The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-16
EVENING STORY
"Old Papers,"
(By Olive Martin.)
1.-THE first snow of the season!"


Lorena looked out of the big win
the feathery flakes of white busting
tho street and sidewalk. 1t had been
growing steadily colder all morning
and an east wind was blowing. She
had had Mary light the CRATE and a
big CHEEKY fire was now roaring up the
chimney.
How times fliesi Dear me, I'd no
idea the month was so far along. I've
been so busy with the campaign for
the new baby hospital that I've lost
track of the days" She turned to a
calendar. 'Goodnessi It's the mid
die of November; next week will be
Thanksgiving. Well. after I get the
papers gathered and sold I'll have
time to keep track of the days and
get ready for Christmas"
She TUNED to the window again. 81
wish those little boys, would hurry
with their wagons; it's after one now
and there's SO much to do"
But just then two figures with an
express wagon came up the street and
further along, two more.
Here they are now, bless their
hearts, and now for work.
In a few minutes a noisy little
crowd was around the fire getting in
strnctions. Tony. you go up Salem
street on the side with even numbers,
and Mike take the other side. Serop-
it's so short, and Nicholas and Reuben
and Patrick go around the Park. Go
to the back doors and ask the people
IL they have any old papers they don't
need-that the money they bring is
for the new baby hospital and you'll
take anything they have, newspapers
and ALL
'Yes'ri" exclaimed the chorus.
And when you come back I'll have
a nice hot supper for you with all the
goodies you can think off,
''Hurrayl" they cried.
The crowd departed and Lorena
looked fondly after her little settle
ment people. Her life was full of
these things now, charity and good
works. that kept her busy and her
thoughts off the past. A half dozen
years before great tragedy had come
into her life.
She returned to the library and
picked up a photograph from the
table.
Dear, the last time l saw you was
g. day like this, but somehow it didn't
seem cold like today. The world even
without the sunshine was rosy and
warm and glowing because l was with
you. Can't you whisper to me thru
the mysterious spaces that separate us?
Are you living or dead and why did
you never send me any word when you
went away? You looked that day as
if you wanted to say something and
couldn't What was it, dear? Did
guess right? Did you really love me
and was it that you tried to tell +? Then
why did you go away so far? They
said your boat went down, but IL
can't believe it,
She set the picture gently in its
place. In her eyes was the wonderful
mystery that only a wOman's eyes can
hold.
The trio told to go around the park
had their hands full. Here were
houses of wealth whose caretakers
were more than glad to get rid of the
heavy piles of magazines stacked in
attic and cellar. The little wagons
filled and two trips were made to Miss
Lorena's big side porch where the con-
tents were emptied in Heterogeneous
mass that delighted her heart. "Why,
Riddles, it looks as if We were going
to get a good many dollars for the
little sick babies. I'll have to double
your pay and put an extra lot of plums
in the pudding, Come on inside now
and warm your fingers before you
start out again. Why, that's this? 1t
looks like stack of sermons. Such a
lot of writing and pounds and pounds
of paper" She picked up a sheet and
read, THE first memoir of Euler on
the planetary perturbaticns was trans
mitted to the Academy of Science in
1747." She ran her eye over another
ties of Jupiter and Saturn independ-
emily of the consideration of the eccen-
tricities of their orbits" and so on.
TITS all about stars, And it's old
and dusty, an old manuscript some
body has thrown out Had it type
written, most likely, but it looks like
years of work. L think I'll take it in
and look it over, I've always loved
astronomy"
The boys departed for another load
and Lorena settled herself on the rug
before the fire to look over her dis
covery. DO you know, there is some
thing about the way these It's are
crossed mile too high, and>the way
the tails of the gs and US are neg
lected that reminds me of some one ~
Her eyes wandered to the little silver
frame on the table, and thence to her
desk where a packet OF letters Law
tenderly cherished
She turned back to her papers and
picked up another. Toward the south
we see that tho groups of stars which
pass above the horizon" The para
graph ended abruptly and the rest of
the page was blank except for foot
note. I'm tired and can't write any
more, Lorena, dear, good night"
She sprang to her feet with cry.
clutching the paper tightly to her
breast
Robert Culver. returning from his
daily trip to the library. went into his
study and opened a drawer of his
desk 1t was empty Mortified he
pulled out another 1t was also en-
PITY In fact every drawer was as
innocent of paper as the Sahara Des-
ert of fish. He strobe hurriedly to the
kitchen. Nanny, where are the
manuscripts that were in my desk ?'
THE what, sir ?''
MY papers, the things I told you
never to touch"
Nanny reached for a corner of her
apron
why, sir, it's the darlin' babies
They came and said they needed the
papers to make a hospital with and
they were SO old and dirty I thought
you'd forgotten them ard I gave them
to the boys
MANY he said with quiet des-
pair. you've destroyed the work of