The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-08
THE EVENING STORY
The Ivory Box.
CBy Temple Baiiey.)

1
a great steamer which was making a
record trip. Two of the crew were
saved. It was supposed that the cap
tain and his men were lost. Captain
Caleb's widow mourned, but hoped.
Finally, as ship after ship came IN
with no news, she adjusted herself
outwardly to the situation. She opened
| a little shop and sold meat pies ana
| baked beans. She owned her house anC
garden but taxes had increased and
her income was small. Hence life be-
came increasingly hard. Her pies were
delicious and her beans melted in the
mouth, but customers were few, and
when there was a long rainy season
sales were slow and there were often
meat pies left on hand.
Caleb Bridge arrived home at night
and walked straight to his house. He
stopped short at the gate. Before the
front door burned feeble light in an
iron lantern. In the window was a
sign-"Hot Beef and Pork Pies"
"Well of all things calculated Capt.
Caleb.
In the Is months of his enforced abb
sence, he had thought of his wife as
comfortable. He had known that her
wants were few, and he had conceiV-
ed her income adequate.
And now. she was selling pies! 1t
did not seem like Sarah to sell pies
A feeling of famtness came over him.
What if Sarah We're dead? What II
she had married again? He clutched
at the fence. Other women had mar
ried, when their Husbands had not
come home. He had read lot OF
verse like that once, and the husband a
had gone away. That would be the
only kind thing to do-to go away.
He saw plainly that he must not
walk in unannounced. He must nrst
find out whether his coming would
embarrass Sarah. He cast about In
He could not ask the neighbors. He
did not want to be recognized. II he
had to go out of Sarahs life forever,
he would leave for parts unknown.
A light fiared up in the front win
dow. He could see a shadowy form
shadowy forms. There stole out on
the air a saYory, fragrance as of ash
chowder. He was hungry and tired ana
the october wind was keen and cold
He drew his Jacket tightly about him.
His hand went in his pocket and ne
drew out a small square object. He
started. Then he murmured:
That's 1t. She'll remember that.
He waited patiently until the light
was turned down and the occupants
of the house adjourned to the kitchen
Sarah would be washing the dishes.
Somebody was helping her now-and
it was mani
His impulse was to turn away-but
his heart held him to his own hearth
stone. He crept softly up the steps.
The door did not creak as he opened
it. Like a shadow he crept to the
table, then crept back to the threshold,
and there was no sound as he closed the
door.
After many minutes woman's sha-
dow entered the room. The light still
burned dimly. She came to the win
dow and drew up the curtain, looking
tut into the gusty night. 1t was Sarah.
She had on a black dress and white
apron. Her face was in thes hadow,
but she seemed to gaze toward the sea
with an air of longing.
Caleb's heart bounded. He wanted
to cry Sarah" but dared not.
The woman turned back toward
the table and turned up the light.
Then she stood very STILL looking
down. She seemed held to the spot.
She was as if she had been turned to
stone. When her hand at last went
out toward an object that was laid on
the table, she moved mechanically,
like a puppet pulled by string.
She had 1t in her hand now Caleb's
little ivory tobacco box. He had
bought it on one of his voyages. 1t
had been his whim to keep his to-
bacco in 1t instead of in 81 bag and
he had taken 1t with him when he
went on his fatal voyage.
He saw her rush toward the kitch-
en-, and then he saw her turn back.
He saw her face, too, with it's look Of
wild rapture. She opened the front
door and stood under the Pickering
light of the iron lantern.
Caleb she called loudly, Caleb
are you there?''
He came forward out of the dark
ness, his face lifted to hers as she
stood on the steps above. him.
Sarah" he said, Sarah
Laughing and crying, she drew him
into the farm room. are pvaf ]
dearest dear" she said, land cold.
But there's a hot fire, and the chow
der-to think I should have your
favorite dish on the night that you
came home, Caleb
He dared not ask her about the
man in the kitchen. OF course she
could explain-but he hated to think |
that her constancy had admitted even
friend or admirer.
Unconscious of his thought, she an |
swered it. '1'll call Uncle Anthony"
she said, you know-on my moth |
er's side. Caleb He's blind and he
lives with me-"
In that moment Captain Caleb wept
like a child on his wife's shoulder /
There had been so much that he had /
feared, and now the fear was gone.
What did you think?'a he asked,
when he sat later at the table, with
the steaming chowder before him, his |
wife's face in placid content, what |
did you think when you saw my
ivory box"
to touch it. 1t seemed to be a mes
sage from the dead. and was afraid
to go to the door and CALI was
afraid it was your ghost out there /
in the garden couldn't believe it
could be you-that it could be really
you, Caleb
81 thought I ought to break my
coming gently" said Caleb. His