The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-08-10
EVENING STORY
His Last Match.


ton. He was deep in description of
the famous caverns, and making notes
of special features he was anxious to
see.
: Another thing, the professor was
not susceptible 10 feminine influence,
however, proximitous. He had been
guest at the Mountain View hotel
for i've weeks, jaunting hither and
yon on his research work, and never
had even the suspicion of Romance
crossed his path; but just as they
reached the end of the road leading
to the caves he had closed his note
! book, placed it in his inner pocket and
glanced up to meet the most interest
! ing eyes he had ever seen, gazing at
/ him questioningly.
There were two persons before him
i the owner of the eyes and her COM
panion, evidently a relative. The first
was about 20, her travelling suit was
! a dark brown linen, her hat of close
| brown straw, her waist of pongee and
her eyes and hair were brown. Some
vagrant lines from Percy's Reliques
crossed the professors mind.
'Oh, nut brown maid, met thee wander
| ing,
All clad in woodland brown"
| Her companion, the professor noted
| hastily, was somewhere in the uncer-
tain years of splnsterhood; her felt
| lSuOId only dCc6nCudt6Q n6r raLn6r
| sharp profile and reticent manner. She
eyed the professor with reflective,
| postponed judgment, at the same time
noting his interest in the nut brown
maid"
| At the entrance to the caves the
/ two went ahead, as the professo lin
gered, lured by the printed descrip-
tons in the guide books for sale at
the door. The old man in charge an
swered all his queries mechanically
The day was warm and visitors had
been numerous. Y es, the caves We're
SO many miles long, only a certain
portion had been explored, some were
lighted by electricity, and some by
guide torches. There was no dan
ger, II you were pretty sure-footed
and didn't go wandering off by your
SELF The caves were all natural for
nation, etc.
The professor received his torch and
tucked Ii under his arm, absent-mind-
eddy, quite as if 1t had been a baton.
He ignored the little box of safety
matches held out by the man. and
made way into the caves jubilantly.
Far IN advance rambled Mollie and
Miss Annabel. 1t was Mollie's first
trip in vacation time; in fact, it was
her flrSt year as a teacher, and now
instead of keeping her mind firmly on
Miss Annabels dissertation on stag
mailtes and stalactytes, she was won
dering whether every one was inter-
ested in such things, whether that nice
blond boy with the eyeglasses who had
sat opposite to them in the stage really
and truly enjoyed going thru the
caves on midsummer day, when all
the beauty of the outside world called
TO them She remembered seeing him
at the hotel near Staunton and on sew
eral of their expeditions. Oh how
tired she was of that word, expedition.
To travel, one should have a gypsy
sol adt11a
! ssstShe hardly caught what Miss Anna
bel was saying when all at once the
lights went out and they were in pitch
darkness.
Thank goodness, we have our
torches exclaimed Miss Annabel
thankfully. BE careful where you
! step. The bottomless lake is just be-
. yond us-or was it the pool of the
, Gnomes? Do you remember, Mollie %
! I don't remember anything" re-
: fplied Mollie desperately, land I have
mt any matches. What do YOU sup
. pose has happened ?"
: Just then a guides voice sounded
, far at the end of the cavern. Some
: plant The lights would be turned
on at any instant. Every one was te
stay on the exact spot where they
We're and move at their own peril
Even as he said this there came 6
splash. Not loud one, but just as
if a stone had been tossed into the
, lake, and then voice almost within
} a few feet of them
Its all right said the professor
I ''it was my match safe. 1 was merry.
I Gus, and it fell from my hands, bu
: I've one last match left. think wei
have to risk it for our torches"
Haven't you any paper?" asked
Miss AnnabeL sharply. I'VE could
i twist tapers and conserve the Igh
;, supply i'll this way
0 The professor shuddered. He hat
J. | only his notebook, filled with preciou.
:, data for several magazine articles. HI
: ! struck the match as last hope, ant
{ | it caught the pitch-dipped tow on the
| end of his torch. The flare of Hgh
;. revealed the two on the rocks below
= him, and the professor improved
Il every moment of the time they waited
He drew imagery of the past. He wa
Dante, he said, conveyed by Beatric,
e and one of her blessed companion
u thru the shades. Come to think of it
= he would rather be Orpheus seeking
Z Eurydice. Miss Annabel shifted audi
2 bly,.
: .'I don't see," she said, how YOU
e can even think flippantly in a plac'
n n like this. 1 feel as if 1 were buried
: alive
The lights failed to go up, ant
! guides came thru the caverns to LEAF
y all tourists out safely. Miss Annabe
=. went ahead, while the professor aide'
- Mollie AT the entrance, he held he
h hand eagerly.
Is Il think were stopping at the sam
= hotel,' he said. 81 am Professo
- Winthrop, of Hartsdale college, Monti
= cello, Iowa Might 1 call?''
. Miss Annabel was visibly impressed
. and Mollie disappointed He had no
n looked one bit like a professor.
In the last weeks of vacation tina
&c followed the professor did his hes
"A to overcome the stumbling block, blu
: Mollie had been teaching in govern
% ment Indian school in South Hakot
!, and was thoroly prejudiced agains
a. academic training at close range. An
20 yet the professor was so boyish an
youthful, AS Miss Annabel said, hi
If appearance was SO very much agains
i, him.
~ MoIIia Iistened IN Jar ohiectians