The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-20
The Euening Story
The Lost Letter.
(By Louise oliver. }


| Uncle Dick listened for a minute al
the foot of the stairs. AT last Jim
mic was asleep. Evidently the hot
water bottle and toothache medicine
had done their work, for the means
and groans had stopped. Jimmie's
mother had slipped away a few min
utes before. leaving Uncle Dick in
charge.
Il wouldn't ask you to stay in the
house this beautiful day, Dick" she
had explained to her brother as she
church box has got to be packed to-
day. Besides. Jimmies toothaches
never last long. He's about hal:
| seas over now and will be sound
/ asleep. But if he gets up now it will
| be sure to start again, so he must stay
in bed. The chances are he'll sleep
| until I come home. Goodby, Dickie!
You're dear
She gave him hasty kiss and de-
parted. Poor Dick!" she reflected
He hasn't been himself since Mary
Hampstead went away in the fall.
Here it's almost April and he hash
had any word from her yet. I can't
understand it at all. l always had an
idea that she promised to give Dick
an answer in that letter he's looked
for SO eagerly and that has never
come
Left alone, Dick whistled softly a
Realizing what it was he suddenly
stopped, and at that instant his eyes
fell upon her picture on the manteL
He went over and picked it up.
How could a girl with such eyes as
that treat any one as she had treated
him? He put the picture back in it's
place and turned away Love mad
gone out of his life and, with it, am
bition and hope.
The front door stood open and the
breeze came in soft and warm from
the south. The sun, too, was as bright
and the sky as blue as June.
Near the shed door stood an ole
fishing rod. Dick walked over and
picked it up. The soft wind and blue
sky and the whole outdoors were call
ing him toward the river.
Jimmie and his toothache were for
gotten while he made his way down
the muddy road with the fishing rod
over his shoulder and bucket of
bait in his hand.
through the broken place in the
Hempstead's fence, and thence
through the hickory grove toward the
river, he heard horse behind him.
He turned and looked straight into
the startled blue eyes of Mary Hemp
the look in the blue eyes changed in
Stantly to one of contempt as her
horse galloped by.
Mary home! Could it really be the
girl who had teasing1y promised him
his answer in the first letter on her
visit West.
He turned blindly toward the river
and when he finally reached the place
threw himself down dejectedly on
rock and tried to think.
Meanwhile, Jimmie had n nice COM
Portable nap, thanks to his mothers
doctoring and quiet house, after
which he wakened and hoped out Of
bed, yelling for some one to come and
put his clothes on him.
No one answered. Jimmie went
down stairs to investigate the silence.
door was open and the soft, warm
wind that blew in felt delicious. jim
mic went out onto the porch.
What a bully wind for a kite, and
here he'd been shut up all day missing
it, Suddenly he remembered nc had
no kite. Yesterday it had hooked On
top of the red oak and stuck there.
He had broken the string trying to get
it down.
The red oak was just across the
creek at the foot of the hill. Maybe
the kite had come down. He'd get his
line and go to see.
Setting the action to the idea, Jim
mie fished the kite string out of it's
hiding place and started for the tree,
the wind blowing his night gown
around his bare legs and feet The
soft ground oozed up through his toes
and he squealed delightedly. But the
water III l11C C1CCr was (CAA Wv wv
to wade through. Oooch!
He knew the very thing! Uncle
Ned's bootsi Mother had promised
him a pair of his own, but until they
the others must do.
Back to the house and into Uncle |
Ned's room. He knew where the boots |
were-in a corner of the cupboard. |
He carried them to the porch and |
tried to put them on But they were
miles too high and too heavy. He |
couldn't walk! Jimmie sat down to /
cry, and gave them an indignant kick. |
Out of one boot shot something that |
had been white. Now 1t was dirty, |
wrinkled and twisted. Jimmie grab
bed it and tore away the outside.
well, I'll use this old letter for a /
kite, if 1 can't find mine. Where's
that string L had ?"
The creek and boots were forgotten
Jimmy, still in midnight attire, defied
the prophecies and rne toothache, by
dancing gleefully all over the farm
with his homemade kite.
Down by the river Uncle Dick
srieved Off in town Uncle Ned little
guessed that by accidentally dropping
an important letter into his boots four
before he had all but ruined
the happiness of two lives.
Over in the Hampstead yard Mary
was bordering about the look of mis-
cry in Dick RandalFS eyes as she had
passed him 1t was almost time to