The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-05-05
EVENING STORY
ImpuIsive Connie.

much her looks. it was just her won
derful, impulsive personality that car
ried everything before her.
How Harvard was able to find an
opportunity to ask her to marry him
is more than could he told in para
graph but, anyway. he did gasp in out
one time when her mother had gone
to bed with a sick headache and the
sisters had fallen asleep on guard. 1t
was a hurried consent Connie gave.
but she had to -h..vo one eye on the
sisters all the while.
When would they ge- married? That
was the first big question that started
the first misunderstanding. With vi
sions of long courtship that ended
every night at 10 o'clock before him,
Harvard urged speed
But l could never get married I'M
til Priscilla and Lucille are married"
Connie told him. Mother doesn't be-
lieve in the youngest daughter being
married first
Good heavens" Harvard was next
thing to being stunned. why they'll
never be married. They are on the
shelf for good"
"They have both been engaged for
fourteen years" Connie said, a little
Indignantly. James and Charles call
every Wednesday night. They have
called ever since L can remember, and
every Fourth of July they take the
And haven't married them yet?
Well 1 never"
But they are going to marry them.
The girls have had their things ready
for years and years"
Let's elope!"
oh" Connie put her hand over
her mouth and half smothered the
cry of alarm. One of the sisters
stirred uneasily, but Harvard was not
going to lose any time.
why can't we?" he demanded.
"Oh, BECAUSE" Connie was fairly
shaking with excitement. The tanta-
lizing answer so often used by women
had irritated Harvard, so she hastened
to explain. Cant you see? 1 want
wedding real honest-to-g goodness
wedding. with bridesmaids and flow
ers and presents and cake and things.
l want to have rousseau and a green
trunk and things like the girls have"
Yes; and if you wait until they are
married you'll have them all and they
will never be used" Harvard was
aroused, so it was just as well one of
the sisters opened her eyes and caught
Sight of him sitting close to Connie.
She might have said something that
would have brought an unpleasant an
swer had not the other sister wakened
and found it was five minutes past 10.
Her exclamation of horror was suffi-
cient to send Harvard on jump for
his hat and coat. With two chap
erons in the vestibule there was no
chance to speak further on the sub
ject to Connie.
Harvard had always wondered why
Wednesday night was the night he
was banned from calling on Connie
but the next Wednesday night he pre-
tended he had lost track of the days
and arrived to size up James and
Charles. Two Scotch tightwads, that
was his first deduction, and he knew
at once why Priscilla and Lucille were
still on the shelf. On the way home
he tried to work out a plan.
If some old uncle or somebody
would only leave the twin sisters a
fortune as bait for their long standing
SWANS, he thought; or, better still, if
some uncle that had not been heard of
for years would show up and offer a
thousand dollar bonus to the sister
who was married first, James and
Charlie would likely fall over one an
other to drag the sisters to the altar
first Why they did have an uncle.
somewhere-an Uncle Ben who had
not been heard of for years, he re-
membered. Why couldn't Uncle Ben
show up?
time to pull the old gentleman in front
of him out Of the path of an oncom-
ing street car. The night was stormy
one and the old mans eyesight seemed
defective.
THANK you so much" the old fell
! low began. Harvard could feel him
shaking under his grasp.
| Cant 1 help you home?" he Of
fered THE streets are slippery and
| the lights are poor"
| Thank you so much" the old man
said again, but this time IN a TONE
| that gave consent. Harvard helped
him along in silence. They stopped
| in front of the citys best hotel.
| Pm going in here" the old gentle
man said, as he fumbled in his pockets.
He drew forth card: Come to see
me in the morning" he invited.
! Harvard pocketed the card. He had
no intention of calling on the old fell
! low. but when he was undressing that
night and the card dropped to the
floor he picked it up and looked at the
: rame. benjamin Coles was neatly
: engraved upon it.
: Harvard laughed. The old man
seemed to have come as an answer to
his thoughts but he had sense enough
| to know that this was not Connie
Uncle Ben. Things like that only hap
pen in stories. Just the same 1t set
1 him thinking.
In the morning he did make the call
/ on Benjamin Coles. He came away
smiling. Now for the race between
Charles and James. he thought, as he
sauntered off to the office.
Hello" it was Comics voice over
the telephone and Harvard recognized
the excitement in her tone. 81 must
| drug store on the corner" she cried
| eagerly, and hung up the receiver be-
| fore he could answer her. He hurried
| to meet her, for Connie excited was
not the safest person to disappoint.
Harvard, we must be married al
once" she gasped breathlessly as soor
as she saw him. We'll get thousand
dollars il we do"
Harvard tried to appear surprised
as she poured out the story of the let
ter from Uncle Ben. He was ir the
city, but was disappointed because al
his nieces were unmarried. and woulc
give a thousand dollars to the one who
was married first. and perhaps an ad'
ditional thousand if she was married
right away. What were wedding pres
ents and bridesmaids to two Thousand
dollars? 1t was an unexpected turr
of events. hut Harvard was equal to it
They hurried to get the license
why. this is the third Miss Lamar
have made out license for today
! the iuStice told them q he affixed hi.