The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-15
The Euening Story

(By Elizabeth E. Hoyt. }

/
them were married, one engaged and
two were keeping steady company"
as they say Molly alone had shown
no signs of losing her heart. She had
studied nursing, and she declared to
| her friends that to cure the sick was
all she wanted in life. And, of course,
she might haze gone on nursing peace
| ably forever had not DR.. Richard Ran
| dali come to town.
From the very first, it was evident
/ that the young doctor took a great
| interest in Molly. He saw a good deal
| of her, for she was the only trained
nurse who lived in Easton, and in a
small town like Easton if one person
is very much interested in another
everybody else is pretty sure to know
it. However, the town was sorry to
see that Molly apparently did not re-
ciprocate DIR. Richard Randalrs devo-
| ton, and no one except DIR. Richard
| himself felt worse about this than
Molly's six girl friends.
The first to speak to Molly about it
was Carrie Smith, who had been Car
RE Waters. Carries husband had
had an attack of pneumonia, and
Molly had come to help Carrie out
| and DR.. Randall was the doctor. This
was when Dr. Randall was new, and
Carrie was the first person to see that
| he was head over ears in love with
Molly. And so one night she told her
I
Indifference to the young doctor.
Molly, my dear" she said 81 am
going to speak to you plainly, for 1
| think you can be saved something
| from my experience. 1 have never
spoken about this before, but let me
| tell you it is a great thing to have
the devotion of a man who is inter-
ested in the same things you are. My
poor Henry doesn't care for a thing
in the world but automobiles, and he'd
| rather look at a new catalogue than
eat his dinner. My playing the piano
disturbs him awfully. We haven't a
| thing to talk about evenings nor a
| pleasure to share. 1t almost breaks
my heart sometimes. Think it over,
Molly DEAR
1t was Helen Lake who spoke the
next word to Molly about DR.. Rich
ard. Helen was going with Ralph
! Grlggs, fine young man, but some
four inches shorter than herself
| You ought to be mighty thankful,
Molly Foss." Helen said, "to have a
man like DR.. Randall to take you to
places I'd be pretty nice to him if
size for you" Helen sighed. molly,
L never spoke of this before, but a
girl with such a chance as you have
ought to appreciate a good tall man.
Poor Ralph-sometimes he almost
breaks my heart
|
ing on Betty Arnold Wister whose
husband, Peter, had brought her much
love and a salary of fifteen dollars
week. Molly said Betty, Peter and
are just crazy over each other, but
I'm sure it is really my duty to tell
you how gloomy it is to think that the
slightest mischance would send us
! both to the poorhouse. oh, don't think
believe in marrying for money
Molly, but you ought to take it if you
can get good man, too. DR.. Ran
dali is the most prosperous person in
Easton. II never spoke before of
poor Peter's-er-misfor but
sometimes it almost breaks my heart"
Grace Mcpherson overlook Molly a
few days later. Molly" she said,
you may think it is none of my
| business and 1 am awfully silly but
you know I've seen quite a lot of Tom
Sears lately, and L like him very
much But Sundays he just stays at
home and smokes, and when he takes
me home from evening meeting he al
ways waits outside the church door
l feel so wicked, MollyI And all the
good women of the church look at me
| so reproachfully. as if they were ask
ing why hadn't converted Tom yet.
| But If you knew how impossible-oh
deari when I see DR.. Richard Randall
! coming to church every Sunday, and
especially last Sunday, when he took
the boys class in Sunday SCHOOL,
just envied you, Molly, and 1 thought
| ought to tell you what that means.
never spoke of it before, but al
though poor Toms a darling some
times he almost breaks my heart"
| Gertrude Fiske Ingraham called on
Molly on purpose to deliver her mes
sage. II am going to tell you frank
| ly," she said, that you don't half APP
preciate DR.. Richard RandaH's family
connections. I know a girl who lives
in Rye, where his family came from,
and she said his mother had Just read
a paper before the womens club on
the mistake it was for relatives to
come to live with a young couple. [
vow l never spoke of this before, but
what with Mother Ingraham and
Grandmother Ingraham and Cousin
Sophronia and Great-aunt Dorcas all
living with Percy and me and all
| wanting to run the house, from pour
ing the tea to bringing up the baby 1
tell you sometimes 1t almost breaks
my heart"
Moily's dearest friend, Lou Thomp-
son, who was to be married in June,
came to Molly few weeks before the
wedding. MOLLY" she confided. IT
know you'll understand why 1 tell you
this, for I'm doing it not to hurt John
but for your own sake. I love John,
but he's so forgetful of little things
that sometimes he almost breaks my
heart. He doesn't take off his hat as
soon as he comes into the house-and
things like that, you know. 1 never
| dreamed of speaking of this before
| Until you've had an experience like
mine you won't know that manners
can be more aggravating than any
thing else in the world. And you
ought to know how important they
are, Molly, for DIR. Richard Randall
has the best manners 1 ever saw in
any man in all my life. What is the
matter with you, Molly? L know he
must have asked you"
FOL
Dear LOU she said, Richard Ran
dali is too perfect. He is interested
in the right thing, he is the right size,
he has good income, he's got the best
kind of habits, and the best kind of
relatives. and he's eugenic, and ia
therlX and generous. and be has the