The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-06-04
EVENING STORY
Vernon Pope.
BY LANE OSBORN.

BY JANE OSBORN.
Whenever Hester Fay had 10 cents
left in her purse after she had bought
her luncheon, paid her carfares and
bought her evening paper out OF the
AZ cents she allowed herself for
spending money" every day, she went
to a little basement flower shop ana
exchanged that silver piece for a rose
or a couple of carnations, few dat-
fodils or pansies, or any other bloom
that that small sum would secure
Don't you ever buy candy the
girls in the office would say to her
when she steadfastly refused to snare
with them in a little bag OF 1corlce
drops or chocolates that they brought
back with them after luncheon. EV-
cry girl has sweet tootn' It's iulhy
you haven't.
"Wen, maybe do like sweets" Hes
ter would say But to me flowers are
so much sweeter than candy. And
rose on your desk will stay sweet Tor
days, and the candy is all gone in an
afternoon"
On her way from business she used
to walk up the avenue past the big
florists windows, and there look Gag
erly in to see the flowers, whose names
she did not know, that were arranged
| to tempt the folk who could a11oro
to pay as much for box of flowers as
Hester received for working whole
week.
Then Hester read in the paper that
great flower show was to be held
early in the spring. The tickets were
SO cents, and that meant that five
dimes would have to be saved. and
that five times when she might have
bought a little nosegay she would have
to go without. To spend SO cents for
a single evenings entertainment
seemed like extravaganza to Hester. so
Lot n q
show, on the day that 1t opened, as
soon as she was thru work at her Of
flee and remain there with the flowers
| till the doors closed. She would have
| from half-past five till eleven o'clock,
| if she chose, just to wander about and
smell the sweetness and revel in the
color of the flowers that the paper
said were to be even more gorgeous
than in previous years. To be sure.
this would mean going without din
ner; but she bought a sandwich. which
she ate rapidly at a lunch counter on
her way to the show. and this satisfied
her craving for food.
At first Hester wandered about the
great hall in a daZe, now standing
transfixed before a table on which
| nothing but roses were placed, and
then hurrying from one rock garden
to another, searching out in each new
and hidden beauties, till she knew the
characteristics, but not the names, of
all the plants that ever found place
in rock gardens. If any one stopped
to notice the enthusiastic young girl
as she stood with hands clasped and
eyes cleaning before one of the ex-
hibits, Hester did not know it, for she
was too intent on enjoying the flow
ers every minute of the hours she had
to spend to notice the other spectators
at ALL
After she had wandered about for
over an hour, she finally stood lost in
admiration and almost perfect con-
| tent before the tulip exhibition that
| had been awarded the first prize. It
| was the exhibition of the millionaire.
L. K. Pope, whose world famous tulip
| hothouses and gardens made certain
| his taking the first prize for this class
| OF flowers every year. Hester had
| not read her evening paper without
| knowing the reputation that Mr.. Pope
and his family had gained in fields
other than tulip raising. Mr.. Pope
| himself, as every one knew, was at
| the time seeking a divorce from his
third wife, and his only son. young
Vernon Pope, had given interesting
reading recently in the evening papers
| because OF his elopement with a musi-
cal comedy star of considerabl BILE repu-
| tation.
Hester didn't in the least approve of
the Popes, but she did love their tu-
| lips, and when she heard one woman
| who stood for a while beside her say
to her companion, IT can't even ad-
| mire the exhibition when 1 think
Hester wondered for a brief minute
| whether she were weakening in her
very rigid standard, because she could
admire the Pope tulips as much as
she did. It seemed to her, as she
stood there feasting her eyes on the
| sea of golden tulips, as pure as morn
| ing sunlight, that just to grow flowers
| like that would make people want to
| be good and decent.
The exhibit, as every one said, was
| the most attractive of any shown, for
tulips, in beds of red and yellow.
| pink, white, and of that rich dark red
characteristic of the "black" tulip,
were arranged about a little Dutch
| cottage that had a real little door and
two windows with white muslin cur
tains. If Hester had any well defined
| idea of heavenly mansions it was of
some such little white-curtained Dutch
| cottage as this, surrounded by beds of
glorious peoples and paths of pure
white pebbles like those she now gazed
upon.
A young man came out of the cot
tage, and Hester watched him eager
~. OF course it was young Vernon
Pope. and as he opened the door she
looked to see if there was a girl in
the cottage; If there was a girl, of
course it was the dancing girl he had
eloped with. For a moment Hester
| envied the dancing girl. just because
she might claim admittance to the
Wh1te-curtained cottage. But no girl
followed Vernon. and there appeared
to be no one left in the cottage. Ver-
non crunched his way down the white
pebbled path to the white painted
fence that hemmed in the exhibit. A
young man that stood on the outside
| of the fence appeared to be friend of
Vernon's
Congratulations" said the man on
the outside of he fence. IT knew you
would get tn first prize for tulips, but
you've taken the prize for the best
show of any sort in the exhibition. 1
got it straight from the judges just
now"
The smooth haven young Vernon
showed supreme satisfaction. You