The Topeka state journal., 1911-05-02
THE EVENING STORY
Miss Trayers, Trim
(By CIaudine Sisson. }


house at Kensington holding a letter
from the young man in her hand.
The two had known each other for
nearly two years, and there were those
VINO whispered at an engagement. The
affair had not progressed that far
however. but it was not young Mr..
Haynes's fault. Girls may like and
never love. They even love before
they like.
The Haynes family was among the
pest. The opposition came from the
glri herself. The lover was effeminate
IN her eyes. He lisped. He was dudish
He seemed to have no ambitions.
Those might have not been faults in
the eyes of many another girl but
they were in the eyes of Miss Travers
There Were things to offset these
criticisms, and that was the trouble.
1t left her undecided. 1t is possible to
think of hats and dresses while seated
before a window looking out upon a
lawn. but when it comes down to
thinking of a husband there are better
places in which to hold silent COM
munion. There was the river back of
the house, and there was a rowboat in
which a girl could drift down with the
current and think as she drifted. Yes,
Miss Viola would drift and settle the
case of young Mr.. Haynes
Better let James row you" eau
toned the aunt.
ooh, can row a boat, and 1 want
, the exercised"
And Miss Viola proceeded to splash
good share of the river over herself
and to lose one of the oars before she
had been affoat five minutes Then
| she proceeded to drift and lost the
other oar. 1t might have made diff
| ference any other time but now she
had important things to think of and
conclude upon.
James the hired man, to row? Why,
James was baldheaded. James had
stiff knee. James suffered when he
talked. She would be looking at him
all the time instead of thinking. James
had never seen a moving picture show,
and had great curiosity about them.
He would be asking questions He had
never seen a live elephant. He would
ask hundred questions about Behe-
moth. No, sir! No Jamesi There
was another boat at the landing, and
he could take himself out rowing
you'll get into trouble.' he called
| to her when he saw the second oar go
gliding away; but the girl shook her
head and sat back to do the thinking
that had brought her out.
Good family. Has plenty of money.
Father and mother like him. Has
beautiful tenor voice. Blonde mus
| tache. Has made two funny speeches
in response to toasts. Sure he loves
me, and has never loved before. If
say no it will be crushing blow to
him. He had a brother who commit
ted suicide for love-
| Just as these good points had been
summed up man on the rigft-hand
bank of the stream began to wave his
hand at her and shout:
you getta away! You go backa
quiek."
THE villain!" whispered the girl to
herself. 'tWhy, how dare he swear at
me that way! Is this his river that he
dares order me around like that?''
"Yesa, quick!" continued the man as
| he waved both hands this time
"Yes, all these good points, but he
| lisps He says 'thith' for this and
'thath' for that He is always bored.
He always acts as if he didn't get sleep
enough. He says he is glad that he
isn't a Napoleon or Washington. Never
Plays golf and cricket like an old
maid. Only twenty-three, and yet it
looks to me as if the hair on top of
his head was thinning out. Taken al
| together"
| At this juncture a man on the left
hand bank of the river, having a red
flag in his hand, waved it vigorously
and shouted:
'Whatta you doing here? Get
backa! Get backa!
Another scoundrel." muttered the
girl-"and more swearing! I'll tell
aunt when I get back. and she'll see
about this! What's he saying now!''
"You geta your DANA head blown
off!"was what the man was saying
as he waved some more. He was a
son of Italy, but his English was fair.
! Don't you dare talk that way to
mel" shouted Miss Viola in reply.
| "Dynamitei Dana head blown off; /;
Go home! Coma here! Getta backa!
| Then another man came running,
and he also shouted. He was likewise
80 \, n1f oil afr-xr l,r1f
he had almost mastered the English
Language. Then a second man on the
other bank shouted. He also made
motions of parting with his head; also
of jumping overheard and swimming
ashore The girl was trying to puzzle
lit all out and growing more indignant
every second, when she heard a shout
behind her and turned her head to see
lyoung Mr.. Haynes rowing after her in
the other skiff. He handled the oars
little better than she did. The men
lwere also waving and shouting at him.
He stood UP, and he dropped his oars
for a second to shout:
"Row to shore-to shorel Dynamite
dynamite! Hurry upl"
"And quick" added one of the men
on shore.
That settled Miss Viola. She had
never been sworn at and bossed
around She just settled right down
and drifted on and bit her lip and
thought how hot she would make it
for young Mr.. Haynes. He had fairly
lbeIlowed his command to her, and he
would have to make an apology on
bended knees. Even then she would
mot forgive him for a week. More
waves of the f1ag-more yells of 'dy-
namite!" and then she could hear him
calling:
Miss Travers-Viola-they are GO
ing to blow the cliffs down with dyna-
mite! Stop! Stopi"
i yes. there was a high cliff on the
. tright-hand bank, and men had been
working for a month to bring about a
grand blast-one that should topply
|, down ten thousand tons of rock and
trees and soil. It came just as the
; Iboat of the lover drew up to the other.
HE had reached for the girls arm and