The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-19
The EUening Story
AIene'S Romance.
(By Catharine Cranmer.


with the prospect of spending her two
weeks vacation on a farm. Her many
visits to the movies, where broad
shouldered, good-looking young farm
ers or cowboys were the heroes had
caused her to picture a farm as the
place of all others offering the ro-
mantle possibilities for which her
young soul yearned. There was even
a confused idea in her mind that IN
some miraculous way her experiences
there might get on to film ana De
seen bv Will Egger and all the other
people at the office where she worked.
she had been rather nettled more
than once at Wills seeming oversight
of the romantic in the various moves
tn which he had accompanied her. he
was always figuring how the piot
worked out, and frequently Wnen the
most adorable hero had rescued the
heroine from the villain VIII Woulu
only give grunt ABOUT II oeiHs 'iie
same old gag"
eWilrs good enough fellow,
thought Alene, as the slow train jerked
in and out of tiny village. put ne
hasn't a bit of dash or the look OF
hero" Then she fell to day dreaming
about the stalwart young man whose
gallant attentions, daring deeds ano
Bright repartee she vaguely hoped
would make this trip a great romantic
neriod in her life. OF course, at tlrst
she would act coquettish with her
hero, but would eventually capltulate
before his forceful personality, and, as
it were, their two smiling ana con-
genial selves would be thrown promi-
nently on the movie screen OF hfe-
At this stage of her day dream, the
norter stuck his head in the door ana
shouted: "Waynesburg! Waynesburg!
destination. A
grabbed her suit case and, as she went
ierkily toward the car door, she peeped
through the dirty windows to see
whether any rustic Adonis was await
ing her AS she tripped down the
train steps in her trim blue serge suit,
silk shirtWaist and Panama hat, and
with her dancing brown eyes looking
about for possible adventure, she be-
came the center of interest to the
dozen Understanding people lined
along the gravelly strip between the
train and the little oblong station. me
prospect for adventuring was far from
promising.
Just then the eyes of all left Alene
and went in the direction from when
came the sound of rushing automo-
bile and excited and laughing voices
A big touring car swerved from the
main road on to the open space at
the end of the station and an athletic
young man in light flannels sprang
from the machine and crossing the
strip of gravel managed to grasp the
handrail of the last coach just as the
train moved past the station me
four young people remaining in the
machine called merry good-byes TO
him.
Aiene hoped she would be taken
INTO the automobile to be conveyed to
Rural Retreat Farm, and she smiled
as she saw the handsome youth at the
steering wheel. The smile died mo-
hn h
car into the main road where it dis
appeared amid a cloud of dust. TO
her surprise she was accosted at that
moment by a tall, lank young 1elloW
in blue overalls and faded blue shirt
He did not even touch the brlm or MS
hickory hat as he spoke to her, much
less remove it with the sweeping grace
of the movie screen.
Are you waiting to go to Rural
Retreat Farm p" The face from which
the nasal voice leaked out was sun
burned almost to a blister. Around
the corners of his mouth oozed out
the brown liquid and the damp door
proclaiming the tobacco cheWer. fino-
ing that ne had been sent to meet her,
Alene allowed him to take her suit
case and lead the way to his convey
ance, which proved to be a one-horse
buggy. As they logged along the
dusty road, she made casual INQUIRY
about whether the occupants OF the
automobile were stopping at Rural
Retreat.
'fWen, I guess notl" he calculated.
| They're a lot of swells a-visitin up
| to Randolphs mansion
Alene's appetite was not tempted by
the midday dinner which the per-
spring mother of her escort piled on
the long table all at once-meat, vege-
tables. preserves, pies. Her compan-
ions at dinner, besides the boy and
his mother were three summer board
ers consisting of a middle-aged couple
and an asthmatic man of fifty. In
the big yard after dinner, Alene found
little of interest save a hammock
made of barrel slaves and padded
with a bedquilt, a tree of flavorless
sweet apples and a few struggling
flowers among the rank growth OF
grass and weeds.
AS the days passed she found small
amusement in going alone to fish
where the mosquitoes and flies were
plentiful, or in sitting on the porch to
crochet and listen to the middle-aged
woman tell of her many ailments. The
long afternoons dragged inSufferably,
and the day before the end of the
week. for which she had paid her
board in advance. she was so desper-
ately lonely that she asked to be taken
to the train. AS the boy was driving
her along in his buggy, she saw three
galloping horsemen approaching, and
for an instant there revived within
her the hope that her movie drea1i
was coming true after all. As the
riders drew near, she recognized one
of them as the youth who had driven
| the touring car to the station the day