The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-11
The Euening Story
The Girl From Home.


him to the senior prom. Julia Dean
was a daughter of one of the profess
sors, and, except for being absurdly
young-she still wore her golden curls
down her back and low heeled slip
pers at dances-she was unmistak-
ably one of the most popular girls in
town. Sometimes when the boys called
in the afternoon, clad in their best
raiment, she coaxed them into bout
of baseball practice in the garden and
when they were inclined to grow SEN
timental and compliment her on her
very pretty blue eyes and her equally
pretty golden hair she never seemed
to know just what they were talking
about. Sometimes she even laughed
in their faces. One thing was certain,
Julia Dean, although she was young,
was a good fellow.
And Dan Brown-well Dan had not
arrived. Perhaps later he became
quite magnetic and no doubt some day
he will do himself and his family
proud. But just at this stage Dams
youthfulness, unlike that of Julia, sim
ply made him exceedingly bashful.
amazingly awkward and as afraid OF
girls as he would have been of an I'M
familiar passage of Greek in an ex-
animation. But with Julia, as with
the passage of Greek, he saw what
was before him and wasted no time.
Julia Dean was having chocolate
with her mother at the town caterers
where, to the accompaniment OF
phono graphic reproductions of Mad
am Butterfly" and the Lucia sex
tette, mingled with the hum of many
high pitched voices. the leisured folk
of town were prone to congregate on
pleasant afternoons. Dan Brown was
buying five cents worth of his favorite
chocolate creams in the front part or
the caterers shop, and the sight of
Mrs. Dean and the knowledge that he
had before him the task of inviting
Julia to his senior prom gave him
courage to make his way past tables
of girls whose faces were familiar at
college dances and college games
straight up to Julia
He had planned his speech and it
was soon delivered. 1t was short and
to the point. And Julia turned him
bthough with an air that left Dan
Brown wondering why in his widest
dreams he had imagined that sheer
any other girl for that matter-would
have accepted his invitation to a
senior ball.
The truth of the matter was that for
this first senior prom of Julia's career
for this was the first winter that she
had been old enough to go to college
parties-she had expected to go with
Clark Butler. For Clark was, in the
parIance of the other town girls, 1.-The
one man in all the world as far as
Julia went. That is to say, when there
were basketball games or college plays
j
afternoons 1t was Clark who dropped
in at about o'clock and permitted
himself always to be urged to stay to
tea with the family.
So 1t was simply a matter of course
with Julia that she turned down the
bashful Dan. Then she waited for the
invitation that she was sure would
come from Clark Butler, and for two
weeks she waited in vain. There was
only week left before the dance and
the strain of the uncertainty was get
ting too much for her frank nature
Whom are you going to take to the
senior?" she asked.
Girl from home" was Clark's I'M
satisfactory reply.
Julia's frank eyes opened wider. She
was not at all used to enigmatic re-
marks of this sort from Clark, but she
made no further query.
I'm not going" was all she said.
whats the matter with going with
DAM" he asked, avoiding her search
ing glance. You haven't really turn
ed him down, have your
From the way Clark said this it was
clear that 1t was something that had
been long on his mind.
"Of course, turned Dan down."
said Julia. This time she avoided
CIark's gaze, for she caught the tone
of reproof it contained, although she
did not know at all why she de-
served it.
Perhaps there was a shade of jeal-
ousy in her next remark. 7 hope the
girl from home is very pleasant.
Clark seemed to pay no attention to
this thrust but asked: why did you
refuse DAM"
Julia's cheeks, always flushed with
the pink of youth and health, turned
crimson and there was catch in her
voice when she answered:
Because 1 thought 1 would go with
YOU / thought you would ask me and
so 1 waited. Though 1 wouldn't have
accepted Dan Brown anyway"
Apparently this was the answer
Clark had been waiting for.
.You oughtn't to say that. Julia"
He Strengthened himself to his full
height and assumed the full dignity of
the senior that he was.
Dan is fraternity brother of mine.
Perhaps you don't know him well, but
you have no right to refuse him. You
see 1t is this way-may well tell you
as long you have been so frank:
All the girls names in town are put
on a paper at the frat house the day
the ball invitations are issued and then
every fellow in the house hands in the
name of some girl he would like to
take. Sometimes one girl gets a good
many slips 1 guess you got some half
dozen. Then the slips are sorted out
and all the fellows that choose any
one girl have to draw lots to see which
one gets her, and then the girls that
don't get any slips are paired off with
the fellows that don't get the right
slip, and, of course. any fellow that
wants to ask an outside girl has a
chance. 1 was one of the men that
missed out on the slips when we drew
for you, SO I asked a girl from home.
1 oughtnt to tell you this-everything
that happens in the frat house is
more or less secret-but I saw that
you didn't understand"
What If a girl refuses the first
man that asks herr"
oven, then, of course, she might be