The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-21
THE EVENING STORY
The New Flame.

| Ladies' Aid of Cloverton and struck
out by herself on the shorter way
| across the fields The babel of tongues
| Wearied her, and the endless talk OF
husbands and babies and cooking. OF
the 10 women she was the only un-
| married one, and felt like an outsider
AS she had entered the meeting q
} little late she had heard Mrs. Gal
loway's shrill voice saying:
well, why don't she marry Rob
ert Jackson? He's the salt of the
] earth, and his little girls adore her
| She won't get a better chance at heI
! age" Cynthia was 80. ''If a woman
| don't want a home of her own with &
| man and young ones in it, 1 say some
thing ais her! Perhaps she's fret
| ting over some old flannel" Then the
others saw Cynthia and tried to silence
Mrs. Galloway, whose mind vas like q
| rag-bag from which she pulled any
sort of a thought at random and
usually at the embarrassing moment
| But she was not easily silenced
| Sam Galloway" she shrilled on
twas my only chance, an L didn't
throw it away because my eye was
sot on some Teller 1 couldn't giti
know it. She finally saw Cynthia
| standing, tall and quiet, in the door
way and ceased her clatter.
Cynthia got away the moment she
| could at the meetings. close And how
did they know about Robert Jackson
| wanting her? Surely he had not told,
surely she had not They only met
| casually, and she always refused 20
let him come to see her in the pretty
| cottage where she lived quite alone
since her mothers death. And
could any one know that she was still
waiting for Mark Carter, who had not
even written her for ten years?
Now, walking across the Septem-
Der fields, still green, she came to a
| small bit of woodland, and turning
into it came face to face with Robert
Jackson, striding along, TALL AID
| straight and fine for all the gray at his
temples.
''WelI." he said, this is luck for
me. Everything was lovely today
and needed only sight of you. CON-
ing from Ladies' Aid? ?" He turned
to walk with her, his quick sense
aware that something troubled her,
his intention being to find what it was
and to help her.
Her straightforward eyes met his
and she half smiled. In running
away from chatter she mad run into
the very love making she wished to
avoid.
Cynthia said the man. I have
to take the few chances l have D
speak to you. 1 have to tell you that
I can't take a refusal from you-not
yet! You know how I want you You
know that it is real love. L think you
know it isn't simply that L want 10
marry again-you know-my marriage
couldn't give them up even for you,
but they could go to their grandmoth-
err for year if you felt they would lie
too much for you at first 1t is ask
ing a great deal of you to look atter
two children not your own-but If GU
loved ne-Teu me, could you love me
if it wasn't for them ??
They were just coming into the
fields again, and he stopped short, his
kat in his hand. waiting for an an
swer. For the first time a resisting
something within her gave way be-
fore him He somehow warmed her
heart-she was a normal woman. 1t
was something just to be loved like
this and perhaps she could learn to
love him in return-as for the chill
dren, they were her temptation. She
wanted them.
sIt's-not the children" she said.
flushing deeply. 'I-you know how I
love them.
"Then it is I whom you must learn
to love- he went on with his plea,
and she listened, not seeing where she
was until they had almost reached
the road upon which stood her home
Then she raised her eyes and in spite
of herself stood blushing like a girl
of 16. half dozen of the women
from whom she had fed stood laugh
ing before her, and Mrs. Galloway,
never slow of speech, rallied her
well! I see now why you. were in
such a hurry to get home! How many
beaux you got, any way? Don't blame
you for sneakin' off to meet a good
lookin' man like Robert Jackson, but,
say who's the good lookin' other fell
low down the road apiece, who asked
US the way to your house? There he
goes now, up to your porch. We told
him you was comm. Who is he?"
Cynthia laughed, but a queer pre-
sentiment gripped her.
Perhaps he wants to sell some
thing, or insure the home, or me
going to see,' she said pleasantly.
She started past them when Mrs.
Galloway broke out in a new place.
Guess one or two of us ought to go
with yea stranger like that
Anger and perplexity shone in Gym
thia's face as she turned to look at
the woman, but Robert Jackson came
to her rescue. He took his stand be-
side her.
Il think a man would be better
I'll go with her, and you need not go
to the trouble, Mrs. Galloway" His
firm, courteous tone was a dismissal
that would have no denial.
Calling a goodby to the women,
CYNTHIA and her escort came to the
gate. The little house was set far
back in a green yard, and up near
the house the stranger, seeing her
approach stood and waited. Some
thing in his bearing disturbed, almost
smothered her.
I'm afraid think-it's some one
used to know she faltered. There
was something in her face that sent
both fear and hope to the heart of
the man beside her. He stood in her
way a moment.
Cynthia he said, now is my
time to speak, If this is a man whom
you once thought you cared about-f
I, Iaf al all
without the sternest of good reasons
don't allow yourself to think you