The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-28
EVENING STORY
His Christmas.

t6y OItNe 6GON6S-J
She stood at the street crossing and
waved to the motorman to stop. Then
she boarded the car.
It was a crisp morning in middle
cember. and the sun was just peep
ing over the horizon like ball of
FURNISHED steel The street car was
+, already packed. and the motorman
was standing with his hand on the
/ crank to let the vehicle go, for. hav
/ ing stopped to take on so many pas
sengers, the schedule had been ex-
ceeded and Nme must be made up.
II have picked her up at all hours
of the night he remarked to a pas
senger beside him on the platform
! The passenger was disposed to resent
the reflection on the young woman by
/ landing his fist against the nose of
| the traducer, but refrained lest he be
! considered a Don Quixote in this age
of commercialism and rapid life.
He was Paul Lacroix, the motor
man. young, handsome. She was a
| beautiful young woman, demure and
retired and attending to her own bust
ness.
The electric car was on trip to-
ward the business center of. a large
city, and was intentionally filled. as
| usual at that hour, with StenographerS,
| clerks and a few miscellaneous pas
sengers. A sign on the caves of the
platform read, do not talk to the
\ motorman." But that did not deter
the motorman from talking to MEM
| hers of the crowd that was compelled
| to find standing room on the platform,
! and he went on eXtolling the beauty
/ of the girl whose character he had
impugned. Thus engaged, he allowed
the car to gain speed.
Going down an avenue that paral-
Ieled the street upon which the car
was running was another young man.
handsome and self-opinionated. He
was a camouflaged employe. for he
| spent certain hours in the office of his
| father, who was a rich business man.
| He had been looking, 'over the top"
and facing high balls the night be-
fore, and being late to work, was rae
ing his little submarine-in common
paralance called an automobile-to
reach his office on time.
On went the electric car, held in
leash by the motorman, who remem-
bered the presence Of his lovely pas
senger. There was no more room for
passengers and none disembarked, SO
the car moved on without further in
The manipulation of the mundane
submarine" turned on more Juice"
and speeded up to make up for the
time he had wasted the night before.
His mind was partially upon the high
balls that had sparkled in the electric
lights, and his nerves were somewhat
| unsteady.
The street down which the car hur-
ried and the avenue down which the
automobile was racing were rapidly
converging Down some distance was
a circle upon which stood an eques-
trian statue and there the street and
avenue became one.
When within a block of this circle
the car. in answer to a ring, came TO q
stop. Pushing her way thru the
crowded aisle, Miss Blanche Carter.
the passenger who had merited the
consideration of the motorman, disem-
barked Holding tightly to her hand
satchel she made her way toward a
massive brick structure a block away.
Lacroix did not see who had left
the car. for the crowd was too dense.
When the signal to go was given he
put on full power. Now oblivious to all
else than reaching his destination on
schedule time. he was soon going full
speed.
In this age, when all realize that
the building in which they work may
be blown up by dynamite, the house
in which they sleep RACED by bomb
from a flying machine, the vessel in
y which they ride destroyed by a sub
marine, and that they may be riddled
as they walk along the street by a
machine gun masked ten miles away.
or ridden down and crushed to pieces
by joy-riders and hair-brained chauf-
feurs in automobiles-even now ones
nerves are not equal to looking on
unmoved at an electric car. controlled
by a love-mad motorman, and an
automobile handled by wildcats
youngster dashing wildly and rapidly
toward each other. And it is not to
be wondered at that as the street and
) i'ayenue came together. and car and
auto unawares. were making for the
same point at the same identical mo-
. ment the occupants of the car, pen
/ ned as they were, should be excited
Seeing no chance of avoiding the
collision, the young man jumped from
his auto Occupants of the car rushed
madly toward the rear. Lecroix turn
ed off current and put on brake.
He might have let go and run back
) ward to safety. but the manhood in
| him asserted itself He might have
. 'been selfish in that he thought of the