The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-01-21
BY LILLIAN HALL. CROWLEY.
copyright, 1915. bv Mcclure Newspaper

art
Paul was very happy indeed that
pleasant summer evening as he went
toward ArIine's home, intent on ask
ing her to marry him. He found her
father and mother on the veranda,
and they told him Airline was in her
studio. He said he would announce
himself.
paul is in love with Airline" smiled
Mrs. Maynard at her husband. |
Il could not ask a better man for
her" he replied. He is as serious |
and steady as any man twice his age |
The men down town say there is no |
nonsense about Paul Ellsley. I am |
sure Airline likes him"
Expectantly. Paul tapped at the
studio door.
Come in," called the sweet anu Ia
n1iliar voice.
She was arranging some paintings
and greeted him with pleasah'
Good evening""
line. was conferred on the photograph
of a. remarkably handsome young
man 1t was placed in a conspicuous
position on a table, and Paufs near.
sunk within him when he reahzed
that he had never seen the picture
! airline sat down beside him, and let
her gaz, wander to the handsome face
and then to the canvases around the
wall.
paul could not speak To himself
she met when he was painting IN
| Provincetown last summer. and ne
| has won her away from me- so tai
| ented a girl could not care for bust
ness man. l was fool TO thlnk she
| could be happy with me.
| Poor Paul was so w-etchsd that the
| words he came to speak were left I'M
| spoken, and he went away very short
| ", going out by another door so as
| not to meet her father and mother
ba
alone with his poor wounded heart.
! The next night Sallie Edwards called
| him the telephone to remind him
Il at she was waiting for him to come
to her house to make plans for an en-
| tertainment in which they were both
| to take part. Needless to say, Paul
| had lost interest now, but as he could
| not give the reason why he went to
meet Sallie as a matter of course -
| The first thing he saw as he entered
/ the cosy living room of the Edwards
house was a duplicate of the photo
graph he had seen on Arline'S table.
| It had been placed on the piano.
against rare Chinese vase. Paul was
amazed, but as Sallie did not mention
| the picture, neither did he. Sallie
had another engagement, so they hur-
| ried with their plans
In a SHIRT time, which seemed long
| to Paul, he found himself walking
| home in a daze Did ArlineF love
man who was evidently untrue to her
or why should Sallie have the same
new photograph? What should he
do? Tell Airline. No, he couldn't do
that; there was not enough evidence
against the villain.
He had previously accepted an invi-
tation to dine at the home of his chum
Roy Sandress. the following night. He
| would rather have stayed at home
with his sorrow, but he knew that Roy
would fetch him bodily. Anyway, it
might help to XIII time. Killing time
was all that life meant to him, now
| that he had lost Airline.
Roy's sister, Peggie, was the only
one in the living room when he ar
| rived. She greeted him asa big broth
er, and went on arranging some vases
| on the mantel. Then she turned to a
| table on which We're some books. and
oh, horrors. Was he seeing things!
| No, a. lemonade was all he had had to
drink, and that wouldn't make him
see the same handsome face of the
| photogra phi in Arline's studio and on
'Sallie's piano. The third time. Why,
the man was gay Lothario.
Something must be done. He must
save Airline from the clutches Of a
wretch who was obviously making
| love to scores of other girls 1t was
! maddeningi What was he to do? Peg
! gle picked up the photograph. looked
fully.
Paul was as fond of Peggie as he
was of Roy. 1t was his duty to pro-
tect her as he would his own sister
| She looked so winsome and sweet
that he wanted to choke the rascal
who would bring sorrow to her confid-
ing little heart.
Full of chaotic thoughts, he could
| hardly manage to eat his dinner.
make his excuses and leave early
Alone in his bachelor quarters, he
lighted his pipe and planned innumer-
| able ways to foil the villain. None of
his schemes was feasible AT last ne
decided to tell Aunt Margaret. his
mothers maiden sister She had new
err failed him. Ever since his moth
er's death, when he was fifteen, ne
had taken all his problems to her
Yes he would tell Aunt MARGARET
| Perhaps it would be better Tor her
Ito inform the three girls-no one
knew how many more there were
and make them understand that there
was a deceiver abroad in the land
| The comfort of this decision en-
/ abled him to sleep and to finish his
u-ork next day. so that he was bic to
go to his aunt on his way to dinner.
He had telephoned her that he had
something most important about
| which he must consult her
/ She would not fail him. he knew.
Wasn't it one of the very good things
fof his life that he could always de-
pend on Aunt Margaret! Bless her.
With. high hopes he leaped up the
ste pS of her nome. Ine door was soon
topened. He rushed into the library
where she often sat. SEeswas there as
usual but the smile of greeting he had
/ for her froze to one of horror.
| For there on the mantel, facing
him, was the handsome face he had
grown to detest. smiling at him
| He reached out to a chair for sup
iport Steadying himself. then tragi-
caIly pointing at the picture and look
ling reproachfully at the sweet-faced.
lr1iddIe-aged woman who had come
forward to kiss him. he exclaimed:
e'And you. too. Aunt Margaret"
/ well. Caesar" asked his surprised
relative. what do you mean? EFT tn,