The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-29

Anne w. Young. In HaEper's Magazine.
zE EVENING y1oRY |
In Carnival MOOD
,(By Jane Osborn.)
It was the winter carnival, the oc-
CASTOR Of q yearly half holiday ana
an all-night revelry among the thou
sands Of employees OF the great Van
Dorm works, and the lower part Of the
city, usually 80 gray and WorkAday,
had gone mad with footing OF horns
Changing OF bells, gay lights ana the
laughter and shouts OF the army o
workers whose daily drudgery In min
and factory had built up the enormous
Van Dorm estate.
1t was q warm, almost balmy, win
ter night, with low hung moon that
shed q soft radiance and hid the ding
mess and sordidness Of the streets. A
crowd OF factory girls, dressed in fam
tastic, colorfu1 costumes. swung
through the streets laughing ana
lodging the showers of confetti pelt.
ed at them by tho crowd who STOOD
back to admire their youth One OF
tho girls, dark, radiant little beauty.
whose red lips and dark eyes had ap-
pAreptly not been dulled by long
hours in the factory. turned back 10
cast fiirtatious glance at the throw
err Of the shower of confetti which
she was now shaking from her dark
hair and shoulders.
He was q tall. well-built young man
standing by himself, and he had
caught by the unrestfained mood OF
the night-been following the pretty
brunette for several minutes, pelting
her with confetti in his efforts to at
tract her attention. AS she looked
back he returned her smile and raised
his hat. She tossed him q cheap artt-
q challenge thoughtlessly given and a.
j thoughtlessly accepted. He followed.
I'VE are all friends tonight" he said
The girl smiled back, and in = Sec
ond more her companions had gene
on without her and she was walking
at the strangers side. IF you are a
Van Dorm man it's all right" said the
girl with lust q touch of hauteur that
/ made the young man all tho niore
eager to make the girls acquaintance.
and he didn't tell her that he was an
outsider He asked her whether she
would 60 with him to see the hre-
| works.
YES" said the girl. iii you will
get me back to the girls club by 10
Then they turned up q side street.
] and before the surprised girl knew
what she was doing she had been
| helped into . motor and was sitting
by her companions side.
I'VE can make better time this way
than walking" he said. half apologet-
| ically.
"You are not one Of the factory
men, said the girl. q shade of sus-
picion in her voice. s.Of course you
aren't or you wouldn't have q motor
IL 1t your own :"
The young man didn't go into ex-
plantations. but something In his boy
i ish good humor. that fitted into her
mood. established her confidence.
1t was q marvellous half hour for
both of them, and then they decided
| to go on to the outskirts Of the city
| to wind up the day with a breath OF
| country air.
He turned to look at her. 1t was
partly that and partly the effect Of
the strangeness OF the evening and
partly because he had owned the cal
only q week and wasn't familiar with
it's clutches. He remembered turning
to look at her in the moonlight-theu
the dixxying fall. tho crash OF glaaa
and pounding Of machinery-a long
silence. Two minutes later he sat ny
daxed and unhurt ana rubbed his
eyes. Then he felt the girls hand on
| his arm.
| Are you hurt? Oh, am %
| frightened. think broke my arm
that's all. broke the other one once
SO know how 1t feels"
| Az the young man jumped to his
feet and carried the girl to the motor
which, in spite Of its smashup, wa
still in running order. he did some
lightning thinking. He would dc
/ ~haf {vp RrSp n
the best he could do. and besides he
was q gentleman. Still 1t was an ugly
| mixup to be in with q factory girl; II
would mean q newspaper scandal. He
was determined to spare his mother
| and sisters needless anxiety.
He was speeding toward the nearest
hospital with the girl rather limp and
quiet by his side.
TN tell you just how 1t H." HI
said AZ he felt the pressure Of hes
hand on his arm. Then I'll do what
you say. We were both little fool
! ish to go OF without knowing eacf
other. We both want to avoid q
scandal don't we? Don't be frighten'
ed. am Maddox Van Dorm"
The girl gave cry as she recog.
mixed the name OF the heir to the Var
Dorm millions. He had expected hel
to be surprised. but he didn't know
that she would be 80 distressed. 81
was out tonight because I wanted
to get acquainted with the people
who work for us. No one at home
knows and, OF course. no one wouli
understand. You know how the news
papers would interpret It" He pausei
and looked at her intently. you car
get me In q hole II you want to. littl,
woman. intend to pay you damages
Il I'll do anything that IL fair. It vii
be worth quite a lot to me IL you keel
stin about IL"
i 'Oh, dear" the girl was waiIing