The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-21
EVENING sFoRY
She Threw Apples.


a mile apart, which were probably
happier than any other two.
One belonged to Miss Ruth Gordon |
and the other to Clyde Belmont. Miss
Gordon was a teacher in the public
schools of the city and had been in
vited down to The Cedars to pasSthe
month of August with friends.
Mr.. Belmont was a Junior partner
in o department store and had three
weeks in which to take a needed va
cation. He was n young man only
twenty-six years old, and If there was
ever a time In his life when he had
romantic notions, the business of help
ing to manage a department Astore
had driven it out.
toned Mr.. Belmont sat on the
veranda of a manor house belonging
| to a friend and smoked good cigar
and heard the robins and blCebirdS
singing. This was a novelty to him.
He had marked down capes, cloaks
and dresses several times a year. but
there were no green trees and singing
| birds and babblirg brooks about it.
Miss Ruth wasn't on any veranda.
She was out in the orchard instead
wandering over the grass, which had
| been dewy three or four hours before.
| She had spent months teaching stupid
| children, and she was glad to get out
in the country and watch the swallows
|
felt like q young colt, and she almost
made up her mind to climb one OF the
apple trees. She was visiting her
| friend, Jane Craven. 1t was Jane who
led her into trouble. She picked up
| apples and began to throw them at
a tree, and, of course, Ruth followed
the example. They were in a part of
the orchard bordering the highway,
and such apples as missed the tree at
which they were thrown fell into the
| highway.
OF course, neither of the girls noted
| this fact. nor did they remember that
it was a main travelled road, and that
some vehicle was passing every five
minutes during the day. They threw
and threw, and giggled and laughed
boy would have looked on their
throwing with contempt. boy al
ways swings his arms when he throws
This gives directness and force to the
missile in his hand. A girl always
lifts her hand over her shoulder to
throw. The missile may hit anything
within rod of the mark she throws
at There were plenty of apples on
the ground, for the worm had been
getting in his work during the hot
days, and 1t was great fun. The girls
were still throwing when a young
man suddenly appeared before them
coming from the highway. He held
his punched handkerchief to his left
eye and there was pretty fierce
ever seen him, and they stood with
apples in their hands to see what err
rand he had come on.
A few minutes before this episode
| Mr.. Belmont had finished smoking
his cigar. He did not feel like walk
ing, but when the auto came around
| and the chauffeur said he was going
to the village, four miles away, the
junior partner. made up his mind all
at once that he would go along and
| he took a seat in an easy and con-
| tented manner. He was enjoying the
| scenery and trying to drive the price
| OF fall hats out of his mind, when a
bird came sailing out of a tree at his
| face. That is, he thought 1t was a
| bird, but when it struck him in the
| left eye and fell at his feet, he saw 1t
was an apple-not a yellow harvest
apple good to eat at any hour of the
day, but dried-up, green specimen.
1t was solid. tho, and he felt that eve
| swelling in less than a minute n
had been deliberately thrown at him,
Some one wanted to injure him for
life and make one-eyed junior part
ner out of him.
who could be insulted and abused with
impunity. He wanted to know who
had thrown that apple. and the why's
and wherefore of it. He leaped from
! the auto and penetrated some bushes
| and 10, he stood before two cookbook
ing young ladies, where he had ex-
| pected to find a farmland or two or
three bad boys. He was expected to
say something, and after recovering
from his surprise. he stammered out:
| "Some-sQme one threw an apple
| and 1t hit me in the eye!"
| Yes, we were throwing apples" re-
piled Miss Ruth, who stood nearest
him.
II presume it will give me a
black eye" continued Mr.. Belmont. as
h 1oh
chief.
Il hope not" said the girl. "You
see, 1 threw the apple myself 1 threw
it with all my might. 1t missed the
tree and struck out. and 1 am very
very sorry
ing just at that moment" protested
the other girl, in rather impudent
tones.
Perhaps not" said Mr. Belmont.
being little indignant
u,s oh n,t yes you: you should answered
road. of course. 1 am afraid we were
very careless. Your eye Is already
swelling. Yes, you will have a black
eye from it. I have heard that hot
vinegar nd brown paper will reduce
the swelling. Won't you come and
have the eye treated?"
Il thank you, but-but-"
And Mr.. Belmont got out of the fix
by walking back TO the road and ask
ing the chauffeur to take him back to
his friends house. where he found
treatment That eye turned black
and blue. and for the next ten days
Mr.. Belmont had something new to
care for. Then he rode out, and who
should he meet but the two girls driy-
ing in an opposite direction in their
auto. They saw the black eye while
yet some distance away, and the girl
who had not thrown the apple called
an amused smile to her face Miss
Ruth looked her sympathy. She ask
ed half a dozen questions about that
eye, and vowed that she could never
forgive herself. Why couldn't the
apple have struck the chauffeur in
stead? There was little more talk