The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-24
EVENING STORY
"Henry Enlists."
BY LOUISE OLIVER.

Henry Emerson paced his ONCE
thoughtfuIly, his hands clasped behind
his back, his head bent. For the first
time in a dozen years something had
happened which had shaken up his
dormant emotions to the point of
demonstration.
To be brief, our friend had, that
morning, risen, shaved, bathed and
breakfasted as usual, and read his
morning paper over his grapefruit;
but beyond that his daily program had
received a severe jolt. For. reading
of the German drive and how they
were inching toward Amiens and
Ypres, then of the taking of KENNEL
Hill, queer sensation had seized him
in the region of his stomach, which
rose slowly and seemed to smother
him with indignation. For the first
time, Henry realized that the allies
might possibly-just possibly-need
help, his help.
Pushing aside the bowl of smoking
hot oatmeal and the pitcher of thick
cream that had just been placed be-
fore him, Henry pushed the paper into
his pocket, his hat on the back of his
head, and his way thru the hurrying
morning crowd to the nearest recruit
ing office, whence, after a thoro ex-
animation, he emerged, a couple of
Uncle Sans great army. the wonder
full army to which the whole civilized
world now looked for succor.
So now, back in his office, high over
the roofs and chimneys of most of
New York, he had occasion to feel
reasonably disturbed by his action,
| and proud thereof at the same time.
Now, emotions are like troubles
| they never come sing1y. And Henry,
being disturbed to the uttermost parts
of his being, discovered several varie-
ties of latent sensations in his make
up that he had thought long dead, or
that he had not thought of at all, and
one of them was Louise Woods
1t was queer how he had got over
his disappointment about Louise, or
thought he had, for now as he remem-
bered her clear. dark eyes and wonder
ful hair that had a habit of blowing in
little soft wispS about her ears and
face. queer longing seized him to see
her again. He must see her and tell
her what he had done. Il
He paused in his pacing and closed
his eyes. Then he opened them to the
vast dreariness of a world of smoke
and gray roofs and shut-out sun.
1t was typical of his life, of course.
He saw it now-emptiness and gray
ness and ugiiness. What was money?
Oh, yes, he'd left Louise back home to
come to New York and get rich. He
WdHltu ucE 10 ana come
along. but she wouldn't leave her
father.
There is no use going over the why
and the wherefore-but now Henry
was rich. thirty-five and going to war.
And Louise was back home in Green
dale, thirty, and probably married by
this time. with a family of children.
Suddenly he Strengthened. What a
fool he was! OF course. she'd forgot
ten about him long ago. What right
had he to get sentimental now over a
past that had ceased to exist except in
his own mind?
He sat down at his own desk and
made an attempt at putting his affairs
into shape to leave. But the uneasy
feeling about Louise had come to stay.
Somehow he felt that he wanted her
to know he had enlisted and to re-
trieve himself in her eyes.
1t was a warm day in late April. SO
warm that he had left the door open
into the cool marble corridor from
which other doors of ground glass like
his own opened into other offices and
business rooms of various sorts, such
as one may find in any metropolitan
office building.
Suddenly a little breeze. playing
with the papers on his desk, brought
| to Henry's nostrils a Whit of exquisite
| fragrance, and he lifted his head, sud
denly conscious that the odor was
| familiar =.
Narcissus. He was sure of the
| had seen a florists window full of 1t
that morning. and that, too. had TAX
| en- him back to Greendale and Louise.
There had been a large bed of the
| flowers in her garden, and the last
time he had seen her she had stood
beside it. a few of the blossoms in
| her hand.
| Surely all roads today seemed to
| lead to Louise!
| The perfume came again thru the
| open doorway. He would have to see
just where those blossoms were
| Across the hall was the Visiting
Nurses association. as he understood
by the large type on the door. He had
never been within. Today. however
the door was open. and. as he had ex-
pected. there on a large mahogany
desk in the center of the room was a
| crystal bowl of white narcissus.
But it was not the flowers that held
him spellbound. but the woman in
white quietly writing at the desk upon
which they stood. 1t was Louise her
self-Louise of fond memory.
Suddenly she looked UP and smiled
not a surprised, startled smile, but the
confident. welcoming smile of one who
has always expected the prodisal tc
return.
Henry" she cried. laying down hel