The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-06
EVENING STORY
If 1t Hadn,t Been for Cutey.
(By Vincent G. Perry.)

told him what it contained. He had
hoped Madeline wouldn't take their
little quarrel so seriously. He had
meant to write her an apology; now
it was too late. One by one he lifted
the carefully wrapped articles from
the parcel. He could tell without re-
moving the tissue paper wrapping
what each little parcel contained. The
little square box he knew held the
ring that had sealed their betrothal-
at least they thought it had been.
There was the little cameo brooch
he had given her the first Christmas
when his salary had been small; there
was the necklace and amethyst ring
he had given her on her birthday. The
last little parcel he held to his ear
and the ticking sound satisfied him
it was the engraved wrist watch that
had made her so happy the Christmas
before. They were all there-every
present he had given her, he thought.
No, there was one that wasn't there!
But he couldn't expect her to send
Cutey back-Cutey, the Boston terrier
pup he had bought for her that sum-
mer. Cutey wasn't regular present,
and besides she thought too much of
the little fellow to part with him.
But Harry didn't reckon with Made
lines pride. AS much as she loved
Cutey, she couldn't keep him because
Harry had given him to her 1t hurt
her more to part with the little dog
than with any of the other presents,
and after the expressman took him
away the flood of tears that she had
kept back so long broke forth
Harry gasped when he saw what the
expreSsnlan had for him. 1t certainly
must be an off with Madeline now.
he thought To think that she would
send Cutey back! There was nothing
to do but accept him.
When Harry was transferred a lit
| tie later to a banL in the West there
was only one thing that troubled him
I hot
| The little dog had meant much to
| him in the lonely days that followed
| his breaking off with Madeline and
| he had become quite attached to it,
The idea of parting with it hurt.
There wouldn't be any place to keep
the dog when he arrived in the West,
| and the season out there was Just at
| its worst. If be had thought of that
/ he wouldn't have been so hasty in
| applying for a transfer; but at that
time he had only one idea. and that
was to get far enough away from
Madeline to forget. At the last mo-
ment he thought of sending Cutey to
his sister in the country. He would
! be well taken care of and safe from
harm there, he was sure
| The first letter Harry got from his
| sister after his arrival in the West
| startled him. Cutey had been stolen
| How it happened the sister wasn't
sure, but the villagers blamed it on
|
| the neighborhood. He wired notices
! to all the leading papers in the vicin-
| ity of the village in which his sister
| lived, but without result. He won
/ dered if Madeline had stolen it. but
dispelled that thought from his mind
| Madeline wouldn't stoop to a thing
| like that.
The West didn't prove such a balm
| to the wound as Harry had hoped.
and finally he decided to go home
Again- As the train upon which he
was returning to the East neared the
| station he knew SO well he found him.
| self wondering if he would meet Mad
| cline and how she would receive him.
| Maybe she would listen to an apology
now. He could give her back all her
| presents, just as she had sent them
back to hifn-aH except Cutey. That
| settled it, she wouldn't be able to for
| give him, knowing that Cutey was
lost. He buried his head in his hands
and would have passed the station if
| the conductor hadn't aroused him
Altho he had been in the city nearly
a week Harry could not muster
enough courage to call Madeline by
telephone. A vaudeville performance
appealed to him most as a retreat
from very lonely and tiresome even
ing. The performance was dull, until
near the end an animal act was
staged. Harry sat bolt upright as he
caught sight of a familiar little object
on the stage. Yes, it was the same
walk and the same little wag of the
tail; the markings were just the same
and the color exact. The quaint little
bark assured him. There weren't two
dogs in all the world with a bark like
that! 1t was Cutey! What had ne
best do? He could hardly restrain
himself when he saw the little dog
cover before the brutal loking train
err To see the police, he thought,
would be the best plan, and he hur-
ried from the theater.
He tried not to appear excited as he
explained to the Sergeant at the police
station.
Have you any way of identifying
him as the dog you had stolen?'' asked
the sergeant.
Harry thought for a minute. There
was only one person in the city beside
! himself who could identify the dog,
but he couldn't possibly ask her. II
looked as if Cutey was lost to him for
good. But rather than let the dog
be in the hands of that man any
longer he would call Madeline and ask
her to come to the station house
| Perhaps she wouldn't mind when she
knew it was for Cutey.
''They don't answer the phone
! the operator told him after he had
spent nearly ten minutes at the tele-
phone. He hung up the receiver with
| | a sigh, wheeled around and faced
| Madeline! She was standing in the
doorway that led to the chiefs office
staring at him in wonder. AS she re-
covered herself she dropped her eye.
quickly.
This young woman has lost a dot
, and claims that a performer has il
5 at the Lyric theatre" the chief ad
: dressed the sergeant. she says the
q dog would know her but has no othel
: means of identifying it,
'tOh, yes 1 have Madeline inter
upted. This a-this young mar
| knows Cutey. He can identify il
{ Please. Harry. deari'' She was s,
: excited that she did not realize wha
! she was saying.
The sergeant was amused. ''Thi
y | young man is also making claim to
dog at the Lyric, the same dog, mos
o likely" he said.