The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-16
EVENING STORY
The CIinging Vine.

y
weren't a bit like this before you
were married. 1 don't see what you
can be thinking ola girl of your
] type to simply turn into a married
/ clinging vine.''
Jocelyn pushed back her hair from
her forehead, pulled it out deity at
the side of her ears and poked in a
couple of refractory hairpins. She
had been visiting the Davisons only,
two days. 1t was the first visit since
Nora's marriage fourteen months be-
fore. When one lives in New York
and ones family resides in Nebraska
social calls between the two are not
frequent. There had been no sign of
! any change as far as Nora's letters
went. At least they had breathed
happiness and contentment. 1t was
/ this very contentment that Jocelyn
stormed at now. Nora had gone thru
the little local college with such high
hopes of a career. She had wanted
to take a special course in agriculture
and forestry and go in for what
Jocelyn loved to call inverted farm
ing. Instead she had married Temple
Dawson, travelling man handling
| line of harvesters for a Chicago firm.
After their marriage Temple had been
given the New York agency, and
they had prospered.
And it would have been a good
| deal better for you," Jocelyn had told
them in her blunt way, IF you had
not been so successful. I>can't get
| Nora to walk two blocks whiting hav-
| ing her complain of being tired. She
has to phone over for the car even
when she does her marketing. Nora,
you're positively flabby. If Temple
had been poor and you had had to put
your shoulder to the wheel and help.
| it would have done you a world of
| good"
But Temple doesn't think it right
i for married woman to work II the
husband has the means to support
! her."
Then" said Jocelyn, promptly, ''he
should have married the doll type of
woman, and not my sister. Nora, do
you forget that your grandmother was
a pioneer"
Nora sat in front of her dressing
table, in the very daintiest of negli-
gees her chin, propped on her hands,
frowning anXiously at the pretty face
! that mirrored discomfort She was
much smaller in stature than her siste"
| and she had pale blond curly hair and
| delicate, finely featured face. She
could not help but be bothered by
Jocelyn's arguments. altho she Kept
| telling herself that she had only done
what Temple had wished But Jocelyn
was getting on so wonderfully in her
chosen work that she could not help
but envy her her independence. That
was what she missed, her own indie
pendence. Her whole life turned on
I
Temple She measured every stand
ard and rule of life by that and still
within the last few months she had
felt here was something lacking in
their happiness.
Not that Temple had said anything
| to her, only when the monthly state
ments had come in from various stores
where she had her accounts, he had
seemed worried over them OF course,
it was spring, and she had increased
her mi U3rdrnha with rather
lavish hand. But man would not
understand about that. She thought
of the letter she had received from
Temple that morning. He had gone
! to the home Office in Chicago for a
week.
I'm afraid that we shall have to
go bit slow this summer, sweetheart;
they're cutting me down on my COM
missions and I hardly think we shall
have dividends on either of the stocks
this year on account of the war. I
hate to ask you to be careful in money
matters, but I've really not told you
the worst for fear of worrying you,
and 1 know I can swing it alone. Just
try to stand it this year, and I'll make
it up to you with a bully new car for
your birthday"
1t suddenly dawned upon her that
Temple had never discussed any of his
little worries or troubles with her. He
had surely tried to make her pathway
one of roses, and as Joce1yn talked a
curious sense of unfairness dawned
on her. She was not naturally in
dolent, she had loved her studies and
ambitions 1t was only that she
thought she was doing the right thing,
doing just exactly what Temple would
have wished. in giving up all her own
projects to be his wife. She glanced
over at the little boudoir desk in the
corner. A new batch of bills had
come in that very morning, and she
had not even opened them, Intending
to forward them on to Temple. After
few moments she asked quietly:
What would you do if you We're in
my placer"
Jocelyn swung around On one heel,
eagerly.
sDo?" she repeated. start right in
where you left off Don't you know
at this time there is the biggest call
for many women as we'll as men to
go in for agriculture, for anything
that means conservation of supplies.
That's what I'm going in for just as
soon as 1 get back home. Since dad
died and the place came into our
hands Uncle-Ted has done as he pleas
ed I'm of age now, and Cts up to us
to do as we please, for a change The
real reason why came on was. to get
your consent to scheme nave.
want to run the place myself on
fifty-fifty basis with you. I'm not go
ing to do anything except raise crops
on it and put in hogs
Hogs repeated Nora, a bit faint
1y.
''Hogs." firmly There's lots of
money in them if they're raised prop
erly, even if they're not romantic"
81 wasn't thinking of that" said
Nora I'm going back with you to
help you run it.
Nora did not write to Temple until
she was fairly on her way west Per-
hans he learned more of her real ma
ture from that letter than he had
ever known before.
..I love you with all my heart and
soul. You know that But l simply
can't bear being the clinging vine, es
pecially now that your own work is
Stacking up. I know you would never
let me do this If I asked your consent,