The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-14
EVENING STORY
When the Alarm Sounded.
BY VINCENT G. PERRY.

story OF spies, OF international intrigue,
but there, was a fascination about
it that Kept her reading longer than
she had intended. She looked at the
alarm clock on sher dressing table and
gave an exciamation-ef disnay. She
had been reading for two hours and
there was barely half an hour left in
which to catch \ler train. She had
dressed before taking up the book, so,
if she hurried there was still time
Thank goodness she was merely going
on weekend visit and would not
have much packing to do In less
than five minutes all was packed. She
began to wonder what was in her suit
| case after she had closed it. She
opened it again and examined the con-
tents carefully There! She knew she
had forgotten something. She snatched
| the alarm clock from its accustomed
place and showed it into the bag. She
| was confident her cousin hadn't an
alarm clock and knew she would miss
the early train on Monday If she
hadn't something dependable1t to awak-
| en-. her. AS an after. thought she
shoyed the novel in ON top ~
| AS usual. there was no car in sight
! when Mary arrived at her corner BY
the time one came she was sure it was
impossible to get to the station in
time. When she alighted from the
car she bolted for the station plat
form. arriving hot and painting to find
no train waiting. She had missed it.,
No, she hadn't. The train was chalked
up seven minutes late. She walked
| down the platform to see If it was in
sight. Suddenly she heard a buzzing
[ sound quite near to her, gaining force
as 1t buzzed. With a sharp cry of
| fright she dropped her suit case.
some one had put an internal machine
in it Just as they had done to the hero
fne in the novel! She tried. to run
away from it, but her feet seemed
giued to the platform. Then she real
izd what it washer alarm clock GO
ing off. Her cheeks scarlet, she made
nasty grab for the suit case, hop
ing against hope that no one had seen
what an idiot she had been. In her
haste tc get out of sight she did not
see that another suit case rested be-
sloe the one she had taken UP.
| When the train pulled in, an eager
crowd fastened to board it. Msrv
mated crowds, especially on hot davs
She stood back as the others pushed
forward. She could not restrain a
gasp as youEg man made his way
past heF. Harris Eccieston! She had
not seen him for a year. She was
sure 1t was he. One glance at his suit
case as he was lost in the crowd, made
her doubly sure 1t was piststhe same
as hers. ThsyThad7 unwittingTy dupIi-
ca.ed presents to one another the
gagged. The thought of their engage
ment made her furious. What a silly
girl she had been to imagine herself
engaged to such a heart-breaker. she
Thought angrily. If only she had seen
him before the train came in she
would nave told him just how con-
temptible she thought he was A
whistle from the engine warned her
that there was no time to be lost. She
boarded the last coach and found
seat.
Mary usually enjoyed train Journeys
but this afternoon she could NOT settle
h7r mind to- enjoy, anything The
thought of Harris kept, coming UP.
They had been a devoted coupie until
he had been transferred to. another.
city, and even then for months his
letters had seemed as devoted as ever.
But a sudden change had become no.
ticeable in his letters. They became
fewer and more reserved. Finally she
had written him and asked for an ex-
PLANTATION, but he had never answered
the letter That told her at once that
there was another girl in the case, and
after waiting month for a reply she.
| sent him his ring. She had not sent
an accompanying word, but now she
wished she had sent him a letter tell
| ing him her opinfon1ef him. It would
not haveI looked nice SIM writing; tho,
| she thought. as she settled back in
her seat and tried to enjoy looking
out of the window. The scenery didn't
interest her. She thought of the un-
Iln1SneQf novel III neT suit case ana
reached for the bag and opened 1t.
| She nearly tainted from surprise. The
suit case was not her own. It was
| filled with mans wearing apparel.
Who did it belong to and where was
| hef suit case? She rem ,mbered that
| she must have made the change when
| the alarm clock 7-ent off on the sta
| ton platform. She rummaged thru
| the clothes in hope of finding some
thing to identify the owner. Right at
the bottom she found leather-bound
diary. She opened it hastily and recog-
nized something strangely familiar in
\ the writing. It was Harris's. Her
| name was the first to catch her glance.
She looked at the date and found the
] para graph had been written three
months after Harris moved. 'I have
| heard today that Mary is going about
| with a medical student, but I don't
| believe it," she read. Mary could
| hardly contain herself. Who had told
Harris such contemplate thing? The
only medical student she had even
| known was her cousin Ralph Harris
knew him. of course. but didn't know
that he had started to medical school.
/ The next paragraph she read was
written about a month later. It said:
| ''Mary's letters seem different I Won
der If there is anything in that nedf-
cal student story" Why. that was
| the week they had Mad the record
rush at the office She had been SO
/ tired there wac little wonder her let
| tiers had appeared different" =
She turned to the date she judged
Harris would have got her letter, ask
ing why he seemed SO changed. Sure
enough he had got it! Il received a
! letter today from Mary, asking me the
cause of a change in the tone of my
| letters. 1 realize that there has been
a change and have written Mary, and
told her the cause of it L have Of
fered to give her her freedom If she
loves the medical student. 1 am wait
| ing anxiously for reply" she read.
| Mary groaned. She had not received
| the letter. Whatever in the world
would Harris think of her? She
skinned thru the next page. On ev-
cry one disappointment was express
! ed because of no reply to his. letter.
After two weeks had passed he had
| begun to think that silence was her