The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-09
Topeka Girl Marries Wei
Stranger MysteriOusly.
Then She Leaves Him, Seeing
Him Tying His Tie.
HE DID IT WITH HIS TOES
Held the Mirror in His Hands
Wife Declared.
Boarding House Affair Here
Ends in a Tragedy.

Wherein a Topeka bride of the day
before discovers her husband sitting
on the floor before a mirror in his
room tying his necktie with his toes
Also, wherein the writer, by telIlng
story according to facts and informa-
ton that came into his possession. ex-
poets nothing more than an unahi-
. nous verdict to the effect that he is
the champion long-distance liar OF
the day.
1T all began in the early summer or
1915, this, until now an unchronlcIeo'
and for all time an unbelievable chap
ter of human tragedy. A brown
haired girl with brown eyes, with
cheeks to match and with a form SO
1.-the that 1t might be called wliiowy'
and a man with undoubtedly as un-
ly features a masculine human ever
possessed, played the stellar roles
The scene at the beginning, was Mrs
O'Grady's boarding house, the name,
Mrs. O'Grady, being used to avoid
The girl was a relative of Mrs.
O'Grady" n cousin to the best OF
recollection and was a star boarder'
only she didn't act like one. She was
one of 1.-The gang" that is, until the
Man came along. The Man "came
along one Sunday evening. The most
of the masculine inmates were ont
indulging in the city's favor1te sun
day evening recreation afforded those
keeping company" with some mem
Der of the fairer sex. One or two un-
lucky" ones formed shadows on Mrs.
0'Grady's front porch
The Man came to the door. Mrs
O'Grady answered the bell. He
wanted "a room and" Preliminary
negotiations ended in his getting it.
AS he passed in his features were
flooded by light from the hall
Gosh" remarked one of the shad-
ows on the porch, IF 1 had that face,
I'd bury it"
How the Man Looked.
The next morning at breakfast the
full Significance of the remark fell
upon those at the table. The man was
the last one down. He sat down be-
side the girl and for a full five minutes
all eyes rested upon him and he was
fully conscious of it. Truly. his feat
ures were almost animalistic. His
forehead receded sharply and straight
black hair grew upon it. Sparse eye
brows were where his forehead began
and his>cheekbones were high; his
nose was flat and his chin receding.
light coat failed to conceal monster
muscles in his shoulders, and his huge
hands sfumbled with his silverWare- A
glance before he sat down was enough
to tell all present that his shoes were
never obtained from any stores regu-
lar stock. His feet were long; so
were his legs, contrasting radically
with his short arms and huge Shout
ders.
From that first five minutes on. the
gang" avoided him. That is, all but
the girl. She seemed to pity the un-
calmly fellow, and promptly verified
appearances. She sat beside him at
the table and it wasn't long before
they were going out together. The
gang wondered at, first, and then,
failing to solve the mystery of the at
traction of a homely man for pretty
girl. turned to other interests
One night both the girl and the man
were missed at the dinner table. Mrs
O'Grady also looked worried. 1t wasn't
long till someone found out that the
couple had been married and had left
for ST Louis. 1t was then that the
wrath of the gang spilled itself upon
the man. He was the sole topic of dis
cussion that night and three fellows
who had dates forgot to keep them
Someone remembered, for the first
time, to ask where he came from,
what he did and who he was. He was
looked upon as a mystery never tell
ing much about himself.
One story was that he had been at
one time connected with sideshow.
AN animal man. snarled one fell
low. Half man, half animal. Ughi
He made me shiver."
You're nuts" argued a fellow dis
cuSSionist. There amt no such thing.
You've been reading yellow magazines,
but I'll agree with you on the SILVER
ing part. He gave me the creeps.
Sometimes my teeth chartered"
The discussion ended without
unanimous verdict. Two days after
the dinner call rang and, as each
boarder filed in. the first thing to
catch their eyes was a suitcase-the
girrs suitcase-near the door. But
the girl didn't appear. Scarcely ever
afterwards did she leave her room,
and when she did it was conf
dentially asserted by Mrs. O'Grady
that she had gone away"
To only one member of the gang
did Mrs. O'Grady ever corffide even
the slightest explanation of the girls
trip to and from st. Louis. That was:
She found him in his room tying
his necktie with his toes"
Seemingly the story ended there.
The real ending, however. came few
days ago when a southern paper
printed the folIowing;
"A patient, Miss - . died
last night at city hospital. She was
q clerk at the Bengal dry goods
stores. The body will be buried in
Charity Field"