The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-09-25
TIE EVENING STORY
zelia and the Zephyrs.
(By Dorothy Douglas.)

NBy OOTOLI1y DOdSAd7'|
A gentle breeze was blowing, yes
zelia continued to read her man oua
of doors A few moments before she
had heard the double knock or tne
postman and had run down the STAIRS
to come back with armful of papers
and magazines from America.
leila sighed happily while she once
again ensconced herself in the deck
chair which occupied the entire space
on the tiny balcony which her apart
ment boosted.
STILL" she had often laughed when
enjoying the allotted space. Il am out
of doors and get as much sunshine
as I would on the open sea- She had
brought her own deck chair, because
she loved to sit with her small type
writer in her lap and click off the
stories that went back to the home
papers.
Zelia's eyes were not without a touch
of usefulness as she read her letters
from home. Her sister had sent her
a batch of clippings from the papers,
and leila smiled when she saw that
one of them was the story she had
written about the man next door.
When she had finished the last of her
letters she glanced through her stories
to see what the editors had done to
them.
Suddenly leila uttered cry of dis
may. A gentle zephyr that had been
playing f1tfully about the balcony lifted
the topmost clipping from the small
stack and hurled it with maddening
force into the window next door.
"OhT' gasped Zelia and made a fran
tic dash for her scattered papers. With
swift fingers she looked through the
remaining stories, then sank back with
a high color mantling her cheeks. Had
there been any possible way Of APP
preaching the lady who owned the PEN
sion next door, leila would have rush
ed over to get back her story But
how could she seek entrance. into that
house when she kpew-yes, she knew
that her motive would be merely de-
sire to meet the big German about
whom her story had been written?
Much as she wanted her story back.
leila could not find the courage 70
face the situation. Even though her
interest in the German had been more
or less impersonal yet Zelia's heart
pictured the wrath that would sweep
across his face when he saw his own
name in print as the hero of a love
story.
IF only I had not used his name"
she sighed and resented the fact that
the man had thrown away an envelope
from which his name had flung itself
into her brain. She squirmed in her
cozy deck chair that had become un-
comfortable with the straying of her
story, and realized hopelessly that there
was no chance of her clipping being
overlooked. Even a half-blind Scan
dinavian maid will see the name of
Leo Brandt staring at her," she told
herself petulantly. leila smiled wrath
fully at her own temerity. She remem-
bered how she had described her hero
and the blood famed to her cheeks.
Men have no right to be so good
looking that they attract unwary girls
into writing them into stories" leila
told herself vehemently. She shivered
slightly as she recalled the more or less
steely expression in Leo Brandt's blue
eyes and the proud tilt to his splendid
head.
HE will be so angry" zelia COM
mented inwardly with a wry smile.
Perhaps it would be wise to change
my own pension before the storm
leila knew that she would wait for
the full glory of the storm. She loved
whether in the hearts of men,
on land or on sea.
She realized suddenly and not with !
out touch of disappointment, that
Leo Brandt would not know whence !
the story came nor who it's author. |
leila McWade, might be. He would |
not know that she wasted much valu-
able time watching him from her bal |
cony while he threw stones for the
amusement of his dog.
1T is positively wicked to be so
handsome she argued plaintively, |
but you have Jealous eyebrows, and |
your chin is pugnacious and the swing |
Of your body is proud-as if you own |
ed the earthi" Zelia finished her |
as If to the absent German |
and tossed her head defantly, land |
-hink I do not love you
Zelia promptly forgot about her |
story while she read through her home |
papers. Afterward she went indoors
and shut the easement windows.
When Leo Brandt returned from |
business he glanced up at the balcony
nent swept across his face no one was !
he wiser.
Upon reaching his room he looked |
Town at the balcony. A definite
shadow lurked behind his eyes. His
head did not lose its proud poise nor
his shoulders their lofty carriage, yet
here was something of disappoint-
nent lowering over him.
1t was while he was brushing down
he crisp gold of his hair that he
taught sight of the story imprisoned |
against the frame of the window.
Had Zeifa seen the fire in his eyes
nto his face she would never have
jailed his chin pugnacious.
Nor would she have believed, when |
The saw him swing out of the house a
ew hours later, that he had gone to
he florists
After that and during three weeks
following leila received red roses
which bore no name. They came every
,ther day, and if she felt instinctively
hat they came from the house next
ioor, she would not allow herself to