The Topeka state journal., 1918-09-21
EVENING STORY
Sophisticated Billy"
By LOUISE OLIVER.


ing, and now that the warm. AN
guorous days of spring had come he
decided that he needed vacation.
|. So he called on Eieanor Gage one
evening TO bid her goodbye and to
impart the news that he was going to
New York "for time.n
what DO you cali time BillyF
she asked.
He fiieked the ash from his cigaret.
well" he answered. with man
Of the world air. lit means to the
sophistieata6 a round OF pleasure.
| The usual thing, you know1shows,
restaurants, roof gardens this time OF
| the year, and so forth. Lots OF pretty,
| well-dressed women, people you get
along well with if you're the right
sort, and all that. Dickie Merrick and
usually hang out together. DICK
knows scads of people. I'm to meet
! him at the Gilmore"
| Eleanor counted her stitches before
she answered.
But just now. Billy. do you think
! it's the thing?" - -
| He regarded her with tolerant
amusement. II suppose you mean the
war. You rather have a sneaky idea
| / ought to enlist, haven't you, Nellie? ?'
"oh. it isn't exactly that. 1 just
| think it's not coed taste to throw
away money 6n foolishness when it's
1-so badly needed elsewhere.''
"WeH, maybe it looks like !fidd1ing
while Rome burns, but I've earned the
right to have good time. I've worked
you want?"
1.-The. boys in the camps have
worked all winter. too. Billy. And
they're not getting any rest now, or
prospect OF rest with France ahead.
| He threw away his cigaret inpa-
tiently, and then he said mean thing.
E"That' what it is to live in a small
| town. You girls are like every one
else; you. get one idea in your head
and you can't get 1T out. That's what
I'm going to New York for-to get
i away from knitting and Red Cross and
Liberty bond fiends and war talk I'm
going where people understand, where
they have a broader view and don't
! think you're q criminal IL you have a
| little fun
Then Eleanor waxed righteously
Iangry. Forgotten was the sock which
fell unheeded along with the ball of
yarn at her feet.
Then, if living in New York means
to forget the war and our boys over
there for one instant, I'm glad am
a small-town girl. And, altho just
now you. don't seem especially anxious
for my answer to a certain question
lyou asked me q week or SO ago. I'm
going to. tell you now that I won't
| marry you. GU re a SidCkeIt
Billy left at that, crestfallen. He
really hadn't meant to get into so
deep. Besides, he really did care for
Eleanorss opinion, and he cared for
her a great deal; but he had to con-
fess that the glamour of his trip ahead
| softened the sorrow of losing her very
considerably. Besides. he thought she
. might change her mind by the time
her got back. g.
tlUThe next day williani r.. Crawford
registered at the big metropolitan
e arrivsa and ir ths 1o eourse Of few
hours and proceeded to tell his trou-
b1es to his friend
!, on the war;
| HAS ii =" whistled Billy.
'I'm hanged If I'm not glad to get
J away" went on Dicikie. "a fellow
can't buy himself a pack Of fags any
more without some Jane piping up
I and saying, wouldn't you rather in
vest in a war savings stamp?' Or
some grandmother poking in with,
Half that. young man, would keep a
Belgian child for one day I did buy
a. bond. Now wish they'd let me
alone
Same hare" said Billy. gloomily,
time, old man. We're here to forget.
Let's call up the girls and get sofne-
thing started"
1.-The girls" were cousins of Dicks,
very fashionable and up to date.
i "All right. I'll ring them now. Say,
Bill. did you ever see so many soldiers
''Never did. Nellie says they don't
get a rest. She ought to come to New
! York and find out. shouldn't mind
splurging round in uniform myself. y
,, overheard An old gentleman at the
: Inext table leaned forward. 'Then
sEyoung man. why don't you? You car
get one nothing?
, Billy flushed and murmured some
thing about doing war work. But the
old man went on. these soldiers ,ant
: officers are leaving for overseas duty
| Most of them go from the port of New
y York. The Engljshmen and French
+ tsoldiers are here on war work. Sem'
! of them off ships that carry our mer
), over. They're all here for a purpose
a young man. And if they appear tt
splurge, surely they've earned tn,
q right. Why shouldn't a man be prout
It Of his uniform
Our friends left soon after.
v Leona Merrick herself answeret
t their call. ''Oh, IN SO glad you boy
: are here. I'm nearly dead with wori
: land can't get soul to help, everyone
is so busy. I've got two tons of stuff
!. to take from our Red Gross unit t.
: headquarters. I'm running a moto
!, truck. you know. and you have saves
my life. The boxes are too heavy TO
! me to handle. I'll run the car arouni
> to the hotel and pick you up
- The two men looked at each other
: but had nothing to say. Leona Mer
rick was very pretty. OF course the.
could not refuse.
: That night. tenderly nursing tn
hlisters on their hands, they got read.
e for the theater. Things were looking
up bit. The whole jolly crowd wa
/. gsing, and their jaded spirits revivel
at the prospect.
The p1ay was Blanche Bates in "Get
?. ting Together" a plea for men t
'. jeiy, the arnv an anueaI that vas a,