The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-14
THE EVENING STORY
robin Plans a Holiday.
(By A. HoWard.)


selves away in two tiny rooms on the
fourth floor back.
Tobin was a patient, kindly person,
with hair thinning on the temples and
a stoop to his shoulders which made
him look very much older than he
should, for ne was still very young.
When he was boy he had had
dreams, even as other young artists
have, of painting pictures that would
astound the world; but now that his
father was dead and he had his moth
er and sister to support, he chiefly
dreamed of lodging the laundryman,
and spent his idle moments in figuring
how to pay for Clarissa's schooling.
These calculations allowed of no
margins for expensive recreation, yet
Tobin was contemplating piece of
wild extravaganza. Thus it was ar
ticularly disconcerting when Clarissa,
deliberately abandoning her pose
turned her pleading eyes upon him.
please, Tobin, can't 1 go to the
circus?'
Clarissa was an uncomfortably clev-
er child, with a pretty, eager face and
frightfully long legs. She was To-
bins, only model, and posed for every
thing he did, from fat policemen and
colored mammies, to fashion plates
and soothing syrup babies. She was
draped over a chair now, with mirror
and powder puff in hand. and Tobin
was drawing her as an advertisement
for American Belle Beautifying Cream
he ndO no 1nteHllOn OF IdkIlIS hoI "
the circus, so he pretended to be very
busy with his picture, and assiduously
SplaShed the paint on the highly col
ored cheeks of the American belle.
/ But Clarissa was not thus easily 81
fenced She squirmed around in her
chair and repeated insistently: please.
Tobin, can't 1 go to the circus?"
If the American Belle was to be
finished that day Clarissa must be
humored, so Tobin. answered dis
TUI
can or not. III think it over and see
if it can be managed
That quoted the trusting Clarissa,
but Tobin- began to feel shamefully
going to take Clarissa to the circus,
as he had already planned to take
some one else, the most precious per-
son in the world. For in the front
lived Tobin's inspiration, she who
would have been the lady of his
dreams if he had ever had time for
dreaming. This Diana Garland was
an energetic, happy little woman;
with red hair and snappy eyes, and
though she smiled very often in pub
lie Tobin wisely suspected that she
cried rather often in private. Teach-
ing music in a third rate boarding
school is not the ideal existence for
er appeared on Diana's white brow,
Tobin knew that she was feeling
rather forlorn.
There was trouble at the boarding
school one week and the quicker stay
ed so long on Diana's forehead that
Tobin feared it was becoming perma-
nent. He long to comfort her, put
there was nothing he could do until
Diana remarked quite casually one
morning that the circus was coming
to town and that she would like to see
the baby giraffe. That gave Tobin his
opportunity. He knew it was a reck-
l.. -I,-% AG
less waste of money put Wnat cared
he for filthy lucre? He was too poor
to offer Diana his hand and heart, but
he could at least offer her glimpse of
the baby giraffe.
One Wild act brings on another, and
having determined to take Diana to
the circus, Tobin found himself still
further involved in financial embar-
rassmerts- The American Belle did
not bring in as much as he had ex-
pected, and when he went to buy the
tickets he found that he would have
to use Ciarissa's commission AS he
SUP ported Clarissa and willingly sacri-
feed his life to hers, there seemed no
real reason why he should pay her for
posing, but it had been his invariable
custom to give her a fragmentary
share OF all that he made on his pic
lures. Iii keeping back Clarissa's earn
ings Tobin felt as guilty as if he had
robbed Il bank, even though he prom
Used himself that he would pay her
back some day.
However, he bought the tickets,
bought them early in the week, for he
knew by sad experience that money
has a way of escaping even when you
have mode the best of plans for its
future. Once they were purchased and
safely slowed away in his pocket a
change came over the artist, his con-
science ceased to prick him and he felt
strangely light-hearted, like a gay,
irresponsible truant. In all the years
of patient drudgery since his father
i ~ L. - i &4Ir al ND
now he Ieveled in the joys of anticipa-
ton. He looked at the tickets every
morning to be sure that they were
safe, but he said nothing to Diana, for
Wednesday night Diana went with
Tobin's rival, William HUT, to NOV
ing picture show, and every Saturday
afternoon she walked with Tobin
she would smile when he told her that
instead of walking in the park. they
weer t. go to the circus together.
Diana had a funny, sweet little smile
that drove away the quicker from her
brow.
So pleasant was this thought that
Tobin forgot all about Clarissa until
the end of the week On Friday night
hibit, but on his way home he stop
ped to buy a bag of peanuts for the
little girl Clarissa could not go to the
circus, hut she could feed the squirrels
in the park.
The house was in inky darkness when
he reached home, for Mrs. Bosey wasted
no gas on late arrivals, and it was only
by cropping cautiously along that Tobin
to the fourth floor. All was
blackness there except where a faint
stream of light shone beneath Diana.s
door. He was watching that light and
wondering why Diana was up SO late
when the door opened and a girl ercpt
out into the hall She closed the door be-
hind her and again the hall was abso-
luteIy dark. but Tobin knew that she was
coming toward him. He stood still. Sascf-