The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-03-10
The EDening Story


Sometimes, do you know. you
watch me as if you were detective,
said Doris Jones, as she was crossing
the campus of Dudley college with her
classmate, Lawrence Smith. Doris
was unusually young to be a senior,
and Lawrence, who had entered Dud-
ley on advanced standing only at the
beginning of the last year, was IN
usually old That is, he was at least
twenty-six years of age, and in his
care-lined face, his occasional nervous
gestures. no less than the way he
wore his business-like clothes. he
looked more like a successful young
lawyer or broker than a college stu
dent.
Honestly, you do look at me in the
funniest way sometimes" Doris per-
sisted, although apparently Lawrence
did not care to discuss the matter.
And 1 have seen you look at other
people that very same way. You must
be interested in human nature"
yes. probably it is that" Law
renee seemed annoyed or at least a lit
tie disturbed. Later, after they had
walked almost to the girls dormitory
where he left Doris, he said, Some
time I shall tell you why I am so in
terested in human nature as you call
it. You will be surprised, 1 am sure. .
And then, lowering his voice, in the
meantime, little girl, don't even for
fun say anything to any one about
that strange expression of mine. -
There were several things about
Lawrence Smith that seemed to make
him stand out from the other men of
his class at college in spite of his OBJ
vious effort to mingle with the men.
In the first place, even the professors
wondered why Lawrence was doing
undergraduate work at all-there is
no postgraduate department at Dud-
ley. For in almost all of his classes
he seemed. with no apparent effort
whatever, to SurpaSS the other men in
his class-not so much through actual
studiousness, but because of his
greater maturity.
Another thing that puzzled his
classmates was this: Apparently, from
his manner and habits, Lawrence
Smith was never without money, STILL
from his first day in college, be ac-
cepted work that only the poorest stu
dents usually would have considered
worth while. For instance, h acted
as cashier during the late afternoon
tea hour at the "Cozy Corner" a tea
room where the girls of the college,
and occasionally the men, dropped in
for refreshments. He got merely A
pittance for this work
But these peculiarities are no
stumbling block in the way Of Smiths
popularity. In tact, he Was one of
the most active officenolders of his
class He had been elected treasurer
at the first class meeting of the year
and treasurer of the athletic assocfa-
ton, though he had been put up for
vice president of that organization
That was strange, too, that he should
nave asked for the lesser honor when
he ha oil f;II
the vice presidents chair. His ex-
cuse was that he liked to keep books
and that he didn't know the first thing
about presiding. Well, anyway, he
made a good accountant and never
had the books of any college class or
any other years athletic ASSOCIATION
been better kept.
1t was the evening of ore of the
first class dances of the season and
Doris Jones ana Lawrence Smith were
sitting OUT one of the several dances
that Lawrence had been permitted to
mark on Doris order. Doris sighed
deeply.
Il do wish you would tell me now
all about yourself" she said. "Of
course I like you-yes, you know 1
love you-but it is hard not knowing
all about you. Do you know. 1 some
times feel as if I didn't know your
name" She stopped suddenly and
turned away from him.
Suppose we finish out this dance"
He tried to be at ease, but clearly he
was not.
, wait a minute putting out a
small hand which she closed around
his wrist. Lawrence, in that book of
Stevenson's that you lent me found
the initials j. t. I really do some
| times wonder whether your name is
| Lawrence Smith,
Cant you trust ne-enough to
know that it is all right-anyway? p"
Yes, yes, 1 can. Promise that you
will trust me, too" Doris had no
special motive in adding this, but
Lawrence had reason soon to attach
special significance to the words
In fact, it was the very next day
that Doris passed Lawrence coming
out of the office of the president of
the college, the latter following the
young man to the door with a degree
of Difference that was not usually ex-
tended to mere students.
Il shall cooperate with you in
every way" she heard him say. ST
understand your reason for not taking
me into your confidence before"
When Doris passed Lawrence he
started with a peculiar pained express
sion that she had never seen before.
But he merely bowed cordially
enough and passed on. That evening.
after dinner, he called at the girls
dornitory and asked to talk with her