The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-16
The Euening Story
Lily's Letter.
(By Dorothy DouKlas.)

1890
had been most disappointing. She had
not met single attractive man dur
ing her seven days at Sea Cliff. and
ing seriously of returning to the city.
AT home, she at least had the society
OF the boarders who shared her moth
er,s comfortable hospitality.
However: On the eighth day OF her
vacation Lily saw young man, the
very sight of whom sent a wave of
color into her cheeks. Lily was young
1T is. positively wicked to be SO
good looking" she told herself, as she
watched the young man dive from the
| springboard at the end Of the pier
Nov, why can't a man like that elect
| to stop at the same hotel do-there
would be a ghost Of chance af be-
coming acquainted then" Lily smiled
ruefully. mo such luck for me-" she
added. and watched the unconscious
| swimmer with admiring eyes.
When another day or two had pass
| ed Lily began to give up hope. Ger
she had ever spent her hard-earned
salary on. There seemed no one at
the hotel or the beach who appealed
to her as a. possible friend save the
young man whom she watched daily
| at his morning swim.
She Lever admitted, even to herself
that she had deliberately let fall the
! letter that she had received from her
| mother that morning. However, Lily
| did drop the letter and walked swiftly
| on without daring to look back to
| ascertain just who had picked it up.
Fortunately it was the wickedly
handsome young man who saw the
letter fall. and it was he was picked
vanishing figure of Lily in order to
restore the property Instead, with
masculine intrigue working, he took
| careful note of the name on the en-
| velope and aso the address of the
sender which was written in the up
| per corner. ,s.-e
When he had put both name and
address in his notef book for further
reference, Jack Bassington enclosed
the letter in another. envelope and
sent it to Lily Brayton at the Sea
Cliff address.
If the girl was disappointed that
her letter was returned by mail rath-
er than by male she did not show it.
Somehow she had fancied it would
be brought back in person, but it had
not been, and her vacation was~near
| ing an end, SO it mattered little now
whether she met new acQuaintanceS
or mot = She sighed wistfully, and
when Lily sigh-d it was a more or
| less serious emotion that had moved
her, for she was not prone to mOping.
| During the last two days of her va
| cation she watched in vain for him
! who had excited her heart beats to
| SO alarming an extent. That he had
| left the resort seemed a most dofeful
fact. Lily rejoiced that she would not
| be remaining in the place that had
been robbed of his presence.
| In the meantime Jack Bassington's
| vacation had come to an end and he
had returned to the city.
| Being without a family and home in
| the city itself he was free to live
where fancy and pocketbook dictated.
10 yov,t 6irnp frnvV fHo tot 70
the address he had seen in the corner
of the envelope addressed to Lily
| BraytOn. He felt reasonably certain
| that he could find a boarding house
| near that address and, perhaps, some
wild chance would throw her across
his path during the winter months.
1t would do no harm to live near to
her home since he would at least see
her from time to time If only in pass
| ing. Bassington's chin suggested that
he went straight for the things he
most desired in life. Lily Brayton,
cipient. of many longing glances from
young Bassington's blue eyes.
| When he caught sight Of the brown.
stone front house that bore the num-
Der he had put carefully down in his
notebook Bassington whistled softly
and delightedly.
| Just under the number a small
brass plate informed passersby that
there were vacant apartments within.
Washington bounded up the steps two
rang the bell. The maid who answered
his ring led. him into the little Office
and there he, made arrangements to oc-'
cupy the daintily furnished room on the
third floor.
Mrs Brayton smiled when -Bassing-.
ton went up the stairs. She did not
know why she had taken in a stranger
without any kind of reference. but she
realized that her new boarder was the
kind of man whom one instinctively
trusts. She hoped Lily, too, would have
the same feeling regarding him.
| When Lily returned two days later
Mrs. Brayton sighed. Her daughters
eyes were Swallowed and her smile
seemed less frequent than of yore.
Perhaps our new boarder will cheer
her up" the fond mother reasoned.
THE sight of his good looking face is
sufficient to chase smiles into any girls
| lips"
Mrs. Brayton was not prepared, how
ever. for the vivid rush of color into
Lily's cheeks when at the dinner table
| Mr.. BassingtOn was introduced to her.
| The girl stammered a greeting and sat
swiftly down to cover her embarrass-
ment. She hoped that no one had wit
messed her start of surprise and the
annoying color that had famed into
| her cheeks
| Bassington was even more nervous
inwardly but outwardly he was COOL
| ness itself. 1t was not often that he
was so completely mastered by girls
personality. His dinner was eaten me-
chemically. while all the time he lis
tened to every word that fell from the
lips of Lily Brayton. She, having =re-
covered herself, realized. that great
good luck had presented itself to her
and she was happy accordingly. She
| laughed and jOked and was the Lily
| that her mother had sighed for. There
was no shadow in her eyes now and
Mrs. Brayton rejoiced.
| It was not until after dinner and the
guests went up on the roof with steam
er chairs and rugs to enjoy a starry sky
that Washington confessed. He and