The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-25
EVENING STORY
The Point of View.

leisurely way down the high front
porch and depart with tossing hedo
for THE Avenue" Mary appeaTeu -
him to be rather stuck up; she had
way of carrying her head as Il she
were afraid it might fall off her rather
thin neck if she inclined 1t the least Oh.
forward, and once or twice jim Hdu
found those rather large blue eyes OF
hers looking straight thru him, as II
he had been nothing more than piece
of wood leaning against the front gaze.
Looking at Mary from the, viewpoint
of a stranger. Jim decided that she
was just the kind OF girl ne oiuii
want to know.
Jim was a rather attractive young
! man as young men of his particular
position in life go. He worked SIX Gays
! a week in a printing establishment IN
! the heart of Glendale, and on the
/ seventh he donned his blue serge suit
! of rather extreme style and spent most
! of the day down at the Republican
| club playing cards or standing on the
! corner of Main and Broad streets with
set of rather vociferous companions
Occasionally some indignant lady from
! the other side of town would complain
| to the police about the young roWdles
who infested the street corners but
! these complaints never bothered Jim
| much, for he knew the chler OF ponce
by his first name.
| Jim wore his hair pompadour fash
! ion; he had a straight nose and a
| broad forehead and there was cleft
| in the chin which protruded ever SO
! slightly under a mouth which was
generally smiling, but which could be
| changed into a thin, straight line il
occasion demanded. He was twenty
| four years old and he made SEA a
1 week, and more than one blooming
maiden had looked at him with rather
covetous eyes. But Jim considered
himself girl-proof. Occasionally, espe-
cially in the evenings of spring and
! early summer, he might be seen walk
ing arm in arm along the river bank
with one of the opposite sex and his
conversation had probably turned to
the topic of brown eyes and soft hands.
But if one had asked Jim about it
he probably would have laughed
lightly and explained that he was
| "only kidding" He had yet to meet
, the girl capable of arousing more
! than cursory interest.
But on the evening of the annual
outing of the Republican club Jim
was destined to meet his fate. He
had decided to go stag, believing that
he could have a better time dancing
with other fellows girls than he could
taking care of one of his own. The
day had passed along rather unevent-
fully; he had managed to secure a
good seat on the trip to the island;
and having once reached the boat
| landing he had fastened to the beach
and had spent the entire day in a
bathing suit A few other confirmed
bachelors had been his only compan-
ions and he forgot that such a thing
as a girl existed. But when the big
excursion boat started on its return
trip Jim began to feel the STRINGS of
vain misgivings.
A big silver moon hung over the
water, faint breeze rippled thru the
waving hair of three girls sitting near
him, and from the shadows came the
sound of soft voices. For a time Jim
sat in the bow of the boat with his
bachelor friends and tried to persuade
himself that his pipe was all that he
needed to make the evening a perfect
one. But his honest heart told him
that he was deceiving himself, that
what he wanted was girl with
laughing eyes and a jest or two on
her lips He arose restlessly and
started to walk toward the stern. In
every conceivable nook he. could
glimpse dark figures, sitting surpris-
ingly close and making surprisingly
little noise. They awoke in Jim vague
memories of other nights when he,
too. had sat in the shadows.
4 He sighed audibly, cursing the whim
which had caused him to go on an
outing without a girl to make the day
complete, and smiling rather grimly
when he recalled his plan to 'have
fun" with the other fellows girls. The
other fellows girls were evidently
pretty we'll occupied.
the end of one of the small passage
ways, came the sound of a sob. Jim
stood still and listened. 1t came
again, a girls sob, expressing misery
such as only youth can know. Jim
turned and made his way into the
shadows, finding in the very farthest
corner of the niche the huddled figure
of girl. There was something vague
. ly familiar about her, and Jim hest
tated a moment before addressing
| ! RYrt
him to touch her lightly on the Ihoul-
der. rs there anything I can do?"
he asked
The girl raised her head and turned
tear-stained face toward him. And
then Jim received a shock. 1t was
Mary Foster. Gone was the proud
toss of her head, gone the supercil-
ious stare of her big blue eyes. She
looked very much like a helpless
child, and Jim's heart went out to
her.
I'm Jim Higgins he announced
''Ain't there something I can do?"
, Aary's eyes opened just a trifle
wider.
Are you the boy across the street %
5 she asked.
) Jirn's heart leaped just a bit at her
words. He had had no idea that she
knew him from Adam.
Yes" he said, Il live across the
5 street. Now tell me what's the mat
$ ter
The girl half turned on the straight
backed chair and wiped her eyes.
Y Nothing very much" she answered
2 81 came to the outing with JerryLy-
ons and he wanted me to come here
and talk with him and 1 wouldn't
: and so he went away"
D And you want me to get min
r again.
A hint of the Mary Foster of ole
was manifested in the girls suddeI
T change of manner.
t mo, wouldn't have him back fol
f a hundred dollars" she exclaimed. 'F
never want to see him again."
Then how are you going to ge
y homer"
q II don't know she said.
Jim exercised his prerogative a.
, one of the stronger sex.
q II know how you're going to ge