The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-02
EVENING STORY
Tonc's Success.
(By John Gregory

When a female infant was born to !
Mr.. and Mrs. Welcome it had to have
a name to prevent it from being lost
in the shuttle. When the father was
appealed to he replied:
7 don't care what you label it,"
The mother did care, however. She
could make a delicious strawberry
shortcake. but at the same time she
was romantic. She decided almost at
once to name the infant lone.
do you like it?" she asked of the
father when she had quite decided.
Mr.. Welcome was a victim of govt.
and therefore his point was we'll taken
when he replied:
name rhymes with bone, groan and
moan, and that makes it all right.
Following the law of chronology, it
ought to have been noted at the start
that Stephen Hope made his entrance
into this country just two years be-
fore lone.
stephen didn't cut much of a dash
in the world when he took his place
in it. In fact, he didn't ruffle the sur
face of Lake Erie a little bit as he
grew up. He was placid. He was
calm He was no kicker. If his bot
tie was empty when he awoke from
nap there was no whooplng or Wnlh-
ing on his part. If his mother was
busy he went to playing with stray
feather or the cats tail and Jolhed
the time away.
A proper male infant should grow
up into a proper little boy. stephen
Hope did. He did better than that
He grew up into a proper young man.
He didn't smoke, drink or gamble He
didn't bet on the races, but if he was
nearby he assisted old ladies and lame
men on and off the cars.
Had Miss lone been boy she
would have been into mischief half
the time. She wanted to be on the
60 She wanted to see things hum.
She used slang now and then, She
could swim and row and fish. Nobody
called her a hoydenS but lots OF tolks
called her giddy.
And when this girl and this sober
sided ana placid young man became
acquainted there were people who
gasped, with the words:
Did you ever hear of such
thing"
There is no sense in the old saying
that opposites attract. for you can't
make oil and water mix, but for some
reason Miss lone Welcome and Mr..
Stephen Hope were attracted to each
other and got along very well 1t Be-
came a case of love on his part, and
he finally proposed. She ran away
without answering him, but she told
her mother and her mother ex
claimed:
Lands save us, but you mustn't
think of IT!
But SOFT of liking won't do. Does
he ever laugh?"
"Once in a while. but not very
heartily
Ever known of his swearing?"
Never"
Ever hear of his fghting?"
Mercy, no."
Does he care for politics ?"
Not a cent
And he is no hard for any sort of
sport?"
No"
You'd better let him be your
grandfather than your husband. You
wouldn't live together three months
/ : Miss lone went away and thought
| of the matter for an hour and then
returned to say:
Mother. l read a story one time
about such a young man as Stephen
is"
"Yes?"
There was girl and she was
about like me-"
"Yes?'
Some one told her that the young
man would be altogether different if
he got a sudden-great shock. That
what he needed was to be aroused out
of himself. So the girl stood on the
! railroad track and let him snatch her
off just a second before the locomo-
tive would have gone over her. 1t
was also a close call for him, as the
cov1catcher shaved the heels off both
his shoes
Mercy! And how did he act p"
why, he was a jolly fellow after
that, just as I wish Stephen was
Il don't believe the story. The
nature born in a man or woman is
going to stay right there for all the
and Stephen is Stephen, and always
will be, tho there may be some slight
changes as you both grow older"
Poor Stephen! But I guess you
are right, mother" was the reply.
AS a matter of fact, Miss lone
/ didn't believe any such thing. The
story had made a great impression on
: her. She had read or hearing and
lost voice being restored by shock
and of paralyticS running downstairs
, in case of fire, and she began to plot
and plan. 1t must be great shock
and there must be no flaw in it.
! 1t was accident that gave Miss lone
| her opportunity. Stephen would play
| croquet with her, and once in a Will :
take her for a ride in his auto but
would not go fishing or to a lawn
/ party or on an excursion. She had
called him thief and liar when
playing croquet, but that was no
shock Over and over again, as he
would not speed his auto above ten
mile an hour she had called him a
coward and threatened to jump out
and walk home, but it was as water
on a ducks back.
One day when she was three miles
! from home with another girl they dis
covered a bed of wild Strawberries on
] the bank of river and near the road
Two days later Stephen took a young
man and the two girls to the spot in
his auto. There were berries galore
and each one was helping himself
when the plan for the great shock
came to Miss lone like a flash She
had never run an auto. but she had
taken notice. and she did not doubt
/ herself. If she could withdraw from
! the party and get into the auto and go
] whizZing across the bridge and up the
/ hill the shock would come.
It took quite a bit of strategy %