The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-13
EVENING STORY
A Bungalow FOR Two.
(By Louise UHVer.J


what you going to- do tonight, !
Jimmy, who had stopped at the drug
store for d pecketful of cigars, turn
ed and faced Mufrih, Keen eyed ana
clever of fingers. but well dressed
ana with A certain persuasive E1an-
nef that always got under Jimmys
skin.
Jimmy had started out with good
intentions. A walk, a movie, then
hcfie to bed. 1t was Dutch luck TO
run into Murrih now! 1t would pc
ha I'd to get away; hard; because he
knew he didn't want to get away.
He wanted very much to go where
MarFin was .going-te Silver King
po6lrooni-wheFe the crowd usually
hung out, and before the evening was
over thru a movable panel into SlI-
vef's back room, where green-top-
ped tables were popular in various
ways according to the way one most
preferred to lose money.
And Jimmy had his months salary
in his pocket to lose. For, OF course;
he would lose it if he stayed with
Murfih and the crowd; he always did
That was why he had determined on
a new leaf. He was tired. of being
stra pped. Besides, he had been hav-
ing visions lately of something diff
ferent from his unattraetiVe life in
bricked-up boarding house.
Hello, Murrin, you're a stranger.
Where have you been?''
.'Oh; inventin' a submarine Killer.
What you going to do t6night?'
Nothing much"
Neither am 1. Let's do it to-
getlier''
Jimmy considered. mo; 1 don't
believe 1 can, Murrin. l sort of have
date"
"All right. I'll walk part way with
you"
Again Jimmy considered. The strain
of good old Vermont stock in him
was on top tonight, and While he
gave his friend cigar and lighted his
own; a plan struck him. 1t was sug-
gested by the entirely open directory
| ON the counter.
'Give me an envelope and stamp,
Charlie" he called to the clerk. Just
wait a minute, Murrih; I've got to
send a note to a friend of mine. FL
go with you then" And he ran his
eye over the pages of the directory.
! Parsons was the first name his eye
found, Patricia, Miss ass West Tweh
ty-fifth street.
And slipping five $50 bills inside the
envelope, ne addressed Ii and dropped
it into the mail box beside the door.
Murrin had watched the operation
with seewI. Must be a pretty good
friend,' he grewled.
That's none of your business" said
| Jimmy, cleerfully. Now, I'm ready"
| sSOIne 10 IH1nh 4 guess Iii go
down to the aquarium and watch the
perpeise blow himself. Good night"
said Murrin. striding out
Jimmy gfinned rather sheepishIv
| as he looked from his friends re-
| treating figure TO the mail box where
in lay most of the money he had in
the world, addressed to a person he
had never heard of. II might have
spent 1t myself" he reflected ruefully,
lS'but I'd have wound up by losing it
to the crowd, anyway, and it's safer
where it is. So, Miss Patricia Par
sens be you 10 or II, may a hundred
dollars of my hard earned nancy
make you happy"
Now we'll have to leave Jimmy and
follow his lettera which in due time
| was slipped under Miss Parsons's
door after her ihquisitfve 1and1ady
| had all but eaten it to determine it's
contents
At O'clock the next evening Miss
Parsons unlocked her door and step
ped on the rather thick envelope She
was too tired to be very curious about
| anything, and threw 1t on the bureau
and did little wondering while she
took off her things and pinned up a
few Maynard cufls. Miss Parsons
was very pretty-she was neither 70
nor II. She was an accountant In q
furniture store and % years old She
was also lonely and hofnesick-for ILL q
!
land strain which excluded the only
KIND of friends it would have been
easy to make.
When she drew the money out of
the envelope she was not surprised. IT
was merely a mistake, she assured
herself, in spite of the fact that IL
bore her name. She needed a new hat
and shoes and a lot of things, but
well the money was not hers so there
was no use considering
| A Of W.
/ nor d0nor-had put in an APPEAR
ance. Then Patricia began to be pug
) Eszled, as to what to do with it.
: Then one day she made an invest
) ment. 1t was a white willow break
fast room set with touches of delft
blue. She had admired it in the furni-
/ ture store for weeks and pictured to
herself sunny little bungalow in the
/ country and tiny dining-room with
roses at the window and the furniture
, Within Then When a happy iittls
bride-to-be Bought it. and came back
| later white and miserable saying that
her fiance had been killed in the war
Patricia had declared promptly that
she would buy it back from her herself
ana han ded over Jimmy g 400
In month came another 500
/ Jimmy had determined to cure him.
self of gambling. for his souls SAX @
and decided that the price was not
too high. He'd only lose il anvwa,
! and the idea appealed to his SPORTING
blood.
Then along came another bargain
1 living room set of wieker-just the
thing for a bungalow. 1t was mr.
chased and stored with the willow
Things were looking up for Patricia
A third cheek bought a charming lit.
tie bedroom set, for Jimmy was dofnl
it right and sending a hundred every
month. He decided. however. tina
$500 was quite enough to spend on
curing a bad habit. He felt that n,
was quite cured now and that Muir
rim and his crowd would let him alon,
thereafter.
Then one day Patricia decided I,
look for a house. Wasn't it odd tina
it was Jifnmy's real estate office sh,
HAPPENED to choose ana that the min