The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-10
EVENING STORY
A State of Mind.
BY INES MACDONALD.

covered new talents which he never
before suspected he had. And he sue
ceeded. as men who are inspired sue
coed, until eight years afterward he
awoke one morning to find himself
80 years old.
My birthday" he unused aloud. And
he fiexed the muscles of his arms and
shoulders. rather proud to be so fit.
That night in celebration he dined
alone at a well known cafe. where he
was struck by something that had not
before occurred to him in his busy new
life. All the world seemed to be paired
Off Couple after couple, two and two,
men and girls-everywhere! They
were strolling in the streets, entering
| theaters, stepping out of and into tax
icabs, waiting for cars-but he was
alone!
He was bordering the same thing
the next morning while he was waiting
for his stenographer.
Miss Dean Is i'll today" a well-bred
| voice broke in on his revery.
He turned to see Alice Shane, note
book in hand, standing just inside the
open door OF his private office.
Nothing serious, I hope" he said.
"oh. no! think not.''
Then it doesn't matter" he said, as
she seated herself opposite him at his
| flat-topped desk.
While he dictated he observed her
| closely. She had been in his employ
for two years and he had never given
her particular notice before. He had
observed that the work was uniformly
good-and that she was reliable. She
had been a silent, efficient girl who
had assumed one little duty after an
other, until her responsibility had be-
| come onsiderable. Twice he had rails
ed her salary, but until this particular
morning he couldn't have told the
4 color of her eyes to save his life. But
he could now, and her hair pleased
him, too, and the clear smoothness of
her skin.
| During the fourth letter he noticed
her wrists. Slim they were, only half
that, and then her voice, he liked that
very much. indeed. Suddenly he got
curious to hear it and also to see her
eyes-just to make sure he was right.
| What is your salary now?" he ask
| ed abruptly.
swiftly, surprise in her eyes. q
You're having great deal of re-
sponsibility of late, are you not?"
| mot more than I'm capable of" she
said simply.
| He made a note. twenty-five is
| nope too much for a girl these days."
he said half to himself.
In the middle of the sixth letter he
| got to wondering how old she was, and
finally he decided that she was about
%. but his pause was SO long that she
eventually looked UP to find him
studying her absently.
Whats the matter ?" she asked, her
hand flying instinctively to her hair.
| II was just wondering what your
mother was like" he answered vague
ly.
J She gave him one curious specula-
| tive glance and then-"I will give the
matter my attention should the occa-
sion demand she repeated primly,
transcribing the last sentence from her
notes. He took the hint and finished
| his correspondence without further
| comment, but during the morning she
was constantly in his thoughts, and he
kept wondering how he could get past
| her reserve without being offensive.
Then in the midst of his dreaming she
returned with the letters for his sigma
| ture.
| st wonder" he ventured, as he
| shuffled over the letters aimlessly. 81
wonder If your mother would ask a
lonesome chap like me out to dinner
tomorrow" The next day was Sun
day.
She wasstartled, and a tinge Of sus-
| picion clouded her eyes
81 hope, Mr.. Brownly, you're not
going to make it difficult for me to
work for you. I can't accept the five
dollar raise, If there's IA social
string tied to it,
There are no strings" he said curt
ly. S"and your assumption is unfair.
Please bear in mind that I was not
asking you out to dinner was ask
ing myself in. That's all, I think"
So for the rest of the morning Alice
Shane was in a brown study. What II
she had been unfair-the possibility of
it made her flush, and she decided to
talk it over with her mother.
But Brownly was not to be discour-
aged, and late Sunday morning he
started adventuring in his roadster
Finally he drew up in front of a mod
est apartment house. went in and
pushed the bell-button under the
: name of Mrs. Clara Shane. Fortunately
there was no speaking tube, SO he
) caught the door knob eagerly. and en-
tered as soon as the latch was released
from above.
Up three flights, standing in the half
open door he found Alice Shane. She
was clad in pink. Bingham morning
slip that left her arms bare. Her hair
was a bit tumbled and she was q very
much surprised young woman. indeed
"Why-why-I thought it was the
ice cream mani" and a dimple came
dangerously near the corner of her
!. mouth.
wrong" laughed Brownly. And a
! moment later he was shaking hands
with her mother.
"You see," he explained to that
! pleasant lady, yesterday I asked to
be permitted to come to dinner. and
grieve to report that your daughter
was rude to me. Very!" he added Sc
verely frowning at Alice.
st wasn't" she denied. 81 was just
-surprised!' And she was flushing
again delightfully."-.
In a few minutes he was standing In
the kitchen in his shirt sleeves, smok-
ing his pipe and watching the mys-
J teries of the making Of salad. and
all the while he kept up a running IRE
of humorous conversation. punctuatec
by little flurries of laughter and swift
| repartee from Alice.
isn't 1t fun TO have a man around.
whispered Alice to her mother wher
he had gone to refill his pipe. ITS
, SO sort of-oh, natural. somehow"
> And then she got very red when hei
= mother pointed an accusing finger a
! her. We'll, I don't care" said Alice