The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-10-30

That encouraged Cynthia to take a
seat beside him. Not that she needed
encoura cement, for she would have sat
there sooner or later. 1t did not take
Horace long to forget that he was a
college professor and she was a mere
student. Soon they were chatting
gayly.
Her home was nearby and she had
spent every summer fishing in that
stream for years. She led him to
place where he was sure to catch
something, no matter how-poor an an
gler he was When his luck re-
manned poor and he still made vain
attempts to land a trout. Cynthia did
not fail to laugh at him and assure
him that he was as funny as he could
be.
Somehow it did not bother him to be
laughed>at out there. The air seemed
to have got into his blood I'D given
him a sense of humor that responded
to her witty ridicule. He was not long
in catching onto the right way 20 Draw
in the line, and before the afternoon
was over he was catching as t any
| trout as Cynthia. When they parted
ne had gained her promise to search
him out the next day.
Camping agreed with him after that.
| Fishing was the most wonderful sport
| in the world when one had compan-
ion like Cynthia, he decided after two
weeks of glorious days. Nerves? Why.
! he had forgotten he had such things!
! They would have still stayed o0t
| of his mind had it not been that a
it necessary to stay in his tent. 1t made
| itn ecessary to stay in his tent and try
| and spend the day reading, wondering
all the while what Cynthia was doing.
| Making fun of him, most likely-the
thought came to him quickly and left
him staggering. Perhaps she was. Per-
haps she had spent all those days with
: him just to have something to tell the
| fourth year girls when she went back
to college. He would have to resign.
1t would be just like Cynthia to do
| it-but would it? This new Cynthia
was not a bit like the old Cynthia
who had made his life miserable. But
/ as the rain kept up his mind became
more unsettled, and before the night
was over he had made up his mind
that Cynthia had been making a fool
of him.
The next day he still thought it.
When Cynthia appeared he hardly
spoke. She saw at once hen presence
was not welcome. With a toss of her
head she started up the bank and
| forded the stream some way up. After
fishing alone for some time Horace
realized that he had been, cad. Gym
/, thia was too fine a girl to be insulteu
like that. He would find her and make
amends. He started in the direction
she had taken and attempted to ford
! the stream where he ina gined she had
crossed. The spot he chose appeared
quite shallow from the bank. but as he
| reached the center, he stepped into a
deep hole and sank, out of sight
Cynthia looked up just in time and
with a cry jumped into the water and
made for the spot. When he came UP
for the first time she was there tie
clutch him and a couple of strokes
took them to safety. His body re-
manned limp in her grasp, and as she
dragged him over to the bank and
placed him on the grass, the pallor OF
his cheeks alarmed her. He lay quite
/ still. She placed her ears to rs breast
and then cried out with fright. Hes
dead" Madly she tried to shake him
back to life, and then she seemed to
lose her senses.
| Come back, Horac. cried.
ooh, Horace, don't die. There is SO
much I want to ask forgiveness for.
I was just beginning to know you and
like you, Horace-like you SO much,
Horace. Please open your eyes.
have been such a wretla to tease You
oh, dearest Horace, open your eyesi'
And FORAGE did He could not sham
any longer after being called dearest
Horace"
Cynthia's hysteria vanished when
she discovered he wa She f-as
very angry at first whe- fessed
he had not~been hurt at all an was
conscious all ttr rpa but her sense
of humor came to the rescue and she