The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-09
EVENING STORY
More Than Friend.
BY VINCENT G.. PERRY.
Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)

Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)
"A friend is a person who is for you,
never under any suspicious. He never
investigates you. When charges are
made against you, he asks the accuser
to clear out. He likes you as you are;
he doesn't want to alter you. He likes
your moods, and enjoys your pessim-
ism as much as your optimism. He
likes Your success, and your failures
endear you to him the more. He wants
nothing from you except that you be
yourself. He is the one being with
whom you can feel safe. With him you
can utter your heart, its badness and
its goodness. You don't have to be
careful In his presence you can be
indiscreet, which means you can rest.
Anybody may stand by you when you
are right, but a friend stands by you
when you are wrong. A friend is one
who knows all about you, yet likes you
just the same
Basil Vance cut the above para
graph from a newspaper and re-read
it very carefully. He agreed with it
all After reading it half a dozen times
he pasted it in his memorandum book,
where he could see it often. He had
been asking himself a question all
morning before he found this clipping,
and it just seemed to answer it. Judith
and he had quarreled for the last time.
He would go and ask her to consider
made a mistake. She was not for
him as a friend should be. She
questioned him about every little thing
that she happened to hear about him.
and even his denials left her suspic-
ious. There was hardly thing about
him that she did not want to alter
His moods never fitted in with ner
moods His disinclinations bored her.
She gloried in his success, it was true,
but then she had never been tested
fei o
pected that his gifts and freely spent
money were more acceptable to her
than himself. He did not always find
! ease when in her presence. There
about him-lots of things she would
not be interested in.
He took here picture from his desk.
He would have to return that to he.
He stopped to take a last look at it.
She was very beautiful and she was
smiling just as he liked to see her
smile. He wrapped it up hurriedly.
If he stood there gazing at that pic
ture he would change his mind. he
knew Then there were other things
he would have to return What if she
returned his presents. He would have
to order a dray to get them all. He
hoped she wouldn't put him to that
trouble. What would he DO with
them? 1t would hardly do to give
them to another woman, and he
hadn't any sister. Mechanically. he
took the memorandum book from his
pocket and read the clipping again.
Where was there a woman who could
| be all to a man that that called for?
There were lots of them some place,
and it was up to him to find one But
| even if he couldn't find her, there
were plenty of men friends who could
come up to that standard. He would
/ follow out that code with his friends
himself, and they would follow his ex-
ample.
When the car that he ordered drew
up in front of his office to take him to
Judith's home he was ready, waiting.
| It was a delicate task he had set for
himself, but he would not falter. With
Office building and made for the car.
Just before he reached it he remena-
bered that he had left Judith's gifts.
| that he had decided to return. on his
| desk. He turned quickly, his foot
| slipped on the icy pavement and he
| crashed down, striking his head with
great force.
| It was two hours later when he re-
gained consciousness. and he Just had
| time to realize that he was in the
hospital before he lapsed into a state
/ of semi-consciousness How his head
| ached! There was a grinding. gnaw-
| ing feeling in every bone of his body.
| He was dying. he could feel il. but he
| couldn't cry out to tell them. Oh, if
| he only could have last farewell with
| Judith! How he loved her! But did
| he love her? Hadn't a quarrel come
up between them? He could see the
quarrel like big black cloud lowering
| above him, and he tried to jump up
| and knock it away, but a newspaper
! with great big type got in his way.
| Then the words shot off the newspaper
and went into his eyes and ears and
| made his head ache worse. He cried
out but that didn't help him. Sud-
denly calm came over him. There
| was soft hand on his forehead and
soothing voice quite close to his ears
| When his eyes cleared he could see
figure bending over him. 1t looked
| like an angel and she was crying.
How her hands eased the pain of his
| head and how sleepy her voice made
him. Down. down he went. and then
/ all the pain went and he felt himself
sinking to sleep
1 She was there when he woke up
again. The pain was all gone and he
| felt quite fresh. He took good look
at the s.angel' and gave a cry of glad