The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-04-18
THE EVENING Story
Other Things.
By Harmony Weller.)

them.
The girls head, tilted at an angle of
defiance, added fuel to the flame. He
dashed the head from a tiny violet that
had peeped over the threshold of the
summer house.
There is no reason why you should
destroy nv violet bed,'' said the girl
Simply because I have chosen to take
a course in dramatic art in New YORK
She made movement as if to rise and
leave him to his stony silence, but he
jerked her back.
"IrisY' he pleaded impetuously, give
up this crazy notion"
"It is not a crazy notion! If I am TO
marry and live in a half-asleep village
all my life, 1 certainly want something
to break the monotony!
"Oh-it is monotony-to think of mar
rying me, is it?' 1t was the mans head
which now tilted angrily.
TT certainly would be-to both Of
u.s. Iris continued, defantly. ST mere
art, so that I will be more capable of
entertaining our friends with recita-
lions and give amateur theatricals. 1t
isn't for professional"
cit all leads to the same thingr' put
in Blair; you will probably come back
from New York and parade the streets
with the powder on your nose an inch
thick and look for all the world like a
blooming actress" Blair was not look
ing at the rising anger in the girls
face, and continued, unconscious of the
storm: My mother never had to sing,
or recite to keep her household going.
We seemed to get along all right with
out any crazy self-improvement no
tions!'
my dear Mr.. Blair" Iris put in
sweetly, eff your mother found her hap
piness, her contentment and the great
inc 1r9 PA nV,1
brooms and dust pans and the tending
of a stray vegetable or two she is to be
commended. If that were to be my life
I could probably stand it until you sent
me to what we call in slang "a dippy
house notice. she continued, and
with rising anger, that you are always
delighted to go over with me to the
Lanes and listen to their records of
voices and operas. 1t is true it is only
a suggestion Of the things that are go
ing on in the world, but you apparently
are not loath to enjoy them"
''That is entirely different to having
your own wife making a spectacle of
herself and drawing the entire village
after her in trailing admiration"
That's the whole thing in a nut
SHE'LL" cried Iris, with two red spots in
her cheeks; you are jealous! You
want me all to yourself. You want me
to stay in a house and keep it clean
and comfortable and pleasant for your
own special enjoyment. I had in mind
only your own happiness and a desire
to make things more entertaining for
you and your friends when I thought of
studying, but now you can look for
some one else to make you happyp'
Iris pulled off her half hoop of dia-
monds with trembling fingers. Give
this to some girl who loves to wash
dishes and oil up the hardwood floorsp'
She went swiftly out of the summer
house and Blair was alone
He stared for a long moment at the
ring that had rolled into a crack in
the rustic table. then his head went
forward onto his arms.
Internal jealous idiot that 1 am"
he frankly informed himself
His face was white and set WHEEL
he again raised it. After all, there
were other things in life save the
keeping in order of a house, even if
that house were already built and
rambled among a grove of fir trees.
Blair arose. His shoulders were
dropping, and he made his way from
the summer house and over toward
the house among the trees
Once within the old gardens his
anger against Iris returned. Why
beautiful home that he had bought
for her? They had gone over every
stick and stone of 1T in fond anticipa-
ton of it. Blair kicked an unoffend-
ing stone and turned away from the
house; he could not go in now that
Iris had thrown it and him over for
course in dramatic art.
A sense of outraged love kept him
from doing the thing he knew to DeH
right, and Iris departed for New York
In an attempt to forget his shat
tered romance Blair went about with
all of the girls in the village And
most of all he found his way into the
cozy home of the Lanes, where he
and Iris had spent many happy even
ings.
I'm sorry, old man." Lane had said
engage mt. Iris is a mighty fine
little girl and Blair turned away
unaccountably irritated.
''You should have humored her"
Mrs. Lane put in. Iris, being above
the average type, needs delicate hand
ling. 1 hope she will not marry some
New Yorker and leave u.s. she had
added by way of helping the cause
of Iris. The little matron knew thai
Iris would never marry any one save
Evan Blair, but that he should be
taught to appreciate the girl was also
a part of Mrs. Lanes scheme.
So it was. from time to time, Blair
heard of the splendid times Iris was
have been the cause of the trouble.
Mrs. Lane wisely refrained from
speaking of the progress Iris was MAX
ing in her dramatic work.
After six months of study Iris had
been given an afternoon at one of the
larger hotels and the newspapers had
given her great praise.
Blair would have given much for a
glimpse of those letters which his