The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-03-26
EVENING STORY
A RecIuse and Queer.
BY S. B. HACKLEY


die, looked inquiringly at his wife.
who had just left her newly arrived
guest.
Mercy. Jim, Der. would marry
him right out of hand, Dora's enter
tanning her at IL o'clock lunch to-
morrow, and she doesn't want him &c
drop in and meet Bert and the other
girls she's invited. Can't you get him
off to town tomorrow afternoon on
some pretext?"
Il guess 1 can get him to drive in
and get that piece of freight we or
dered together; but say. Name, don't
you think you girls are exceeding your
rights?"
"oh, hush. Jimmy boy,' Name
little >Nathe's interests"
Jim's snort was not complimentary
to their sense of justice. They, his
wife and all his wifes peopie--since
Dora, the youngest Hunter girl, had
married Burrell Craft, the younger of
the two bachelor brothers. who. to-
gether, owned a thousand acres of the
richest land in the Blue Grass. and
raised blooded horses and cattle for
the market-seemed obsessed- with
the fear yf Nathan's marrying.
When the Hunters. newcomers dis
covered the two bashful bachelors,
pretty Dora had annexed Burreil
skillfully. There hade been no other
daughter for Nathan, and after the
lily, seeing a possibility of the child's
being some time heir to his uncle's
share of the farm, had determined no.
body else's daughter should capture"
Nathan.
When Burren married, Nathan very
sensibly took his cases of insects and
moved into a big. comfortable log
house on the back of the farm. and
gave the big. red brick home up to his
new sister-in-law--a most pleasing ar
rangement to the Hunter family Ma
than. living alone in his own home.
a bit isolated. could be kept from
meeting their unmarried women
guests.
"Mamie's dear. and Dora's good
to Burren," Leverance unused as he
rode off. Il call it rotten they Cont
want to see old Nathe. the most affec-
tionate fello- inNthe world happy with
a woman, too. They have even filled
Burr's head with the ACCESSIBILITY of
keeping Nathe single. That-that's
getting within a mans rights, Well.
I've promised to send him off ten
miles tomorrow, but darn it, L feel
mean"
The next day, Nathan Craft. at the
station, stepped into the danger zone
Jim wishe him to enter. An erect
elderly lady with very white hair and
very, black eyes sp, l-e to him, Did
he Know of a small cottage in the
country and somewh..t isolated from
the road she could rent until Septem-
Der? Her daughter, Miss Hagar Nc
Naught, a teacher, had been ill. and
was ordered to the country.
When she Introduced The daughter,
a graceful girl with .-drticulGrly beau
| tiful black eyes, Nathan eelt that fate
could hold nothing : sitter in store for
him than to allow him to take this
winsome creature in his aims and
carry her thru life!
Yes, he knew of such a, place. a
small stone cottage on the river lift
Nobody was living in it but it was in
good repai-.. This house (Which fact
he did not mention) was on the five
| miles distant cliff on (which he spent
every Sunday afternoon in summer.
with his butterfly net. A man had
committed suicide there some years
before. but Nat--an withheld this fact
also. Ifth1y knew nothing of the un-
| happy sto- Y the cliff would be an ideal
resting place.
Three days after, on Sunday after
noon. Nathan took his butterfly net
and set out for Reads cliff. Under
the seat of his runc,out + slipped,
while Shadr- CHI. his negro cook was
not looking, 4 peck basket of Yellow
meated. pink ~he-l7ed ~eechcs. AT the
foot of the cliff Nathan secured his
horse, and with a strangely beating
heart climbed the rugged path.
Back of the cluster of cedars that
STOOD oet~ 3Hn the l@t and the cot
ia - he paused unct .Ainly.~ tt, y lie
heard voice
% mother. Int IT beautiful here.
Ihat nice man that sent here
don't you love him, mother decr?"
This came clear thru. the ccdars.
NI y foot struck a stone noisily.
He could only go on.
| Good afternoon" he stammered
was passing by and | RENE m
pefed there was no fruit here
nave brought you a few peaches."
| ANA the cliff was covered with
r1peninS blackberries.
They greeted him with gentle
IrIendllness and after a while walked
with him down the river path where
| the butterflies hung over the fire
pinks.
With I his hobby before him Ma
IMAM forgot his shyness. His clear
| brown eyes grew brilliant In his en-
thusiastic explanations. and Hagar-
| Hagar wondered IL the supper they
| mad prepared was good enough to
ask him to sit down to. She wanted
/ him to stay.
IL, It was not until sunset that he
| Once in a while" he .prevaricat-
ed. Il get over here in the middle
| OF the week. as well as of Sunday.
with my butterfly nets. and I'd be
glad to bring you pears. apples. etc,
any tune happen 10 come
I Miss Gardiner stayed month
with Mamie Leverance. but not once
did she see Nathan Craft. whom.
! whenever mentioned, Mamie con-
trived to speak of as a '-recIuse, and
too queer to talk about. Bert"
! After Albert. who WIS of the
marrying sort" left Mamie brea thed
| freely again until Jim's cousins, Nina
| Pken and Harriet Cable. came for
another month. Politeness required
that they be entertained at Dora
Crafts at dinners and tennis parties.
and when a function was on Bur
/ rell somewhat professionally ooh
| the baby over to see Nathan at his
! cottage "a visitation that Nath1n
loved). thus forestallinK any possible
/ disastrous meetings of husband seek
ers.
But despite Burrell's aid both Dora
and Mamie trembfed until the girls
left. lest they should discover" the