The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-19
EVENING STORY
Myra Meets Her Idol.
BY KATE BATES.

When she opened her eyes the man |
in the wide cowboy hat was bending
over her in true cinema form, with !
his horses bride slung carelessly over |
his arm.
81 think 1 must have slipped" she
SAID; and then turning back to look at
the fifty feet of soft grass, down
which she had evidently taken her UNI
premeditated descent, You see, I was
up there, and then-then must nave
The man in cowboy costume raised
her shoulders and looked with reassur-
ance at the healthy glow that was al
ready creeping back into her cheeks.
Il didn't really faint" she said; Il
was dre2dfully frightened when
saw I had slipped, and shut my eyes
You were very good to stop-the 9TH
| ers have gone on by now, haven't
they?"
| telling her, but you've had your eyes
shut for the longest five minutes ever
put in. Yes, the others have gone
| took the motor buses back to town."
And you waited" she said, looking
with unconcealed admiration at his
riding get-up.
BY this time the cowboy man had
helped the girl to the little shack that
| had recently served as part of the
background in the western screen
melpdrama, and having tied his horse
| deity to a tree stump, kicked open
door into the shack, led the girl inside
and helped her to the easiest of the
| two rustic chairs that the place Of
fered
She explained that she had been
watching the taking of the pictures
from the concealment OF the embank-
ment, that she had never watched such
a performance, made it perfectly clear
| that she regarded the role of a screen
actor the most worthwhile in the
world, and ended naively by telling
| her companion that he was the first
follower of that calling that she had
ever seen at close range.
| "You couldn't be Morgan Hunter"
She almost cried as she looked at him
more closely than she had before, pro-
nouncing the name of the screen hero
with the most flattering respect
The man laughed. Certainly
| could be. Would you like it if you
| thought I were?"
| How wonderful" the girl breathed;
and then she told him that her great
| est am bition in life was to become In
some measure at least a contributor
to the great work of making screen
pictures, and it was because of such
an interest that she had been spend
ing the time that she ought to have
been home on her uncle's farm five
miles away helping with the late can
ming.
| Do yOu tHluh< 1 HdNe any VI the
qualities that might make it possible
for me to take small parts some
lSmes?" she asked.
You are very pretty" the man
told her. seriously, but it takes more
than prettiness. 1t is a great delu-
sion to imagine that that is all you
need. I fancy, TOO, that you have
pluck and the kind of determinatlo On
that would make YOU eventually a
success at whatever you undertook
| How old are you?' he asked frankly,
and the girl replied in quite a matter
of-fact way that she was 90 There
was no disposition on his part to en-
courage her in her ambition, but
when she begged him to let her bring
some pictures that she had had taken
to him AID get his judgment from
those as to her adaptability to the
work, he rather reluctantly consented
to see her again. The place was 20
be the very shack where they were
now talking. The time was to be two
days later.
1T seems as If had known YOU a
very long time. MIR. Hunter the girl
told him, as she babe him farewell
and, as he took and held the out
stretched hand in his for just a few
seconds longer than the occasion &C.
manded. blush swept into her cheeks
that was not entirely one of resent
ment. The man laughed. =
Forgive me-" he said, andIthen. as
ne looked intently at her, You do
forgive me-" he repeated. As they
parted both were conscious of the ia ct
that something nom .ntous in their
lives had just occurred.
Myra Talmedge brought the pic
lures at the appointed time to the an
pointed place, and this time she had
deliberately decked kerself forth in
the traditional charming simplicity ct
\ v~t
! hat that she associated with the voune
movie actress
She found her cowboy man WAITING
Tor her. A fire had been kindled in
the crude chimney piece of the little
snack and tea party was spread
WIN most tempting of sandwiches and
pastures such as Myra had never ever
peIore Sc IN. Il couldn't help it." he
) saio' ana Myra was too naive and in
earnest to feign any disapproyaI tha,
she did not feel.
t Myra LEFT the photographs and wen,
/ aWay with the promise that a week
: later She would come again IN the III
Tie shack to learn his final iudemen,
on the matter of her possible Career
BUT on this occasion for some. reason
me CONVOY man>put the discussion OF
{ .nls matter till last. He had something
tant to tell her. 1t was the worIdroid
> confession OF the man who loves 10,
the nrst time completely and devoted.
~. and Myra listened with all the sim.
phcIty and artlessness of her nature.
! never thought it would hamper
= TINS way" she said slowly as she gave
PACK the answer he was waiting eacer.
. ~ TO hear. Il think I've loved vor
ever since that II st day when 1 OPENED
there"
1t was only a little later that tbs
COWBOY man made his confession. O1
course ne was not Morgan Hunter a
all. In fact, he had not really Told he,
ne was At first he had let her thinl
SO, because he wanted to see how i
ieit to be treated like a moving pic
ture nero. He always dressed tina,
| voted to the saddle.