The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-20
EVENING STORY
Stupidity for Two.
BY INES MACDONALD.


lowed her into the house toward the
piano while she announced from the
door: Come on everybody, Billy's go
ing to sing"
And everybody trai1ed into the room
where Billy was Elready running over
the piano keys aimlessly-
"WhatIl you have?" he asked over
his shoulder to- the gay assemblage.
Something sad-something mushy-
or something frivolous?"
Something frivolous!" was the
unanimous request.
So Billy's fingers strayed into a syn
copating melody as he threw back his
blond head and sang in his rollicking
baritone.
In q certain situation
While engaged in a filtration,
When she asks you if forever
You will love her
Don't fall in CONSERVATION
For that maidens appreciation,
Nor make promise that you'll never
Love another.
| By judicious implication
And little OSCILLATION.
Break it gently and be clever-
Love Eoy the gr but on mot 1 f%5evfT
Forever is a long. long time!" ap-
| plauded one of the men. Right you
are, Billy, Sing it again."
| And Billy sang it again with a dozen
| joining in the melody and striving to
| learn the words, both of which were
new and the incompatible Billy's own.
But little later after he had man
aged to break away from the piano.
Edna Barns caught him in the hall
and faced him accusingly.
"a man of Your talent ought to be
ashamed to have such a frivolous phil
| .ophy, Billy Wardon," she said i'm
patiently.
Billy was bland and his eye was
| innocent.
"Since that heartless song of yours,
| Emily Wayne has been out in a dark
| corner of the veranda weeping her
| eyes out" she chided.
81 never made love to Emily Wayne
| in my life!" he protested
You make love to every woman
you meet-with your eyes, Billy" she
accused.
81 DON'T" denied Billy rudeIy.
you do, too,' she insisted. You
eve make love to 1le that way
you're doing 1t now."
For an instant his serious glance
sought hers as she stood there looking
W at him. This is a grand little old
life-not." he said, with a pathetic
grin. Emily Wayne loves me- love
you-you love Jim Bradley and Jim
loves Emily. Outside of that we're all
as happy as bunch of pickpockets at
prison wardens' convention And
veranda in search of the grieving
Emily, while Edna watched him go
with a perplexed little smile on her
lips.
But he did not find Emily, altho he
did find Jim Bradley, smoking
moodily.
Jim" said Billy, what we want in
this world don't amount to much, but
what the women want-thats differ
ent! Now. want Edna, and you want
Emily-but women being contrary.
Edna wants you. and Emily wants me-
Now, it's up to us to make them
happy, so the only thing to do is for
you to go ahead and marry Edna and
I'll go and find Emily and fix it up
with her."
But I don't want Edna" protested
Jim violently. land I'll be darncd If
I'll stand your marrying Emily. 1
| want her myself"
why. you big chump! I don't want
| her-wouldn't have her on a bet. But
we've got a chance to make the two
finest girls in the world happy by a
| little sacrifice on our part. There's no
use in all four of us going thru life
disappointed. So the best thing we can
do is to do the right thing by the two
of us that count the most"
Finally, after much persuasion Jim
agreed, but when he decoyed Edna out
onto the lawn under the trees. she was
thunderstruck at his proposal
why. JIM" she said, II like you
better than any man know-except
one-and he is SO stupid T guess I'll
| have to propose to him myself
| Jim grinned al her in the darkness
| and sighed with relief GO to il, old
girl, 1 hope you win"
And she watched him with amused
eyes as he wandered away in search
of Billy.
But Billy was not so easily discour-
| I've been thinking about marrying you
for a-some time-and we might .ust
as we'll go ahead and have it over
with"
Billy" laughed Emily. you remind
| me of the Charge of the Light Brigade,
but even SO, I might marry you If it
weren't for the fact I'm in love with
| somebody else
You're not spoofng me, are you,
Emily" asked Billy, anxiously.
why should 1? A girl doesn't get
proposed TO every night in the week.
Billy. and it's almost always exciting.
even If she doesn't love the man. But
you propose, Billy, like a pallbearer
at funeral. You act perfectly glad 1
| didn't take"you. Besides if a man
really loves a girl, he usually grabs
her first and proposes afterwards"
And you're positive you love some
body else"
II certainly am
Thank the Lord for that" said
Billy vaulting over the porch rail in
| search of Jim.
Well" said Jim grouchily. as the
| twoof them conferred by the front
steps. your dope was all wrorg. And
were both out of it. Emily it seems
loves somebody else, but it isn't me
| and Edna loves somebody else, but it
isn't you. There's no eternal triangle
to this tragedy; it's more like a hol-
| low square"
| IA hollow groan, you mean" said
! Billy.
| Fol- so,ne time they sat there
| silently, and then the music from
| within easeC and as it did so there
came from the shadows around the
corner of the veranda certain sounds
| of feminins laughter.
Il guess we have leased them
/ in