The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-24
THE EVENING STORY
Lieutenant Beeks, Convert.
(By Grace Kerrigan.)

Lieut.. John Beeks, U. s. A, had
known almost every type OF woman.
He had gone to school and parties
with the simple, pretty village girls
of his home town; he had danced with
and been polite to the young women
his classmates had asked to the acad-
envy hops; he had called on, attended
teas with, and escorted a number OF
the mere mature type of girls he found
in the officers set when he was on
shore duty; and when his ship lay in
foreign ports he had laughed gaily with
fascinating French girls, tiny japanese
maidens and rosy German daughters.
But-he had not found his own particu-
lar girl.
He knew definitely what kind of girl
he did not want. Il will not marry
suffra gettei" Lieut. Beeks had been
heard to remark on an occasion when
his friends-men and women-were
chatting him about his fastidiousness.
II don't want q woman who is pining
for the ballot. I'll do the voting for
my family
you've got the vote, all right, Beeks
now set the family said a brother
officer.
But the young officer was not in the
least worried about not having found
a wife. He liked the life of the navy;
he liked to be far from land on
long cruise with ship full of congen-
ial companions. And somewhere in his
conscientious makeup Lieut.. BeekS be-
lieved that when he did marry it would
be necessary to seek port duty and be-
come a more stationary citizen.
1t CHANGED that in May his ship
was ordered with others of the fleet
to the New York harbor to take part
in a wonderful naval parade. The oc-
casion was the celebrating of an i'm
portant centennial and there were
lore. The great ship was dressed in
her gayest flags and every officer and
man about her was in spick and span
attire.
The day following the great water
parade and review of battleShips, Lieut..
Beeks with a brother officer went
ashore to view some of the entertain
ments the city had provided for the
occasion.
AS the two navy men stepped from
a taxicab at the cornor of Fifth ave-
nue. and Fifty-ninth street they were
made aware Of the fact that there
were swarms of women about them.
There were young women, old wom-
en-, middle-aged women. They stood
about in groups and seemed to be
forming some sort of line. Lieut..
Beeks looked up at a large yellow
banner that caught his eye just as he
stepped to the pavement. Votes Cor
Women it said. Makers of men
should be makers of laws" he read
on another. Everywhere he saw yell
low banners, yellow hats, yellow PEN
dants, yellow cockades, and there
seemed to be more women there than
he believed there were in the world.
Fine business We came ashore for,
Long, he remarked to his fellow Of
ficer
Fine he muttered. ''And it looks as
if we might have to stand here till the
parade forms. I'm not for crowding
through that bunch of yellow banners"
Everybody votes but mother." sang
out a small boy from the top of the
stone wall around the park.
In spite of himself Lieut.. Beeks
laughed heartily Trust the small boy
to- put in his oar every time" he said.
Lieut.. Long looked thoughtful. Hes
right, too. Everybody does vote but
he said earnestly. And ny
own mother was the man of her house
though she got small credit for it,
Beeks turned and looked him square
1y in the face. so soon, old man?
Converted? Well. why don't you get a
banner and march,
would replied Long without al
smile. "It might be little enough I
could do for my mothers SEX" he
added.
At that moment young girl in a |
back to them in the crowd turned to
look at the two men.
Pardon me-" she said. with the
rarest smile. "but-there is a mans
find it at the corner of Sixth and
F'ifty-ninth.'' She turned her back
again.
Both officers removed their hats in
acknowledgment and thanking her.
tried to move on.
lieutenant Beeks was reluctant to
leave the spot where the girl stood,
and Fate was on his side. They could
make little or no progress and he had
opportunity to study the profile of the
girl in white.
''She's the personification of the
'c1inging vine'-not at all the kind of
girl L thought was hollering for
votes" John Beeks remarked.
And she's not 'hollering' you'll
notice." Long added. Yes, 1 think
I'll march"
mot for me-Tn stay here, old
man. So long"
he could look at the girl in white. His
fellow officer threaded his way slowly
the groups of girls and wom-
en- and found the mems contingent of
the parade. There he took his place
in line, and when two or three hours
later Lieutenant Beeks viewed the pa
rade from point of vantage Long was
as seriously for the cause"
as were the thousand other men in
the group.
John Beeks was thinking man
and as the hundreds of women and
men walked past him with dignified,
purpose in every step he be-
gan to wonder if he had not looked
at only one side of this woman ques-
ton. The women who passed before
him were of the type he had always
known, we'll bred. cultured looking
Was this vast army in error
in its judgment, and was he right?
His thoughts reverted to the girl in
white. She was as dainty as a dowerl
and as beautiful. he thought Hell