The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-29
THE EVENING STORY
Alan Benedict.

| (By Molly MONASTERY
| The Young ambulance surgeon hur-
ried to the cheap tenement building.
When he arrived, however, the tiny
atom of humanity had preceded him
and was struggling to remain in the
world of living people.
The doctors eyes were grave Wnen
! he saw the infant. To all appear
ances it was drifting slowly into the
| land that knows no recall, ana the
! great pleading eyes of the mother were
| powerless to hold 1t.
| "Christen him." she moaneo iaihliS'
| "he must be christened.
! DR.. Benedict humored the ltaIlan
| mother and took the proffered prayer
! book from one of the KIND nelshpois
who had been in the room.
| What shall / call him.! ne asheu'
| as he turned to the baptismal service:
"Anything-name him after yourseiI,
| rnurnnured the mother, and closed her
anguished eyes. s.o+ 1,,,,
| said the young surgeon graVely, anu
| made cross on the small "hlte ofo"
| When the ceremony was over, the
| infant seemed to have passed with IT.
vet DR.. Benedict was unwilling TO give
| up hope. .ha
| He was ambitious as well as the
| father of tiny son of his own anu
| he was in a position to know Just
| how the moor Italian mother vas SUI
! ferine over the loss of her first born.
| With sudden inspiration he began 10
breathe into the baby's mouth ana SO
| continued until his own strength was
| nearly spent. Perhaps it was 81, per.
| hans 40, minutes before faint signs OF
| life stirred within the feeble body OF
the baby The little blue BODY TOOK
on the pink flush of an early dawn;
the crumpled rose leaf f1uttered ana
lived!
Gil
relief and triumph. He has saved
life and brought a murmur of happl-
ness to a mother. After that Doctor
Benedict went out and closed the oooi
softly behind him.
1t might have been rs years, or even
20. before Doctor Alan Benedict again
remembered the tiny infant he hao
saved In the work of years he nao
risen to great heights in his profession
and was one of the leading surgeons
of the country.
"Papa." exclaimed Sylvia, perching
herself upon his knee and pointing to
an article among musical notes, "lsn
it strange that a man by the name OF
Alan Benedict should be great singer?
l am consumed by desire to see MIN
and hear him sing just because of the
name"
Doctor BENEDICT smiled because he
always smiled when his beautiful Syl-
via was near. He closed his eyes for
a moment in intense thought and When
he opened them memory had brought
back the entire scene in the tenement
room where he had saved the life of
the infant
Sylvias eyes widened while he told
her the story and her cheeks were
flushed.
ut is more than likely that he is
the singer you have read about. Sunny
Italy produces so much in the world
of music be added, and most proba-
bly, he has grown up into a fine husky
basso,'' he laughed.
Tenor" corrected Sylvia, with a tug
at her fathers neck. Daddy" she
asked coaxingly, don't you think we
could ask him to sing at my coming
out party? 1t would be so romantic
and he would be delighted to meet
| the man who helped him to stay in this
| world and make a name for himself"
Splendid idea!' agreed the doctor.
| Make all of your plans. L will be
| most happy to meet the boy"
When Alan Benedict, tenor read the
delicately penciled note that was
signed Sylvia Benedict his heart gave
a great bound. A subtle fragrance
seemed to have been waited into his
| life with the coming of that note. Per-
| fume lowered in the air and something
| told him that Sylvia Benedict would
| usher him into new life even as her
father had ushered him into his first
| life.
| Certainly he would sing at her debut.
He would sing his most beautiful arias,
| but first he would see and talk with
Dr. Alan Benedict. He would tell him
of his struggles from the life of the
| tenements to the gradually ascending
| life of musical star He would tell
him also that he had been awaiting
the day when he could come to him
with great name, and thank him in
person for all that the doctor had done
| for him. Alan Benedict had cherished
peculiarly strong sense of gratitude
for the man who had done so much
for an Obscure atom of Italian human
| ity.
| He did not know why his heart
| pounded with so unusual a force when
his limousine slowed up at the curb OF
DR.. Benedicts home, nor did he an
| alyze the feeling that had taken pos
session of him in regard to Sylvia He
| had never seen her, never even known
/ of her existence, yet some strange
power was keeping her name singing
in his heart.
| When he stepped into the house ne
seemed to have entered upon a flower
| kingdom. There were flowers every
where, and Benedict looked over the
mass of people who had come to well
| come Sylvia into the social whirl, and
| he felt glad that he was to contribute
| to her pleasure. He knew himself to be
| in splendid voice, and as he made mis-
way across the crowded room many
heads turned to watch him. He was
slim and graceful of movement, and
| his olive skin and expressive dark eyes
made many a woman catch a quick
| breath of admiration
| Sylvia, who stood beside her mother
i shaking hands and chattering gayly
| with her guests, felt suddenly star
4 tied. Her heart began to futter and
/ she felt much like a timid bird that
seeks to escape from a swiftly i'm
4 g.