The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-22
EVENING STORY
A Romantic Sacrifice.
BY VINCENT G. PERRY.
Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate)


Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)
Sanford Ross took his coat angri1y
from Scales, the butler, and waved
aside the latter's attempt to assist
him He was angry-more angry than
Scales had ever seen him, and that
was one way of venting it. The way
he jabbed his arms into the sleeves
had disastrous effect on the lining,
but if he heard the rip he did not
heed it. He showed his hat to the
back of his head and, with rapid
strides, made for the door. Scales
was there before him and held it wide
open and as he strobe out he didn't
even notice the buffers chuckle of
amusement. After the door had closed
Scales sat down to enjoy his laugh he
had been suppresSing.
HE and Miss Geraldine have been
havin' tiff again, but it's little
worse than usual" he chuckled. II
wonder what new idea she has been
floutip' on him, now
AS Sanford walked his anger
abated. By the time he reached home
he was able to see the humorous side
of it. what a dear, little ridiculous
thing she u.s. he muttered thoughtfully.
IF some of those ideas of hers don't
get her into trouble I'll be surprised.
What if something did ha open as she
wants it to? The idea" That started
him on a cheerful vein of thought,
and by the time he was ready for bed
he was chuckling more than Scales
had in the morning.
The week passed and Geraldine did
not hear from Sanford. She told her
self she was glad she didn't. She
hoped he would take her answer for
final, but of course he wouldn't. She
was going to live her life as she
wanted to. She was going to do
something big in the world fer her
family-what it was she hadn't the
least idea, for the O'Connors were one
of the wealthiest families in the city
and there was very little anyone could
she was skipping thru the most
Interesting part of a novel-just
where the heroine had sacrificed her
jewels to buy bread for her starving
father and crippled brother-when
her own father came into the room.
AS she glanced up she noticed trou-
bled look on his face and the thought
flashed across her mind that perhaps
| the opportunity she had been waiting
| for h9d come. 1t had.
my dear" her father began; sit
ting down beside her nervously. 81
have a favor to ask you-a very
great favor, one that will change your
whole life!'
| yes, father" she gasped. for
altho ionged for, it was unexpected.
doubt, but finally went on. Il would
| like you to marry
rs that the favor?" she asked in
disappointment.
yes that is the favor. and it
| makes 1t harder for you to grant it
when 1 tell you that now you believe
| you don't love the man 1 have chosen
and that I must not tell you his name
| until the day of your marriage. 1t
will spare me a great unhappiness II
you make this marriage-sacrific
yourself to my wishes"
Gcraldine's eyes glowed with pleas
ure. After all it was her oppor-
tunity. Now she would be able to
do as many of her beloved heroines
had done and make the greatest sac
rifice of ALL
II will do anything for you. father
-anyth;ng'' 1t was speech from
one of her popular novels. but she
did not realize it.
/ But being a martyr was not the
grand thing it appeared in novels
| Geraldine began to think after she
] had become accustomed to the idea OF
it. AS the day approached for her to
marry the man she had never seen
she began to wonder if she hadn't
been too hasty in offering herself for
| the sacrifice. A girl of eighteen was
| too Young to be married, anyway
| Surely the heroines in the books had
not given up lovers like Sanford. She
| loved him, after all. She had thought
| she hated him when he told her that
| reading trashy novels was spelling
! her and that If he had his way he
wouldn't allow theT0 to be printed
Then he had said her ideas about sac
| rifices were unreal and that she would
| never be able to make one and was
only wasting her time thinking about
them. He had gone away angry on
| that occasion and had never returned
He had taken her no" for final, there
was no doubt about that oh, why
had she been SO silly-so like the mere
school girl she was. or rather had
been, for she was all changed nowi
| Sanford was rich and could shave
helped her father out of money diff
ficulties as well as this strange man
who somehow had got his clutches on
their family honor. 1t was too late
to appeal to the man she loved, tho.
! she decided. and the realization OF
that only increased her unhappiness
| AS the day drew nearer and nearer
things looked more hopeless. She
| had tried to find consolation in her
novels but had thrown them. away in
| disgust Sanford was right-they
were trashy things. Only a girl such
as she had been would have read them
and she was glad she was changed.
The night before her wedding day
! arrived. Her clothes were beautiful
but that did not interest her. What
nlockery it was to have a big wed
ding. she thought Somehow her
mother and father did not seem con-
! cerned about her. They appeared to
! consider the affair n wonderful one
for her instead of a great unhappiness-
Surely they could see she was un-
happy, altho she had carried out the
heroine's role to a finish and hidden
it from them. Oh, If there was only
someone she could tell her troubles