The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-08-29
EVENING STORY
A Poem and a Sequel.
BY DORA NOLAN.

least moderate su scess was assured
and surely it must be less laDorlous
than photography. To this question
Elise always made the same answer:
But / can't write that way except
when I feel a thing intensely and l
tdon't-often."
Back at the beginning of the war,
when the first contingent, battalion
of national guard troops, left her home
town for camp, Mrs. Duane, accom-
was wedged in the wildly enthusiastic,
tho somewhat fearful, crowd that
babe them godspced.
A few weeks later a poem. signed
with her name, was published in the
periodical which had printed all her
verses and which had a national cir
culation. 1t was a simple lament
that she had none near and dear"
| to offer to her country.
Mrs. Duane received many letters
I mostly from womeI who wished to
thank the author of the poem for
putting into words thoughts which
they had not the gift to define. One,
however, was from a man.
He did not praise the poem-sim ply
| stated he had read it, and in plain
phraseology offered himself as q sub
stitute for near and dear" one. II
have a premonition," the man wrote.
that l never will come back, and I
am a firm believer in lunches
have no family to represent. My name
| is an honorable one and 1 have kept
| IL clean. If you will take it, madam,
and will allow me to make over to
you my insurance 1 ask nothing in
| return but that 1 be not the only one
left out when the mail arrives from
Gods country. We start east next
week" 1t was signed Private John
B. Pendleton."
Mrs. Duane pondered many hours
| over the simple, straightforward let
| ter before she answered. Finally she
wrote that she could not accept the
| name of a man who was an utter
| stranger to her. Neither would she
feel that she had any right to his in
surance, il the premonition should
| come true.
4 However. If MI Pendleton would
permit, she and her small daughter
would adopt him as their special
| charge during the war. If he could
obtain leave before his regiment left
for over there would he come and see
them. She signed the letter Elise
and Alice Duane"
The next letter that Mrs. Duane re-
ceived from Private Pendleton was
dated at a nearby training camp. He
would have a few hours leave the fol-
lowing Saturday. Might he come and
see them then?
Alice. aged twelve, was delighted
when she heard that their soldier was
coming to them Saturday.
Saturday noon he came. The little
| Duane flat was in immaculate order.
| Alice had helped make it so and from
her post by the window called, Here
he comes, mother" She ran headlong
down the stairs at the sound of the
bell and reappeared holding by the
hand tall soldier.
John Pendleton was not handsome.
Elise decided at the first glance, but
" n he trusted g.
how. she did not feel at all embar-
raised, as she had expected to. After
lunch they sat and talked, consider
ably about his past, but more about
the future. And the time passed
quickly.
4 When Pendleton left he stopped and
kissed Alice, then shaking hands with
her mother ard looking straight into
her eyes. told her that he had spent
the most enjoyable hours of his lifs.
IT surely will have one more leave,
and I'm coming again-may ~
And Elise answered, "Of course"
Two days later Elise Duane received
another letter from Private Pendleton.
He had made his life insurance over
to Alice. Surely she could not object
income. 1t wasn't much. but It might
help out in the days to come, when
her business would be sure to suffer.
He had arranged that It be paid to
her during his absence, for Mrs. Du-
ane was to remember that even If she
refused to bear his name they were
still his adopted family. and. in view
of the premonition, he would feel
more comfortable about leaving them.
The following Saturday. the letter
stated. he was coming again-and it
would probably be good-by.
And over this letter Elise pondered
during the intervening days. Had she
any right to take this big-hearted
. mans money? No; not for herself
surely. But for Alice? Even "tiny'
: And in the event his foreboding
proved to be justified-but here. rath-
er to her own surprise, found herself
in tears.
That big. fine-natured man would
have no one of his own name in the
| whole world to mourn him-no one
who had a right to hang a service
flag In the window in his honor!
Perhaps it was Alice's remark wher
: her mother told her their soldier was
: coming to say farewell-"Oh. mother
I like him so! wish he could be my
really daddy!"-that brought Mrs
: Duane to her decision; for it trans
3 pired that on that last visit she list
= ened to the soldiers plea and became
Mrs. John Pendleton.
Immediately after the ceremony tht
: big soldier babe his really" family
good-by, and this time he kissed then
both.
Then followed the anxious time,
that no one has forgotten. Sometime.
= letters came regularly, Then there
e were apprehensive weeks when M
(, word was received. The photopla,
business fell off and the small income
helped considerably. Daily Alic,
= planned for the time when her daddy
4 should return-and at the though
:, Elise's heart would beat faster Blu
, it was not until the letters ceased t
I arrive altogether that the wife owned
even to herself, that she dearly loveC
her big. generous soldier husband.
Then one day, when Elise was bus,
in her workshop and the doorbel
e rang. she sent Alice to answer it. I
/, might be the Hateful bit OF paper tina
n haunted her dreams. bearing tn
tragic message that Johns "hunch'
z | had coma true