The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-07-08
TIE EVENING STORY
A Gineha1n zee.
(By j. T. Greenleaf.)

G1ngnam Fee
(By j. T. Greenleaf.)
Rustling along among the dead
leaves, down the brown path to the
river, on an evening in late September,
Frank Arnold, the junior member of
the firm of Ellsbree & Arnold, attor-
neys, spied a pitiful, sob-shaken,
brown Bingham heap curled up on an
old bench.
Seating himself beside it he drew
the dainty head with its shining red
gold bgaids to his shoulder, took a lit
tie wet wad out of one of the small
hands and replaced it with a large
square of linen from his own pocket.
Jennie darling tell your old man
all about it as soon as you can get
your BREATH he said.
ooh, Frank" she stammered. be-
tween gasps, Father has lost all he
has paid on this home
''Why-how's that?' he asked, as
he slipped large white hand under
the round chin
"Be-be-because he's just been
over to see the executor of Mr.. Harris
will and he says that there is no re-
cord of any payments at all upon the
contract"
what! No records? I thought he
had been paying five dollars month
for years"
''Sure-he has
Where are his receipts, then ?"
asked the lawyer.
In the house-and that is the hope
less part of it-for not o1e of them is
signed-and-'' Down came the
flood Of tears again.
do you mean to tell me that your
father accepted them thus defective ?"
He says that Mr.. Harris told him
they We're just as much record of the
transaction as if they " ere signed"
she answered.
well declare! and suppose next
he will feel justified in, recalling his
the work of years has to be done
over" growled the lover
THAT is what he said at first but
| influenced him to promise that If you
would take up the case fer US against
the Harris estate and win it I might
marry you. If you do succeed the
home would be ours faltered Jennie.
THAT puts it on a better footing,
dearest, for with such a fee in sight
''In an old bingham dress inter
rupted she.
"a man ought to win every tfme,''
finished the lawyer.
'"Then you don't consider it an en-
| tirely hopeless case % eEke the girl
as she raised her head to look him in
the face.
II can't tell yet, but TIL do it IL any
body can And now want to make a
little bargain with you, first of all. You
must pay me a good big retainer at
once and then from time to time,
you'll have to give me more for dis
bursements as the case progresses.
Miss Cham berlain," announced the at
torney.
How much will that be?" asked
the girl with quickened respiration,
'for I'm dreadfully anxious to know,
as it will have to come out of the
money have put away for my outfit. F"
| Ty17T 1okt l.
Il will have to have two-I rather
guess about three, kisses for the
| "Oh. Frank, you are such a tease
you scared me-but here" she cried.
discharging the obligation then and
and-I'n pay you a little more
sigh of contentnent.
And how soon will you marry me if
I VIM" persisted the lover.
Just the minute you get a decision
l-verdict-in our favor" replied the
girl.
THAT settles It," said Frank, land
now let's go into the house and make
your father acknowledge his new offer
and then TIL take the papers and go
to work at once. But after all I can t
understand why Mr.. Harris should do
such a thing. He had a reputation for
being very close and shrewd and queer
1 but never dishonest.
HE wanted to marry mother and
has always had a crouch against faith
er because she loved him BETTER" re-
sponded Jennie.
! but all the same he must have
known that a large part of your faith
er's ability to pay was due to your
years of hard work"
! 'And he always seemed to like me,
too. for they say I resemble the poor
little mother he loved SO long ago, -
broke in the girl.
''If that's the case maybe omething
will turn up that we don't look for at
this time" volunteered the young fell
low.
| But when he had gathered together
| the facts he was very doubtful OF sue
cess for there was absolutely no evil
dence of the receipt Of these sums to
be found anywhere in the books or
papers of the deceased; and he went
into the court Of the genial Judge
Nixon with a heavy heart for he had
only the fact that this series OF unsign-
ed receipts was in the script of Mr..
six-hundred dollars
Just IN the early twilight of the
short November day in which had
been tried the case of the Estate of
i George Harris VS.. Chamberlain, Ar
mold was hurrying up to the home OF
his hancee. His haste vas such that
he passed through the door without
ringing and had hardly closed It be-
hind him when there was precipitated
into his arms a plump little woman in
a Bingham dress.
! ooh Frank. I'm SO happy You've