The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-10
THE EVENING STORY
Brought to Time.
Ry Jeanne o. Loizeaux.)

Mrs Healy's chatter. That lady rocked
did complicated Irish crochet-and gos-
sined each performance perfect OF 1Is
kind, and refutati0n of the adase
that only one thing at a time can De
| done well!
| OrDha,s sister had left her to enter
tain her guest for an hour on the wide,
| vine-covered veranda, with It's rugs
teatable easy chairs, and other para
phernalia of summer 1dleness, ana the
girl found her duty best performed py
| a system of listening. The young mat
ron had discussed fashion, the lake So
| ciety, the latest novel, and finally
| launched into a running commentary
on love affairs. Safe herself In the
haven of a happy marriage, she con-
sidered herself a Judge of storms on
| life's sea, and wise unto the matrimo-
| NAL salvation of all who would accept
her advice.
Mrs. Healy swung a pretty tan pump
| below her narrow skirt, and audibly
considered the case or Rose hanson
and George Saint.
| They've been engaged forever, and
nobody knows why they don't marry
| and be out of their misery! say 1t Is
her fault that he doesn't insist on her
choosing the day. She makes him too
content as he is. A man has to be
brought to time occasionally. He gets
too complacent, too sure of a girl, and
needs to be walked up. She ought to
make him jealous, or go abroad year,
Or even break the engagement! Instead
she waits ten years, and acquires a pa
tient look and great sweetness of char
acter, and some day, being only an
average man, he will prefer mere pink
cheeks, bright eyes and Impotence!
Dent you think so?"
Orpha lifted her dark head, and her
calm eyes rested a moment on the
plump little matron, glad that her sec
ret was safely hidden in her own heart,
and that people could not thus discuss
her and Stanley Long For the first
time she was glad that she and Stan
were not enga ged, though she was
she had been all summer, miserable be-
cause he neither declared his love nor
went away. Mrs. Healy, being a
stranger, of course knew nothing about
Stanley. and the girl hoped her natural
| reserve had kept it from her own world.
Don't you think SOP" persisted the
older woman.
Orpha rose in her deliberate way.
folding her embroidery, and stood tall
noon. Unnoticed by them Steve, the
young son of the house, had sprawled
along to the rose-wreathed railing, and
was listening quizzically to the girls
answer
'I-hardly think I do said Orpha.
81 don't see how a girl with any self
respect could purposely make the man
I-she-cares for-jealous, or send him
away when she doesn't mean it, or pre-
tend to leave just to see if he will fol-
low. It doesn't seem sincere, somehow.
If a man does not care enough to say
so, that's one thing. But he might
have a real reason, and she might trust
him. If she doesn't trust him, she
couldn't love him, anyway, could she?
Perhaps, Rose and George don't tell
everybody all their secrets? Perhaps
she is patient because she-under-
stands? 1t might be like that, you
know She suddenly saw her nephew, |
only five years her junior. and blushed |
deeply Wise with his twenty years, |
he regarded the girl with favor.
Good for you, auntie! You've got /
sense. A fellow would hate 20 be |
brought to time like that, if he had any |
se1f-respect ami"
eff he knew what was being done to
him, which he never does" finished |
Mrs. Healy, with her ripple of laugh.
you are two solemn, sentimental |
children, and know nothing whatever
about love. Just you wait, Steve; and
as for you, Orpha-
Steve's mother came alor" just
then, taking off her gloves and drop
ping into the first chair, regarding
first her son and then her sister with
favor.
"As to Orpha," she said, ''she is
dear. and I'm glad she's here for her
vacation, and since she is, I want her
to go out to the lake and see the sun
set. She loves 1t, and she looks
little solemn. You might go along,
Steve" |;
The boy bowed with mock cere-
mony to his mother. I'm not want
ed Auf1tie loves her own company.
Besides, it makes me feel like silly
little boy to be nephew to a girl so
pretty that everybody turns to look at
her. If she wants me to follow as a
bodyguard I'll go" Il
Orpha, already on the way. laughed
him to scorn over her shoulder. mo,
1 don't want you. You're too young
and silly, Besides@
Besides, she has other fish to fry.
She is not the only sunset
lover that dawdles about the cliffs of
a summers evening! Most romantic,
1 call ft!'' She fled his impudence,
her sister and Mrs. Healy, and took
refuge across the garden, down the
path through the woods toward the
pretty lake. This time she hoped
Stanley would not be there. She
wished that she herself did not know
declared his love for her. Sure at
heart of him, she wondered wistfully
at his silence, her maidenly dignity
up in arms the while.
AS she Strengthened back to the
brisk lake breeze, striding off on her
1.-the healthy fashion, her mind re-
verted to Mrs. Healy and her talk
which she hated. The girls nobility
rose high and above subterfuge and
stratagem. She would never help a
man with his wooing, nor hurry him,
by word or act, or even by thought.
If love were less than free and spon-
it was not real love, and she
would have none of it. |,
Then at the turn of a cliff she saw
and it came to her that,
unasked, she was going to meet him.
1t was little like showing her heart.
He had not seen her yet, and she K