The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-08-26
EVENING STORY
BY Consent.


thereby kept her friends guessing as
to her moods and manners.
In the days of her small girlhood,
the Shelbys had lived next door to her
at Yorktown, and had later moved to
Norfolk Now, Eloise was making her
first visit in many years to Miriam
Shelby, and instead of being enter
tanned, owing to the piquancy of her
ways and dress, she was herself the
entertainer.
Big, breezy, man of. the world Tim
Darcy invited her to be his guest at
the races within half an hour after ne
met her. Miriam's brother Dick told
her about hearing Darcy remark to
Edgar Herdon that he was going to
have some locker at the races to-
morrow. drop around to the box ana
meet her. She's been around in the
world
In answer to the invitation, Her
don dropped around during luli
in the activities, and found big Tim,
for once in his life, i'll at ease and OBJ
viously anxious. The girl who was his
guest was some locker, rouno eyeu,
adorable, tinidly endeavoring not TO
appear shocked at the dreadful spec
tacle of horse races and betting. DICK
Shelby, who had made 1t a point 10
be there, also realized that she was
having the time of her life in playing
unsophisticated, sheltered damsel
that she appeared today, and he treat
ed her with extravagant difference:
GoWned in full, short dress or fine
organdy, with big pink flowers, soIt,
white fichu tucked primly about the
throat and fastened with pink tea
rose, she looked demure indeed.
big poke bonnet, with pink roses and
black velvet ribbons completed the
picture of an old-fashioned girl-a girl
who looked as out of place in her sur
n a
Herdon, who, altho close friend
of Darcy, was, strangely enough, a
man eff the oId-school type, and his
heart warmed to the quaint maiden
he had just met. She refreshed MS
soul, and he promptly begged her to
attend studio tea that he was giving
on Saturday to a group of dignified
friends of his mother and his stately
married sister.
On saturday the older guests assem-
bled early, and to them Herdon boast
ed of his find, dainty, fragile blossom
of a girl, absolutely foreign TO the
usual type of society butterfly, and all
innocence and unworldliness. So we'll
had he paved the way that when
Eloise's name was announced a
pleased flutter of expectancy pervad-
ed the room. The few men guests,
who were present for business reasons
rather than inclination, assumed a
manner of bored indifference-but
only 1Or moment.
When she entered, every one gasped,
for a golden, glittering siren glided in,
striking1y arrayed in next seasons
style. Her dress was of shimmering
golden silk smartly short. Around the
ankles of her silken hose were en-
broidered tiny green serpents, and her
left wrist was Enclosed by a bracelet
wrought in the semblance of a serpent.
Her hat was the last word in Paris
style, and accentuated the darkness of
her alluring eyes. She flourished a
cigarette case, and offered her pet
ladies, who were so shocked that they
failed to notice that she herself alb
stained from smoking.
The bored, Indifferent male mem
bers of the party nearly annihilated
each other in the effort to devote
themselves to her. in spite of the frigid
manner of the ladies present. Eloise
received their homage with a gra-
cio usness that made each individual
man feel that it was directed to him
alone. with one exception. Dick Shell
by kept in the background and made
no effort to talk to her. But when
she arose to go, he, with quiet assur-
ance, presented himself as her escort.
Tor moment she hesitated, and then,
| bowling, accepted his arm.
where's Miriam this afternoon?"
| he asked, when they were in the car
and speeding homeward.
| Miriam? oh, she wouldn't be a
party to my wickedness, SO she stayed
at home conso1ing herself with Freddy
Andrews, was the gay response.
Now look here, Eloisei You are a
sumner, and you know it, and you've
| got every one up in the air about you,
| but there is no sense in making people
think you a regular Lorelei and that's
| the impression you gave them today.
a joke is all right, but I'm not going
to have that kind of a notion spread
about you. If you're doing it for ex-
citement, let me provide you with
some of the real kind for tomorrow.
As your hoStessS brother, / am sup
| posed to do my share in entertaining
you. 1 guess Miriam thinks 1 have
thrown her down when it comes to
that
The brown eyes of the girl turned
road straight ahead. Suddenly Eloise
smiled "All right, Dick! For Mir
Jams sake. then. What time shall it
b., and what shall we dog
"Goodi" was the response, so fer
vent that it startled her. Ten, sharp.
| in the morning. AS to what-that is
the excitement You are not to know
until he time comes.
| Promptly at 10, Dick swung his Iun-
about around to the veranda, and was
pleased to find Eloise already there,
| trim, quiet and more enhancing than
eyer, in simply tailored suit that
made her look like a 1T-year-old
schoolgirl.
Dicks satisfied gaze envaloped her
! like caress. Eloise felt herself yield
ing to the insistence of it, As the car
sped away, and along a cool country
read, she tried to recover her poise by
| r,lonopolizing the conversation Dick
listened with that air of forced polite
hess that SO surely accompanies pre-
occupied mind.
Suddenly he stopped the car They
were near the entrance to lane that
| led to a country church
I'm glad you are fittingly dressed
! for the trip, Eloise-"
THE trip?" she questioned, puz-
zled-
l sour wedding trip" he explained