The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-04
The EUening Story

(By Louise Oliver.)


jamie set the pies to cool on the
broad porch rail. The kitchen was
smothering, but outside gentle breeze,
cool and refreshing, famed her cheek.
She stood a minute looking longingly
across the valley to the place where
big one, all white, with brave red
roof that contrasted beautifully with
the dark green of the trees.
Katharine, her lifelong friend, was
marrying a rich man from the city,
and the house was to be one of their
homes. jamie sighed. Katharine had
always been lucky and had everything
she wanted. And now it would go on
the same way. In the winter there
would be the gay city life, with shops,
theaters, dances and dinners. jamie
envied her that more than anything in
the world, although the house across
the valley was a wonderful place and
jamie knew that there would be serv-
ants and luxury there, too.
jamie walked toward the orchard,
where she could have better view of
the house, and dream for an hour be-
fore getting dinner. Once she had
visited cousins in town, and there ' I'D
been a party. Since then JAMES day
dreams; and night dreams, too, for
that matter, had been about men lie
sleek, smooth blackbirds, with SHIN
mering shirt fronts and earl studs,
White-gloved hands and roperly-shod
feet. Men whose rose when she APP
preached, courteously placed chairs
for her, and made her feel that she
was the only thing that had ever
floated their way out of heaven.
An empty wagon drawn by team
of big brown horses turned the bend
in the road, and the driver saw in
stantly the little blue Bingham figure
on the orchard slope gazing across the
valley at the big house. A shadow
crossed his face. but he called cheer
lily: Hello, Jane! What's the news?"
She turned at his voice. Hello,
Toni" His heart contracted at the
lack of response in her manner.
Where have you been? ?" as he came
up the hill to where she sat
He Kew she dioiui tlcare and doubt
ed if she would hear. but he answered:
ITO town with a load of hogs. It's
early, but the pen is small and they
were getting" He stopped, wonder
cause that dismayed look in her eyes.
Whats the matter, jamie ?'
Don't-oh, don't talk about hogs,
Tom! Pleased"
why not? It's one way I make my
living. And to me that's the most inn
portant thing in the world just now"
meaningly. jamie, dear, surely you
don't forget what you promised the
day went away to college four years
ago. Why L couldn't wait until I go
L
could get back and get my hands on
a plow to work for you. It's all I've
lived for deari It's been a long wait,
but only went for your sake. I
wanted to know things, to be worthy
of you, and 1 wanted to know the
best about farming. so I could get big
crops and raise fine animals and
make you the mistress of the finest
farm in the state some day. We can't
start all at once. dear; it will be up
hi for ~
bound to come. jamie, JAMIE" softly,
look at mel"
But she kept her eyes on the house
across the valley. If she married Tom
and settled down to farm life, Kath-
arines friends would motor and stop
at the dairy where she, JAMIE would
ladle out buttermi1k to them, and the
men-those smooth, sleek city males
whom she had adored-would flip
down a quarter to the farmers wife
and go their way.
She shivered. "Oh, Toni I'm sorry,
but 1 can't! 1 just can't! 1 don't want
to marry you at all"
He tried to stop her but she broke
from him and ran toward the house.
Il can't can't" she sobbed on
her bed. When he went to college l
though he would come home a law
yer, or something different from
a farmer, and we'd live in town and
have everything fine. 1 won't marry
u
Tom did not bother her after that.
The world had turned black for him
with his bright, pretty little sweet
heart gone out of his life. But jamie
never guessed the void that was in
his heart.
Katharine married, went to Canada,
and returned with her husband to
spend the autumn in their new house
in the country. jamie was with her
a great deal She loved the big,
roomy place, with its restful. excel
lently furnished rooms and broad
porches. After a day with her friend
she hated to go home, things seemed
so ugly and plain, and it was madness
to help her busy mother in the
kitchen after the splendid things
Katharine's cook prepared.
Then an uncle decided to send her
two younger brothers away to school,
and at the same time a letter came
from a relative in Boston urging jamie
to enter a training school for nurses
She accepted at once Anything
was better than the deadly mill of
housework. Besides she felt that she
needed a change.
She threw herself body and soul
into her work. When one is busy
time passes, quickly, and the pretty
young nurse had little time TO regret
the step she had taken.
For three years she devoted herself
to the hospital The first summer she
had a week at home, but Tom was
away. The next year she spent her
vacation with Katharine in Canada.
I'VE sold our house, you know, jamie.
Gerald had a good offer for it and
besides it was too expensive to keep
two houses going, ard Gerald has Lost
money this year.
"Oh. what PITY" exclaimed jamie.
ana Katharine thanked her for her