The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-04
THE EVENING STORY


western verge, Elizabeth from remote
| Texas, back to a little New England
village. the home town of their joint
| great grandfather. The charm of It
| laid instant hold on themLthey loved
| the staunch white houses, green shut
| tered and set about with immemoria1
| elms. the broad streets, the orderly
| elegance, the quiet of everything.
Most of all they loved Greataunt
! Martha, mistress of the old home
| stead. She made them welcome with
1 a certain prim tenderness that went
! straight to their bubbling hearts Not
| withstanding, upon the third morning
after their arrival, Elizabeth. who was
| irrepressible, woke Sara with an i'm
| patient shake, saying
| Think! Hard! What shall We
what can we do?' We simply must do
something
what thing needs doing?" Sara
grumbled sleepily.
ing this place to life" she said. 1T
died at least hundred years ago
don't you think it has waited long
enough for resurrection q
I'll tell you-after I've dreamed
about it," Sara mumbled, sinking back
on her pillow.
Elizabeth shook her fist at her, but
did not further disturb her. Instead.
she hurried on her frock, tiptoed
downstairs, undid the back door eau
tiously and slid out into the garden,
the loveliest garden, in full late
y
honeysuckle, sweet Betsys and hun
dred-Ieaf roses.
EIizabeth's frock matched exactly
the pink of the roses-her hair, black
and silky, was braided tightly behind
each ear. 1t was her only head-cov-
ering, 50 as she stood slim and vir-
ginal among the flowers at sunrise she
looked the very incarnation of youth.
1t was a sight to make any man
heart beat, let alone that of a young
fellow, and an artist, intoxicated with
the joy of the morning Since the
earliest dawn Phil Craig had been
sauntering through the least frequent
ed ways, peering into gardens, noting
the creeping light, the melting shad-
ows, now and again sketching roughly
some bit that appealed especially. He
had come to the village, from years of
study abroad, to rest, he had told him
self, not to Work-yet here was work
laying hold on him in the very outset.
He stood ambuShed in the shade of
thick hawthorn. Eliza beth did not
see him until as she turned half about,
he called hushedly: "Be still Please!
Just minute moreI" his fingers flying
as he spoke. AS he caught her startled
of Dawnl I want to make you i'm
mortal.
That was the beginning. Elizabeth
did not tell it, even to Sara. Instead !
she was gracefully, and graciously dis |
tant, when the next afternoon Phil |
managed to have himself fetched to |
the house and be properly properly |
presented His eyes twinkled-other- |
wise he was as proper she. But |
when they walked out in company with |
Sara and young Mason, his social |
sponsor, to view the garden beauties, !
he half-whispered: You are the Soul |
of Dawn-and something MORE
After that Old Town village came |
to life with a vengeance. Phil did the |
most of it, fetching in autos. other |
young men, indeed all manner Of
worldly things. He refused to set up a |
studio, but now and again fell furious |
ly to work under shade of white UNI |
brella. He made studies of all the old /
gardens round about, of orchard hooks, |
of lichened stone walls, with a dappls /
of shine and shadow playing upon
them.
Never by any chance did Elizabeth |
figure in the studies. Yet she knew |
he made pictures of her. After a little
the knowledge fretted her Her father
would not like it-of that she was sure
Neither would Billy Vance. 1t was all |
settled that she was to marry Billy |
after they were both grown up Her
father thought her hardly more than q
baby at nineteen-and Billys parent |
had the same opinion regarding a lad
of wo-and-twenty.
Sara knew all about Billy, save and
except his name. Sara pursed her lips
comically over Craig's evident enthrail-
ment-and once said shutting one eve: !
IF there was a wireless station handy
I'd send flash to that young man
down in Texas"
But she was a good fellow-much too
good to spoil sport. Elizabeth meant it
all for no more than sport until, all ar |
once, with no word of warming Billy |
came to Old Town.
Couldn't help it-with home so
hot. and all the things you told of GO
rides and boat rides, and auto rides
and everything. Geei 1 felt I must
get into the game"
You'll have no trouble whatever.
honey" Sara said. coming up behind
Billy and Elizabeth. I'm nobody
but Sara she went on. Let me re-
commend myself, though, as the Ia
test improved variety of gooseberry. I
three languages, and seven ways at
once And you'll need to bless me
but for my vigilance Elizabeth would
have been run away with long ago."
I'D say it--even without that" Bill
ly answered gallantly, holding both
Sara's hands and looking down into
her eyes. They were blue eyes. but
snappy for all that. They returned his
gaze steadily until Sara felt moved to
You don't look Texas-not the
least bit-but. then, neither does Eliz- (
beth" I;
DO not forgive u.s. Nobody can
lutte look Texas-it's the finest state /
anywhere" Billy answered, loyalty.
But We do the best we cam I
A. week showed that Billy could. |
and did, fit in beautifully. Craig
aven, could not resist him after the
first two hours. Billy had a way
With him, as insinuating as his gem
lie. slurring drawl; moreover he was
gallant, also a beautiful spender and
olentifuIiy supplied with wherewfthal
10 spend. His spending was without
1stentation, yet he managed somehow | ]
10 pay always a little more than his |
share. Craig swore at him inwardly
over the fact. Aloud it was quite i'm