The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-12
EVENING STORY
All in a Lifetime.
BY VINCENT C. PERRY.


in a big city, a stranger. with not a
friend among the thousands that
throng the streets, battle in the bust
ness world, take in the amusements
or sit around the hearth stone of their
city homes. Who hasn't been home
sick-that gnawing feeling at the
heart that is worse than any other
sickness under the sun?
That is just what was ailing Leo
Colbert as he sat before smolder-
ing CRATE fire in his newly acquired
suite at the largest hotel in the city.
1t was the first time he had had
breathing spell from the new work
that had given him such great OPP
portunity and carried with it a salary
that a year before would have looked
like a fortune.
Oh, yes, he had won success, he was
fast on the road to fame and fortune.
Somehow as he sat thinking it over
the glamour Of it all palled- What
was success after all? Wasn't he
much happier among his friends in
his own home city at salary half
the size of his present one? he asked
himself
Then the germs of inconsistencies
got in their real work. For half an
hour he battled with them. Why not
give 1t all up and go back to his old
position? The doors were wide open
for him. There is where the malady
reached the crisis.
He was too strong for it, the fight
| ing Colbert blood won out He would
make the best of 1t, he would stick
it out, you bet he would!
Surely in that big city there was
some one he knew, some one with a
CHEEKY word of welcome and an out
stretched hand of friendship. He To-
Gated the telephone directory and
turned the pages aimlessly.
What would he have given to go
to the telephone and call Main g67S
and hear his sisters voice answer!
But that Main 967s was in another
city many miles away; too far to get
speedy long distance message thru.
Was there a Main 967S in that city?
For the lack OF something else to
do he went to the telephone and tried
the number on the operator. He
waited for a second and then became
excited. The operator had rung
| line, the buzz had been quite audible.
"Hellol" It was not his sisters
voice, but it was one almost as sweet.
rs that you, Jessie ?" He knew
it was not, but he could not hang up
| the receiver without making a bluff
at wrong number"
YES; who is speaking? 2" came the
surprising answer in an inviting tone.
Leo Colbert, from back home"
/ he half gasped
From Wishright?' This time her
voice pitched to delighted surprise.
you bet" he replied, altho he had
never heard of Wishright before.
How are you, Leo, and how Is
everybody? am just dying to hear
news of home"
I'm great and everybody's fine"
He seemed just as eager to tell her
the news as she was to hear it.
''Is Tiny Lewis alive, and how is
| Martha Lastar's rheumatism? oh,
Leo, tell me quickly"
mo. poor Tiny is dead and Martha
isn't any better"
So. on, right down the list, she asked
questions about people he had never
heard of before and he answered them
as if they were all lifelong friends of
his. OF course she thought he was
some one else, but he was not going
to miss talking to her because of
little thing like that.
Cant 1 come up an see your he
| chimed in during short lull in the
questioning. We can talk things over
so much better then
Certainly, come. Where are you ?"
He told her the name of his hotel.
| Strangely enough it was only a short
| distance from her boarding house. 1t
was just an easy walk, and he would
| be there in time to take her to the
! theater.
AS Leo stood at the door of the ad-
| dress she had given him his heart sank
a trifle. This Jessie would know at
once that he was a stranger to her,
and would have nothing further to do
with him.
Perhaps he had been foolish to spoil
it all by calling personally. That voice
had attracted him, however, and he
made up his mind right there that It
would take some rebuffing to squelch
his aspirations for its owners friend
ship.
Wonder of wonders! Instead of
turning him away, there she was at
"a nit ret fCh rd nd
her smile of welcome was more won
derful than her voice.
You have changed almost as much
as 1 have" she told him, as she I'M
burdened smile after smile. II would
hardly have known you"
! You have changed, too" he smiled
back, but 1 would have known you
anywhere. Oh, Jessie. you are too
wonderful for anything" Right there
he learned something-this Leo Col
bert that she had known was the first
lover she had ever had-her blush
told him that, and somehow he liked
the thought of it.
CleverIy, he avoided topics that
might unmask him. She was inter-
ested in other things besides the old
folks at home, tho, and so they had
a most enjoyable evening, and he left
with an invitation to come back the
next night.
launched out on. After he had been
calling on Jessie for hree months Leo
realized that he was very much in
love with her, and he had guessed
correctly that her feelings conceded
very much with his.
Her friendship had filled SO much
of his life he had not had a chance
to think over the deception he had
been playing. but now that he had
reached the point where he was 60