The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-28
THE EVENING STORY
Drop the Handkerchief.
(By Jeanne o. Loizeaux. }

y.
Casper wished he had remained on the
farm, and married his first sweetheart
like the other boys re had been
brought up with. College was all
right, but journalism, as seen from the
reporters viewpoint, was beginning
to be too much for him. So many
things hurt his heart and his sense of
right and justice.
go out and dig up some news, Cas-
per" called Jones from the desk.
This weather is hot enough to make
somebody commit murder. and we
want to be nosing around the spot
when it happens. You've the nose for
news. But don't get soft and let some
girls pretty eyes beg you Off from
playing her up in a story
Casper started out. It was Saturday
afternoon, and most of the stores were
closed, and most of the offices.
only newspapers keep up the grind
Saturday afternoons he said to HIM
self Il feel like drowning myself in
the lake. The News would have
story then-only I'd have to rescue q
girl from watery grave and all the
rest. Wish I knew any nice girl well
enough to want to rescue her Wish I
could see a girl from home-wish
knew where Ruth is Going down
the street he met a little mouse of a
girl that made him think of her.
Entering the first drug store he
called for root beer and asked the
clerk what was doing" His thoughts
were on the girl he had lost track of.
Suddenly she had stopped her simple
little letters while he was at college,
and on his graduation he came home
and found that she had left town. The
old aunt she had lived with had died,
and the girl had taken the few humid
reds that had been left her and had
gone to the city. No one knew where
she was going nor what she was going
to do. She had been always a strange,
silent, wide-eyed little thing, and had
come an orphan into the town. She
never seemed to fit there nor to make
friends except with Jerry Casper. He
had written school loVe-notes to her,
and taken her to ice cream sociables,
and walking Sunday afternoons. once
he took her to Uncle Toms Cabin in
the opera house over Swilkins' grocery
and hardware emporium, but she cried
her home before it was finished.
The boy, for he was hardly twenty
four, rem embered how Ter gray, soft
eyes would widen if anyone was I'M
happy. And she was so little and
good. He wished he could find her,
and wondered whether she was mar
ried- She was not the girl to take
care of herself. Then he turned down
a street where it was less noisy, a
street where there were many offices
Of physicians, and obscure lawyers,
the less prosperous business men.
Where should he look for a story?
He bethought himself of Doctor
Falkner. Falkner was n quack. He
had no conscience. He dealt with the
undertow of the city. once he had
given Casper a story. Casper hated
Fa1kner, but he slowly walked towards
his place.
The boy stumbled little and in saw
ing himself from a fall. looked upward
just in time to see a handkerchief fall
and f1utter from a third story window
to his feet. He picked it up. It was
small and clean, but twisted. Tt had
tie. Then a love of romance, a desire
for a story, made him suddenly turn
into the stairway. He would see who
dropped that handk erchief OF course
it had fallen out by mistake. But per-
haps it would be his luck to find a
story behind it or connected with it.
There was no elevator. and the hall
was unspeakably hot and dark. Who
ever owned the little twisted rag had
a bad place to stay in, too. second rate
people all through the building. The
second fight made him pant a little,
but he found the upper hall cleaner
and a little more respectable.
He entered several Offices before he
found the window he wanted over
looking the street-then he came to an
open door, and went into an Office, but
he saw no one The inner Office was
closed, but he heard a cry from within,
and hoped the doctor was not hurting
a child more than he could help-it
was a little child like cry. Then it
came again, and he caught the words
clearly, but in a girls voice.
Go away or I shall surely call
someoneI You shall not"
Without an instant's pause. Casper
strobe to the door, jerked it open and
entered. A grosS-looking tall young
man, carefully dressed, was holding
the arm of a slender girl, who was
pulling away from him. her back
towards Casper. Casper waited a mo-
ment. The girls hair was soft and
dark and knotted plainly at the back
of her small head. She wore blue
Bingham dress and looked very neat.
"Can I help you?" His clear voice
made the girl turn her head, and the
man let her go. Casper fer one dazed
minute, forgot the fellow because
Ruth's gray eyes looked tearful1y up
to him. It was Ruth, though for the
moment he could not believe his eyes.
Ruth Cadyl What are you doing
here?" His voice was stern, but she
came to him readily, holding on to his
arm with both hands. He pulled away
from her, and went towards the man.
What do you mean? - and his voice
was terrible Then he rem bered
Tic gill anu tie PCAS PoAbAh6
for story, and that walls have ears
He would get her away first Then he
would find the man and settle with
him There must be no fight now. He
took him by the back of the neck and
showed him out of the inner Office.
"Get out of here, or I'll have the
police in two minutes! 1 don't know
what you're here for. and don't
care He emphasized his words by
another shove and the man, clustering
a little, went away.
1.-THE doctor is on his vacation, and
I had to keep the Office said Ruth
f"That man came in abou' a bill-and
-and-he annoyed me. You saw
can't-bear it here, but I can't leave
till the doctor comes back"