The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-02
The Euening Story
BERTHE Takes a Swim.
(By Louise OIiver.)

nursing a groucn- war news. Assoc /
ciated Press stuff and specials to fill /
outside towns weren't enough to fill |
the morning sheet. If the presidents |
train would only wreck ITSELF or the |
mayor swallow a pin, or some kind /
hearted crank blow up the court /
house, life might be worth living. But i
just now he felt that things were going |
to perdition and the cubs around him |
were hurrying them along.
Ellis, the sporting editor, slammed |
the door on his way to the ball game. |
''S'long, fellows!" he sang he went
Dorkin whose duty it was to CLEAN |
automobile stuff for Sunday, lit a |
I cigarette and departed.
OF the four who remained, Rankin,
Marsh and Burns were the ones upon |
whom the papers reputation depend
ed. Each had made his killing and |
was expected to make more. Murders, |
elopements and robberies were in their |
line. To them the chief gave brief di-
rections for the daily rummage, and |
they left.
Bert Van Buren, stood waiting for the |
| boss" to speak. The latter looked |
him over. "You-let me see-you |
might get the latest in fall clothes or |
Richley wedding. No. waitl Get a |
ticket for Beechmont Mrs. Harding |
Haines, the culptor is doing a group |
for something or other and is going to
Something like that, anyway. En-
gineer an interview with the lady. |
Find out what she eats for breakfast |
how she does her hair and whether it's |
her own, who her first husbands aunt |
was the last wife of and what she |
pays her laundress. Take a camera. |
There, get along nowi''
! Bert's rebellion boiled over in the
corridor. What in thunder's wrong
with me that 1 always draw a ladylike |
oh 7 10
clothes pressed, and hands manicured |
and battle twice day, or because of |
! past gentility? The chief seems to |
think it rhymes with 'senility' pretty |
we'll"
Whats all this about % inquired a |
feminine voice behind him. rs it the !
heat or merely tantrum?''
| Neither, now!' Bert turned, smil- |
ing. Both, an instant agoi'
'.Y GU always say nice things
Il can't help it when you're around, !
Molly"
They went down to the street to-
gether.
3, Say, BERTHE, I'm leaving
| What"
m leaving!"
! why"
She laughed little sly1y ooh, I'm
like the little boy in the poem
| I've got The hives
And new straw hat,
And I'm goin' back home
Where my beau lives at
He stopped as though a bullet had
put a hole in a vital spot. 81 con-
graduate you, Molly he managed to
get out. hadn't an idea you were
| engaged
!, -'Well-I'm not exactly. I guess
shouldn't have said that. But mother
is making an awful fuss about me
doing newspaper work and insists up
on me going home and marrying a
man she's picked for me-
( And you?"
She sighed. I'm going to look him
over. If he suits my fancy 1 may
oh, 1 don't know what I'll do. You'll
know if You get cards" They turned
into the station together. Goodbye,
/ Bertie!" She held out her hand. "rve
| enjoyed our good times together and
| our association in the office. I'd
really rather stay-but it's mother. I
went to work without her consent l
must try to make it up some way
now"
A hour later, the young man found
himself unloaded at the entrance gate
to the Harding-Haines place. He had
preferred walking the quarter mile to
| the house to get few pictures of the
grounds.
He had passed group of Gins,
wonderful shrubbery, and an Italian
garden. and was approaching a per-
COLA, when he spied a swimming pool,
cool, marble lined and inviting. He
looked around. Things were quiet.
except for a woodpecker hammering
near, and somewhere in the distance
the dull hum of a grass mower.
He was hot and dusty and ever since
his talk with Molly there had been q
queer feeling in his head. The solitude
of the place spelled safety. Why not
take a plunge? So in a few minutes
he was in the bath, his clothes and
camera slowed away beneath ny
drangea.
The water was soothingly refreshing
,s,Ser
close to the shadow of overhangjng
shrubs And then-as ne neared the
place from which he had started, he
heard a voice, a woman's, quite close:
Here, Jenkins. put the tea wagon
by this stone bench. I'll wait here
for Miss Mary
Bert thought of his clothes, not five
feet from the bench. and danger of
discovery became imminent when the
same person remarked: when you
go back, Jenkins. send Green 70 me.
| These shrubs are entirely too thick
They need thinning around the water.
You may co.
cold as the situation grew warm. Jen-
kins retreated and the voice spoke no
more, but Bert knew that madam,
probably Mrs Harding Haines herself,
was seated go near that ne could nave
touched her
Then MARY arrived. A car came
| rapidly up the drive and stopped Now
was the accepted time and Bert was
about to make grab for his clothes
when Green appeared upon the OPP
posite side of the pool There was
nothing for it but to drop quickly back
! into the water under cover of the
| bushes.
But in the instant something had
/ happened. Bert had seen the girl. His
heart nearly stopped beating, for
Mary was his Molly. And by the
time she and madam were slipping tea
by the pool side, Mr. Bertram Van
Buren, was considering whether or not
! it would be a good idea to duck his
/ head under the water and hold it there
until he drowned
But bark, Madam was talking. An