The Topeka state journal., 1911-03-30
7HE EVENING S7ORY
One of His peonle

gave him one of the choice tables. AT
tne END OF the room. where he could
nave an uninterrupted view of the
guests: If so. the favor was unap-
preclated. He was also quite obIivious
10 the fact that he had the prettiest
waitress in the room. In his busy life
meaIt1me had come to mean So many
aoultlonai minutes for reading, and he
never neglected the opportunity.
But to-day, looking up from the fin
in ,s OF a ra1her dry government bulletin
MS glance was caught by the carriage
OF a girl who came down the room
tiiggntly balancing a tray on one hand
She could carry it Just as easily on
her head" he thought. admiringly..
She is from the Smokes SURELY
AS she was bringing his own order
ne soon had nearer view. Her face
seemed familiar
Haven't seen you some place be-
fore?" he asked. in his abrupt way.
Sure you have. Mr.. Carton"
He started
She smiled and explained: "I went to
the Forbes-Stantcn school, and you
made the speech when graduated"
1t was the mountain school where
he himself had studied
II am Kitty Ralson."
He knew the Ralsons Some of
them lived not ten miles from his IA
ther's farm. He was at once inter
ested- How did you happen to come
Kitty flushed a deep red. "I thought
perhaps you had heard. I ran off to
ValleytoWn to marry Dan Phelps. Sally
Husted was with me. Dan-he never
showed up. Sally-she went home,
but 1 just couldn't stand t. do it. I
been six months now" There was a
CLINT in her eyes as she gathered up
some dishes and started up the room.
DICK knew the mountain custom of
eloping, even when there was no op-
position to the match. Had not his
own father and mother slipped off to
this same Val1eytown? Sometimes, too,
he knew that the courage of one or the
other failed at the last moment But
generally the breach was patched up
and they made a second and more sue
cessful attempt. So thinking. he
opened another treatise and speedily
forgot the incident.
Her cheerful good morning, Mr.
Carton" at the next meal came as a
fresh surprise. The six months at
Asheville had smoothed off most of the
vernacular from her speech. but she
still had some of the mountain twang
that he loved. They had worked other
changes. Even careless Dick Carton
detected in her hair and dress q smart
ness unknown to the mountain girls.
AS she walked up the room her cheeks
rosy and her head held high several of
the men gave her admiring g1ances. A
frown gathered between the eyes of
the pathologist. A public dining room
was no place for a mountain girl.
During the next few days they had
many ar interrupted fragment of con-
versation. Dick told her the news in
his home letters, and her eyes grew
wistful
"why don't you go home, Kitty?''
he asked earnestly.
IT couldn't stand it, She turned
al hr1Inf1x5 70 or he S~o1 1Ix,f
at the next table. Evidently he said
something complim entary but the girl
only tossed her head and laughed.
Carton watched them with increas-
ing irritation. Why did not Dan
Phelps come and fetch her?
The Phelps boys. as he knew them.
were a bad lot. The women did the
work while the men loafed and drank
moonshine whisky. Never by any
chance had he seen one of them in the
audience when he travelled with the
state agricultural demonstration car.
Dan, he could not remember. Per-
haps he was better than the rest of his
clan. At least the girl had loved him.
Dick ate rapidly. his books un-
touched beside his plate. brilliant
plan was formulating in his mind. He
would send Dan the money to come
and get his girl. Saturday was free.
He would arrange to meet Dan, bring
him to Kitty, and see them married.
That night, on a train going north,
he wrote the letter to Dan. and then
tried to dismiss the matter from his
mind.
Saturday morning he was on hand,
eagerly scanning the passengers from
the Murphy train. In the tall fellow
who slouched out of the smoker, he
knew his bridegroom. He had the
dark beauty often seen among the
mountain boys, although his few years
of manhood had already tarnished it
with signs of dissipation. 1t was, how
ever too late to stop. Briefly intro
ducing himself he hurried Dan up the
street to the Pleasant View hotel.
Kitty was setting the tables in the
dining room a bellboy informed them.
Two girls were laughing and talking at
table. The taller one raised her
head It was Kitty. She ciutched the
"I have brought Dan, Kitty" Carton
explained, with vague sense of un-
easiness.
The color had come back to Kitty's
cheeks Her eyes cleaned dangerous
ly. "You-brought-D contempt
uously "Well, you might have saved
yourself the trouble"
"But he wants to marry you" he
persisted awkwardly.
Marry him," she flashed back. "I
wouldn't marry him If he Were the
last man on earth A nice sort OF
husband he'd make for mel"
"You mind what you say, Kitty Raj
son." Dan began angrily.
Kitty never gave him a glance And
you thought would take him, when
had talked to you and you knew how
I felt You" She burst into tears.
The other waitress stepped up quick
Iy and put her arms around the sob
bing girl ST think you had both better
go away she said severely.
IT never imagined she would take it
this way Carlton exclaimed ruefully
street.
might have known" Dan said sui
a was q gDfff1Ta. :"