Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-25
THE DAILY STORY.
LEONA.
Copyright, 1911, by W. Werner,

! The purple and gold and crimson
| OF autumn foliage is cheerful enough
when the sun glitters on it, But when
the nrst gray rains of October turn
1t INTO limp, wet ugliness cheerful
ness Is as far removed from the land
scape as from muddy popcorn bail
Leona Graham kicked petulantly at
the soaked masses Of fallen leaves as
she cut through the patch of scrub
wood that lay between the north end
of the small town and the shabby lit
tie house that was home to her, her
1--WE brothers ranging in age from
seven to twentY-one and her shiftIess.
clever. hopeful, hopelessly impractical
old father. 1t depended on the
weather and Leona's humor which adj
1ectlves she thought Of Her mother
mad been dead six years Leona was
eighteen and discouraged. It had
been hard and nerve-rackinr to cook
anu WASH and sew for the boys She
, them at least had been girls. Then
she could have managed to get along
or 10 get away into the world She
might nave gone to high school longer
IMAM tour months. Those four months
had been in Leona's fifteenth wear.
ana she had quit tempestuously. High
schooi IT seemed. had been more a
matter OF clothes. primpng. snubs.
Shoos ana enc coiffures than of the
lessons she had foolishly supposed
Ioday as she came out of the cor
ner grocery store. her arms loaded. a
group OF hlGh-school girls stood on the
corner laughing with a crowd of
young fellows. None of them spoke.
months in the same classrooms. She
passed them silently. Presently one
OF the girls hurried past her and met
a tai. well dressed young fellow. In
ler 1mpetuous rush she knocked a
parcel from Leona's hold. The apol-
ogv that she called back was SO very
careless as to be no apology at all
NE Fanny.' the girl called, gayly,
10 the tall young fellow who had smil-
ingly halted at sight of her I've
coaSed Edith to make a fourth at our
table tonight. And if you don't take
a fair share of the prizes
Ihey strolled away, chatting and
laughing. Mr.. Vanny raised his hat
to Leona and she bowed stiffly. Then
she took tighter hold upon her par
cells. turned to the short cut through
the scrub wood and kicked petulantly
at the sodden leaves 1t was. eff
course, nothing to her that Jim Vanny.
a new arrival in the town. should be
walking with Clara jennings from
whose fathers store Leona was carry
ing those groceries. Clara had sat
opposite Leona at nigh school, but she
never showed any sign that she re-
membered. Young Mr.. Vanny. who
was in either the advertising or solic-
iting business-Leona didn't exactly
know which-had been out one even
ing to the shabby house to see her
father They had talked about pat
ents and weird plumbing devices and
freak washing machines-all the i'm
practicable things that her imprac-
teal father wasted his days dream
ing over.
Bertram. the Oldest of the boys.
had lounged in sullenly about 8
o'clock. Leona put away her basket
of mending to get his supper and try
to coax him into a good humor Ber-
tram tried hard to work. He was an
anna teur plumber, locksmith and err
rand chap in general to the town.
Leona, coaxing, learned that he had
been unable to repair a broken pipe
for an old lady in the time laid down
by her. So she had paid him only
half what she had promised.
"Doggone her. he muttered. Dog
gone everything doggone myself"
Leona had looked from the small