [ want to be clever
He admires women like you, and be-
cause he loves me I want to be more
like you
ne loves you? You are engaged to
him ~
Eyes. But don't think he cares
for me quite as much as he did. He
is impatient and bored sometimes and
he does not often speak of our mar
rage. I want to show him that can
be a woman of the world, that the
people of his class find me attractive"
For several minutes Marian watched
her in silence. Your ambition is two
foId,'' she said at last. you wish to
become a woman of the world and also
to tighten Mr.. Whitney's chains. I
must think over the matter for few
days.
''You are engaged to Stella Martin, -
Marian said to Ralph Whitney a few
hours later.
The mans strong, young face quiv-
cred as If with physical pain. 81 am,
he said quietly, land I have made a
CHASTITY mistake. I am not a cad,' he
went on hurred1y. It intend to tell
her the truth and let her take me or
leave me as she chooses. I thought I
loved her. She is beautiful and inno-
cent and good. My love for her was
a reaction from this notwithstanding
political life. believed that her gen.
tie influence would make me a better
man, less sordid, less material. And
now=now she bores me-"
She is beautiful and innocent"
''And you are beautiful and-and
wonderful. You have taught me that
a. man can find in one woman beauty
and goodness and brains If I had
not known you might have continued
to love Stella as symbol of good
ness
you would have become less sor-
did, more ambitious for the higher
things of life? If woman can give
to a man that influence, she has done
for him the greatest service that love
can suggest. By that gift she proves
her devotion. You will mary Stella. |
Several days later there appeared in
a metropolitan paper an article con- |
corning Ralph Whitney. 1t was a dia- !
tribe of ridicule rather than of scan |
dal. The young legislators political
were burlesQued and his
personality was sarcasticaliy caricatur-
ed. It was a story to exasperate a !
man, to bring upon him the merciless |!
of his friends and to do no 1
real damage to his reputation for abil- /
ity and integrity.
The evening after it appeared Ralph |
Whitney went to see Marian Lewis.
Have you read this?'' he asked |
abruptly, as she entered the room |
where he was waiting for her. He held /
the paper in his hand His eyes were
shining.
Eyes, I have read it,
at is a glorious article; the most |
fortunate lampoon ever directed /
against me. When I first read it I was
furious. I could have beaten the per-
son who wrote it. But mow-Marian,
am a free man, free to tell you
love you, to ask you to marry me-
When she read the story, Stella sent |
for me. She told me that the paper
had shown her the depravity of my
nature and the infamy If my 1egisla
tive record, and her respect for me /
was gone. I tried to explain that the
story was only a piece of ridicule. She
refused to believe me, and insisted that /
was villain, a boodler and graft
sr She also informed me that she had
plans for a career of her own, political |
or social, or BOTH could not under
stand exactly what she meant-and |,
that her association with a discredited
person like myself would be injurious
to this greatly desired career. Marian,
now I can tell you"
wait a minute Let me tell you
something II wrote that abusive
storyi"
You
IT intended that you should know
At once that I was the author Of it