The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-07-05
The EVENING STORY
The Winner.

! had not occurred TO MIN TO tnlnk. he
! had simply felt.
The falling seldom hurts-the stop
! ping does that. And the specific rea-
son for Williams stopping was that
| one green, blossomy morning late in
! May he somehow escaped the Office
| and went striding up the street to
| the sprawling, comfortable old house
4 where F1orrie lived. He was going
/ to take her for walk.
! The big fellow went humm1ng
! along, thinking of flowers on the hill
| sides beyond the town and the dan
! cling delight of the girl who would be
| beside him. She would love walk
| on such a day.
sentiment he turned the corner near
| her home just in time to see her
| placed, all too tenderly, in John
| Carey's new car, while that gay and
! care-free gentleman took the wheel
and rapidly slid away with the lady.
| Williams jaw dropped and his heart
sank. Unseeingly he almost ran into
| F'lorrie's mother.
The good lady gave him a glance
between contempt and pity. She was
| on his side; she knew her daughter,
and her advice was to the point.
william Randolph, you need to
wake up! You don't know when you
are walked on! Neither do you seem
to know that no live girl worships the
| sidewalk under her feet. Can't you
] see that you are engaged to Florence
/; but that she is not bound to you? You
| are bound, but she is free. She knows
you'll not make a fuss about her run
ming about with John Carey. You
| ought to. He looks in earnest to me
| and I don't like him. Don't let
I F1orrie begin to think she does" The
. lady left him still standing there.
! After standing moment in
thought, he moved on down the
street without aim or pleasure. He
seemed to see the girl go out of his
4 I,0Ia ID hnf q
| him. But he tried deliberately to per-
| form the process known as coming to
| his senses. He began to think, and
| as he thought, his anger rose. Count
every liberty-she took his ALL and
| carelessly gave him what she had to
| spare. She was too sure of him.
| Being a practical man he took i'm
| mediate action. If there was another
man, there could be also another girl.
| He marched back to the big spraWly
house and lifted its ancient knocker.
! His prospective mother-in-law, grim
J ming, opened the door.
you look disturbed. That's good,
| she remarked.
''Where did they go?" he queried.
ITO the country club to play golf''
Her eyes twinkled. "Going to rescue
| her?"
NO; I am going to rescue myself.
Is Nan at homer" She called that
, pert IT year old, who appeared lazily,
her great brown eyes half asleep over
a book, her cloud of fair hair over her
! shoulders.
viii you go to the club and golf
| with me, Nan? Would you like the
walk? Come on
She stared moment, owl-like.
Then, her mothers daughter, she
grinned wisely.
peared again clad entrancingly for
| a tramp. "So-the worm has turned ~
mind watching him. Count on little
sister,"
That was the beginning of sur
prises for Miss Florence. Surprise
shone from her little dark face when
she saw the faithful William and her
little sister playing real golf on the
links. William, passing her, talked
| moment amicably. He was so unangry
that she tried to murmur word that
she was sorry she hadn't known he
was coming.
st didn't ask for you-it's all
right. Go and enjoy yourself-Nans
a crack partner" He teed off, and
the girl stood watching him. At the
next round, catching sudden sight of
her sister, she seemed to realize for
the first time the child's great beauty
and remembered that Nan was-a
/ woman. She thought to meet them at
luncheon, but William bought a lot
of eatables. and she presently saw
them starting off for the hillside. Nan
waved a hand.
Were off for some gypsying-a
loads of violets.'
Carey remarked carelessly, your
sister is something of a beauty. What's
she been doing to herself? She looks
walked up
F1orrie laughed and opined that she
was up to some mischief
After this when William came to
the house, which was as frequently
Co.. II
girls, he brought flowers for both, and
candies and magazines. Strangely
enough he seemed fated to come on ev-
enings and afternoons when Florrie was
off with Carey, or Gray or Perry, or
some other of her hangers-on, and Will
liam was all too cheerful to suit her.
She began to turn keen glance on
Nan. One day she said sharply before
that young lady:
Mother, don't you think Mans get
ting too young ladyfied? And isn't
she running about a bit too much?"
Don't be jealous. You mean about
Willie? You didn't want him your
self Why shouldn't 1 console him?
He's good fun. If you want John /
Carey and his money, good luck to
you
Mother" said Florrie in an out
ragged tone, chow can you let her talk
in such an ill-bred Manner
Again Nan laughed. Mother held her
peace.
F'lorrie went off boiling with wrath.
But she took stock with herself. What
did she want? Did she want William?
All that he was came to her-aH that
the other man was. Carey had the |
fairy wand and she had but to choose
to have everything.
AS she thought she glanced from
the window. In the garden beneath |
William was walking with her sister, |
his head bent down, while he laughed |
and chartered to the girl Nan looked |
Snrnethine made Flor |