The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-03-28
THE EVENING STORY
Vivian.s PLAYMATE.

visible in her Hege lord. He had be-
come used to her beauty and his pride
| in possession. He was naturally cold
and cynical and her girlish, affection
ate nature had made the first inn
preston on his impassivity. In the
usual course of affairs his GOODNESS
| she concluded would naturally in
crease. Her keen insight showed her
where the trouble lay. She had been
| too easily won-too anxious to please
him. She would make him jealous.
| Then she realized with a sigh that
she could not, even to rekindle his
love, bring herself to f1irt with any
one.
Finally she decided to have an i'm
aginary absent lover. Then she would
not harm any one else-or herself.
Her husband coming into her sit
| ting room one afternoon found her
! looking tenderly at an object she held
| in her hand.
! He made no comment, and she
quickly slipped it back into a drawer
| in her desk.
ct have been looking" she said. with
a flush for her deception, "at some of
my girlhood keepsakes.'
His indifference was stirred.
ooh, then that was a picture of
an old sweetheart you were gazing
upon?"
well, 1 suppose you might call him
that" she replied, with reminiscent
smile and deprecating manner. HE
lived across the street from us when
we were children, and we grew up to-
gether. He was two years older than
I. but he was nice and protecting to
me-
WELL he asked sarcastically, as
she paused, what became of him %
I'VE went to school together. Then
he went to college. I went abroad,
and-weu, you know how people come
and go in your life
and you told me-" he blurted, that
was the first
How foolish I was she thought,
ito have told him anything like that.
But there are many things a woman
can't learn until she has been mar
ried.''
oh she said aloud. "a boy and
girl affair. Valentines and ali that
Stiffness, you know-hardly counts as
a love affair"
Whats his name?" he demanded
Her quondam sweetheart was rap
idly assuming tangible proportions
She had no idea he would bite" so
quickly and easily. She ran over IN
her memory the scores of boys whom
she had known in the way she men
toned. She had said that he lived
across the street, though. With the
delightful inconsistency of her sex she
strove to adhere as nearly as posi-
BILE to the truth while in the webs of
deceit. She recalled the cognomen of
a boy who had lived on the opposite
side of the street
Harry Walters she said, linger-
ing tenderly on the name.
+ ''Show me the picture you were
incoming over when came in. I should
like to see what your young fancy
chose
She opened the drawer and selected
a picture of a cousin, a youth of
IS who lived in the far west.
''This is he, Harry she said, find
ing a loophole for her conscience III
the recollection that her cousins name
was Harry.
He scowled at the delicate features
and threw the picture down vindic
lively.
TT strikes me-" he said. with an
air of cold diSpleasure, that you are
rather sentimental for married wo-
man"
She laughed lightly. well, Hugh,
why not? But it is time to dress. We
dine at Mrs. GOrdon's tonight, you
know
who will be there?'
1.-THE Langdons, Maude Wilbur, Ar
thur Beauchamp and some others. It
is given for a girl from Los Angeles
who is visiting at the Gordons.'
The last arrival at the dinner was
a stalWart, well-set-up man, wnom the
hostess finally brought to Vivian as
she stood talking to the guest of honr.
Harry" said Mrs. Gordon sweetiy'
1T want you particularly to know Mrs.
Avery Mr.. walters, Vivian"
Vivian blushed with pleasure.
"Oh!" she cried excjtedly. II am
sure-yes, you are. the Harry Walters
who lived across. the street from US
in Fostoria-"
And YOU are Vivian Allen. You |
haven't changed in the least"
Il a so glad 1 arranged for you !
to go in to dinner together!' exclaim-
ed Mrs. Gordon
band, who stood near by with an H.
scrutable expression on his face, ''come
here. 1 wait you to meet Mr.. Wal !
tiers. Such a coincidence! I was tell
ing YOU about him this afternoon
Hugh ,oldly acknowledged the in
PRODUCTION
81 should hardly know you from the
picture Of you that my wife treasures"
he remarked
well as that of Miss Nelson. She did |
not dare look at Harry Walters until
she heard him say
.sOh. did you keep that photograph
all this time? 1 hope I have changed
in appearance since that time"
She was very grateful to him, and
turning to look at him, an idea came to
her which made her eyes dance. Her
husband with Miss Nelson, sat oppo-
site her and her ''schoolboy sweetheart
AT dinner Vivian raclzed her brain for
"reminiscences Finding none (for of
all the boys who attended the academy
when she did, she had known him the
Ieast) she originated several. To her
delight and amusement, he not only re-
sponded eagerly, but followed up her
lead with much more thrilling MEM
cries
you did not answer the letter I
wrote you when you were in Italy" he
said, reproachfully-
Indeed. I did" she replied, earnestly.
but long, long afterward 1 learned