The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-08-19
The EUening Story
EmiIY'S Offer.
(By Keith Kenyon


Il don't see Morton Brown around
here any more, Emily. Did you have
the bad judgment to turn him down ?''
John Forster looked very straight at
his daughter as he put this question
We'll, daddy, L turned him down
only because L couldn't care for him
as he wanted me tc, and surely you
don't think it would have been good
judgment to marry somebody L didn't
care for?' Emily sat with her ell
bows resting on the library table and
her chin resting on her hands.
Il don't know what girls want now
adays, but it seems to me Morton
ought to pretty nearly Till the bill for
any girl, and. Emily, L know he has
been hoping for you foc long time"
well, he oughtn't to have been
too sure of me. But he'll get over it,
for love is Just a form of intoxica-
ton" As Emily spoke she settled
chair.
tIntoxication. is it? Wen. see here,
daughter, don't you try to start
prohibition movement against it. If
what do you think of your mothers
and mine lasting all these years?"
asked John Forster, with a queer
smile. His daughter had lately be-
come a puzzle to him.
''On, we'll, temperance in all things
works well, you know, and while I've
no idea of starting prohibition cam
paign against love for those who are
seeking It or giving it, I prefer to be
strictly temperate myself" Emily's
father did not reply at once, but he
sat with twinkling eyes regarding her.
Never forget this, daughter, that
man and woman were made for each
other, and that either alone is a poor
half of what they could be together.
I'm going upstairs to see what's keep
ing your mother" he said.
Emily sat looking into the fire. She
was thinking of the pale, panied face
of Morton Brown when she had told
him she was quite convinced that she
would never marry She also thought
of the angry flash that came into his
brown eyes when size told him of her
board of managers of an institution
for social service work.
"Obsessed with the uplift idea, like
a lot of other people who fail to see
the opportunity right at hand for a
complete life and a normal one" Had
Morton refraiaed from that remark
the parting would have been different.
"And you seem obsessed with the
idea that you can win me according
to the same formula you use in writ
ing your advertisements Emily
darted in reply. do you remember
telling nee the steps taken in writing
an advertiser emit ?"
Yes" said Morton, wondering why
on earth she asked.
LAS 1 remember it, you said first,
to attract attention; second, create in
terest; third arouse desire, and,
fourth, make the sale. You succeeded
in the first two, but you failed in the
last two simply because you neglected
to take into consideration that you
were not appealing to prospect
who needed or wanted the particular
article of which you wanted to dis
pose, and I remember you told me that
was a vital point never to be lost sight
Of
Morton vaguely remembered hav-
ing talked this sort of shop talk to
Emily sometimes because she seemed
but that she had remem-
bered it and flung it pack at him in
this way amazed him almost as much
as it angered him.
A few minutes after she had said
1t he was on his way to his apart
ments and she was sitting alone be-
fore the fireplace. That was two
months ago. and since that time they
had met only at two or three formal
social affairs or when motoring, when
only a nod was their greeting During
those months Emily had worked hard
on her social service committees and
had been less than usual in formal
society. She heard that Morton had
almost deserted his club and was de-
voting himself to business with as
contract of one of the largest national
advertisers in the country
All her associations with him SEEM
ed very far away in the past, and she
felt that there was little about her
that was vital and worth while, in
spite of all the enthusiasm with which
she had begun her settlement work
Even her mother and father were be-
ginning to leave her to herself. She
did not suspect that crafty John |
Forster was OBTAINING his wife up |
stairs for the specific purpose of al |
lowing Emily's mind an opportunity |
to run in the direction he had pointed |
as he left the room.
The next morning Emily went down
to late breakfast and found that her
mother had breakfasted with her |
father and accompanied him down |
town. She ate her grapefruit without
apparent relish and told the maid to I
bring her nothing but black coffee
and toast Then she picked up the
paper and glanced over the
hea dimes, and was about to lay the
paper down when she saw the name
of Morton Brown under an article
headed Employer Risks Life to Save
There followed an account of a fire
the evening before in the building of
which Morton's advertising agency
occupied the top floor. 1t told how
Morton refused to leave the floor un-
til he knew that every employee had
been taken down the fire escape, and