The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-25
EVENING STORY
"Advice to the Lovelorn.' -
BY VINCENT q. PERRY.

rose perfume on his hair, and I
Just detest the odor Of rose per-
fume on anybody's hair. I am
afraid it is going to cause us to
break off our engagement. l love
him dearly, too. What would you
advise? BROKEN HEARTED"
Bob Clarke read the letter over and
showed a piece of copy paper into his
typewriter. In less than half min
ute he had written a paragraph of adj
vice to Broken Hearted" and pinned |
it to her letter, ready for the printers. |
There was a heap of letters before him |
and he dealt with the ones on top. |
They were all along the same line. |
There was a similarity in the PEN !
names. too. Broken Hearted"
Doubtful and Anxious were the |
most popular ones
When Bob had answered more than !
he thought the editor would let go |
thru, he sat back in his chair and |
looked at the pile OF unanswered ones
that would have to go into the waste |
paper basket. 1t seemed as il every |
person in love in the city wrote 20 |
Joan" for advice. If they had known |
that Joan was a man-and q very
young one, too-perhaps there would
not have been SO many letters. There i
had been a girl, on the staff who had |
started the column, but she had long |
since departed, SO the work was wish |
ed on Bob. He didn't mind it, tho. 1t
afforded him a lot Of amusement. in
fact. He had never known how good
he was at giving advice until he had
conducted the Advice to the Love- |
lorn'' column How many couples he
had made happy or unhappy he didn't
know, but this day he sat back and
wondered about it.
Lovers quarrels had always seemed
a joke to Bob. until he had had one
of his own. 1t was no joke. OF course.
it was more serious than any quarrel
any one had ever written him about,
he thought. There didn't seem to be
positively refused to listen to reason.
She had had no right to blame him,
and he had told her so. He had allow
ed her to blame him for everything
in the past and he wasn't going to al
low her to do it any more. Why was
she so stubborn about it? She had
always been reasonable before.
He paced up and down to think
it over and then sat down again. He
had the room to himself. so he was
he got into a quieter frame of mind
he could see that he was just a trifle
to blame. The more thought he gave
it, the more he could see just where
the blame lay. Cleo had been right.
It was all his fault. He would tell
stand the lonely feeling he had any
longer.
It appeared quite a simple thing to
call Cleo up and put matters on
firm basis again, but when she banged
the receiver in his ear he saw that
the quarrel had just begun For
week his feelings were in\too injured
a state to permit him to even think
Of talking to Cleo again, but the lonely
feeling got the best Of him at length.
He wished, there was some one to
tell him how to go about it to fix
things up Then the idea came to him.
Why not follow some OF his own ad-
vice? he thought. He had his column
on file for year back and he went
thru them to locate case like his
own. He did find one that was very
much like his. The girl in the case
had been Just as stubborn as Cleo and
hQd banged down a receiver just as
CLIO had done. Receivers seemed to
be a popular weapon in lovers quar-
rels. The young man who had writ
ten the letter had signed himself PIN
ing Away" Bob didn't feel quite as
detected as that, but he could sympa-
thize with the young fellow just the
same. He wondered what he had seen
in that letter to laugh over when 1t
had come in. He read his answer and
noted each instruction. Behold;
don't let her see that you are down.
hearted; go to her home and demand
admittance: show her that you mean
business, and she will be sure to for
That answer didn't seem to tit his
case at all. But if "Pinins Away" had
been successful. he didn't see why he
couldn't be, by carrying out the same
plan. It wouldn't hurt to try, at any
rate. Cleo couldn't do anything worse
than close the door in his face. and
perhaps SOMEONE else would answer
the door. Her family favored him.
| That was some consolation.
| Cleo didn't slam the door in Bob's
fo h.yk OF Sh
every effort to talk to her, for fifteen
minutes. he wished she had.
'Why don't you be reasonable,
Cleo" he pleaded at last.
"Reasonable!" she exclaimed. Have
not been reasonable? It Is you who
are not reasonable. II you really had
loved me you would be-"
1t was the longest speech she had
made, and Bob felt encouraged.
taken all the blame,"' he said. won't
you be your old self again? Why did
you allow me to come here II you
weren't going to speak to me-"
ct don't want you to take the blame
If you really thought you were to
| blame you wouldn't acknowledge it
men never do. You just say that be-
cause you are forgiving me. I don't
| want to be forgiven. I have done
nothing to be forgiven for
There was an entirely new argument
| for Bob. He had always been of the
| impression that women were odd. but
now he was convinced Of 1t.
ANY one will tell you I am to
blame" he said. Then he was struck
| with a sudden thought why don't
you write to the Advice to the Love-
lorn' column in the paper. The an
swer will convince us who Is to blame.
| joan knows all about such things"
"But Joan must be a friend of
yours; do you know who she is?"
| Cleo asked suddenly.
Joan Is my worst enemy" he an
| swered. MY knowing who Joan is
| won't make any difference in the re-
ply. will guarantee that"
You will have to help me compose
the letter." Cleo said, as she secured
| the stationery.
Together they started on the letter.
| Bit by bit they told the details of their
quarrel Bob did most of the die