The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-05-10
TIE EVENING STORY



| Man has his will, but woman has
her way" Harleth quoted with elab-
| crate mock Difference, his hand on his
| heart, as he bowed himself away from
Mrs. Austell.
| She sent two looks after him,
though others were crowding round
| her. In her way she was a person
] age, at least when she let herself be
| persuaded to give one of her Intimate
Talks on life and things, in some
body's parlors. Critical folks said size
| could die with a happy consciousness
| that she must have advocated the
right things at least half her time,
since she had habit of believing ev-
erything-and going about proclaim
| ing her belief of the time.
Just now she was ardent for suf-
| frage. Militancy seemed to her the
| finest thing in the world, flame of
pure martyr enthusiasm which was
bound to tighten the world. Yet
| that pestilent Harleth had dared to
| laugh of her eulogies of window
breaking instead of being converted
to them. 1t was intolerable. She
must somehow punish him, even if
| she had to go to the length of capti-
waiting him. He deserved no less.
| Then. too, might it not, be possible
thus to win him over to the cause?
Mentally she took stock of herself.
She was still very beautiful, if a bit
full-blown; she had fortune, position,
the prestige of family And though
she had openly vowed herself to the
cause, If she could win it so eloquent
an advocate by the sacrifice of her
liberty, it was clearly her duty to do
it. Votes for women might look diff
ferently to him through the vista of
wedding ring. And it should be
yellow wedding. On that she decided
instantly-with girl ushers and twenty
bridesmaids at least. The parson
would have to be masculine. He
must at least be a bishop; and the
odious masculine injustice kept woIn-
en- from that high dignity. Yet. on
to the bishop, he would give the needed
accent of contrast and SO enhance the
distinction of it all.
Certainly strategiSt or diplomat of
the first water was smothered in her
by petticoats. She had come to
Highview, Harleth's aristocratic home
suburb, to stay but a day and night.
Yet she so managed matters that she
appeared to be constrained against
her will to stay there a week. Every
day of the week brought her some
touch with Harleth. Every day, also,
in a manner deepened her determine
ton to snatch him brand from the
burning of his unbelief. Too wise, too
feminine, to thrust herself upon him;
too willy to bore him with her beliefs,
she showed herself simply womanly
charming, and SO much so Harleth
wondered no little how she could Dos
sfbly want to be anything more.
A seasoned celibate, he was in some
ways even wiser and wilier than she.
In others he was a child, lamb
ready for sacrifice But he did not
he would ever have found out in time
but for the other woman.
The other woman was, on the face
of things, an antagonist Mrs. Austell
plump, shortish, quite undistin guished
as to feature. with swapping blue eyes,
and a temper of her own.
Harleth liked the temper better |
than anything else about her. They |
were cousins, distant ones, and he had |
tyrannized over her from the day of
pigtails. But in one way she had a |
gift-she could cook as few women |
can Moreover, she was proud, not |
ashamed. of the gift, and delighted to |
exercise it.
William HarIeth dined with her
once a week, whenever he was at !
dropping in for five-minute calls, |
which ended commonly in some plum
behring's of her pantry, or at least her
cake box. Being thus a cook, heaven |
functions of Mrs. Austell. Not in any |
paid capacity-she had money enough |
to live as she chose. 1t pleased her
greatly to help out friends and neigh
bors.
In return for her cakes, they could
do no less than invite her to every
thing More than half the time she
stayed away, or rather went home |
after seeing everything was as good
as it could be made. But to one af-
ternoon company rather early in the
game she stayed. What she saw de-
termined her to do several things.
She ordered in haste, from the city.
two frocks quite eclipsing anything
in Highview. Next she waved her
hair, and after that she took her
grandmother's silver and jewelry out
of the bank, filled her house with
flowers, light and people. and gave a
final party for the advocate of suf-
frage "A blow OUT was her own
phrase for it, she being of the sort
that speaks straight as it thinks ALI
this meant, of course, that she woa,d
be very busy.
Mrs. AusteI was charmed at the
thought of coming. The other wo-
mans name was Vanmere, her home
a true colonial house. full of antiques.
Moreover, Edith Vanmere herself had
appeared very receptive. Tt would be
only a less triumph for the cause to
her than to take Harleth cap
tive for life.
1t annoyed her a trifle to find that
Miss Vanmere laid heavy commands
on Harleth; also, that he obeyed them
even when obedience took him
from her presence.
ED thinks she owns me-and II
reckon she does come near it," he ex-
planned to the visitor, who die her
best to mask discontinue with an en-
gaging smile. The smile might have
faded had she been able to read the.l
vanmere mind. Edith had seen
her-Edith would have none
of her sort in the family. Moreover
If William -Harleth was by way of be-
ing fool in some things, he was
gentleman, also helpless-being
man. Edith must save him. She was
nearly as much interested in doing it
as in the entirely new plum cake she
was evolving for the party.
Many schemes came to her. One
by one she turned them over in ner
mind and dismissed them as imprac-