The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-04-18
TIE EVENING STORY
SamueI'S Admiration.

I
| in Beams Corners, and in the eyes of
Mehitable Smithers the minister Jagged
| far behind in eligibility. Samuel Spicer
undoubtedly had many points in his
favor. He was postoffice clerk, to be-
gin with; he was study Spanish on
the photograph night and morning,
subscribed to three magazines and sang
| tenor in the church quartet
| But Mehitable's eligibility lay en-
| tirely in the fact that she was Me-
| hitable, and the coincidence. that she
was penniless, wholly dependent on the
generosity of her kind-hearted uncle
and aunt; that she knew no language
but her own, and couldn't carry a
| tune, were facts that Samuel Spicer
felt certain pleasurab1e sense of gen.
crosby in overlooking.
'Mehitable," he used to say as they
sat on her Encle's front porch after
the work at the postoffice was done
for the day, "Mehitable, I can't get
over thinking how wonderful it all is.
To think that it was you-you out Of
all the girls in the worldE'
This thought. though productive of a
feeling of elation in the heart of Sam
uel Spicer, was far from stimulating to
Mehitab BILE. It did not seem at all Won
derful to her that she had fallen in
love with Samuel because he was quite
obviously the most attractive and de-
sirable man in Beams Corners and
other parts of the world she was per-
fectly willing to take on faith. But
having a woman's tact she only pressed
Samueps hand tenderly when he aired
this point of view, and then she tried
to change the subject. But Samuel
liked to dwell on it.
"Of course, I have known more
beautiful women"-it seemed absurd to
Mehftable to speak of the pretty girls
in Beams Corners as beautiful women,
and obviously he had known no others
= and 1 have known -cleverer les
and women with greater fortunes and
with more accomplishments. 1 could
admire them, Mehitable, but I could
never love them"
Then Mehitable would smile play
fully, though as a matter of fact she
was ill-pleased with Samuels would-be
compliment
When Mehitab1e got the first i1fkling
of the fact that she was to inherit her
great aunt's fortune-an inheritance
large enough to make her by far the
best-endowed young woman in Beams
Corners-she said nothing to Samuel
about it. She waited till she was sure,
waited, in fact, till she had the paper
in her hand which proved the fact be-
yond a doubt. At last, thought She
at last she had the wherewithal to fill
San1uePS greatest expectation. Now
she could become accomplished, and
she could buy the clothes that would
make her beautiful, and learn Ian
guages not her own, and so demand
Samuers admiration as well as his
love.
With hands that were cold with pent-
up excitement, and heart that
thumped like a trip-hamm in her
young breast, she waited for Samuel
one night to tell him of her great good
fortune. While she was waiting she
recalled the times that Samuel had told
her that for her sake he was giving
up the hours that he might have de-
voted to his own education. Now
thought Mehitable, there would be
enough money for them both to gain
an education and the omplishments
that were apparently part of SamuePs i
dream of happiness.
But when Mehitable told Samuel of
her good fortune he seemed to fade |
away from her. He tried to smile and |
share her happiness.
Samuel" she coaxed, thinking that |
he did not realize the truth of what !
she had told him 1T means many |
thousands of dollars for us both every |
year. 1t means that I shall have a |
chance to become accomplished, that 1 /
can dress as prettily as any girl you /
ever knew. 1t means that you can go |
to college if you want to-Sam, it is
all your dreams come true
But Samuel felt disappointment |
that he did not understand. He wanted |
to know that he was everything to Me-
hitable.
Samuel" Mehitable was saying,
"iust think, it will mean college edu-
cation for you. We will still be young
when you are through
II didn't know, Mehitable, that 1
wasn't good enough as L was, said
Samuel, feeling the color coming into
his cheeks. ct didn't know that just
because you had a fortune in your
hot IA
your mind about me-
Mehitable tried to explain, but
Samuel though in his heart he knew
that Mehitable had meant no offense,
INDUCED his spirit of pique to the
utmost. So it was that on the very
day that people in Beams Corners
heard of Mehitable's good fortune,
she returned to Samuel the little ring
she had worn with so much pride for
so many months. When autumn came
she went to the city school The min
lister and her girl friends and her I'M
Gle and aunt went to see her off and
from a corner of the postof-
flee watched with bitterness of heart
as he saw the last gray cloud of smoke
from the locomotive that carried her
away
Hard as this was it was not till
weeks had increased to months that
realized the depth of his loss.
He thought of her as he had first
known her-he recalled the appealing
sim plicity of her ways then and the
delight she had shown in his various
accom- plishments. Mehitable Smith
ers was a thing of the past, and in
Her place was the wealthy Miss Smith
ers who every day was growing fur
Their from him.
After three months MehitabIe came
back. She had not even told her aunt
and uncle that she was coming and
the fact was that she came only be-
cause she could stay away no longer.
It was early in the morning, about the
time that most folks in Beams Cor