The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-04-21
EVENING STORY
Little Lonesomes.
Y DOROTHY DOUGLAS

In the room above and overlooking
both gardens joys father struggled to
finish his novelette, that a check might
find its way to his front door.
The back room in the other house
held Harold's lovely mother, who
typed other peoples plays and wished
with all her heart that she could have
| money for the maintenance of her
! loved boy.
"Oh, mumsey. I can't make my
switch work-the train won't turn!
walled Harold from below to his
mother, who was endeavoring to emu
the third act before she must go down
to prepare her boys supper.
Daddy, daddy, I've torn Juhas
b, bestest party dress and can't fix 1t,
| cried a small voice, thereby distract
ing her author father into hopeless
ness.
: The continued interruptions to his
work, the tenderness and pity he felt
for his tiny daughter and his most
! complete disability to help her Ia
| tigued him and made him unfit for
the work that must be accomplished
| if the Pretty house was to be kept
! He dragged himself from his type
4 writer and went down stairs and out
| into the garden where his 5-year-old
offspring was weeping now with ner
| doll held close in her wee arms
| And next door Helen Ainfey mad
abandoned hope of finishing her typ
ing and had gone out to her small son
! in a vain effort to help him with MS
railway system.
| domestic tragedies from each other,
but If a birdman had happened TO 1iy
| overhead most any day in the week
he would have seen two large gardens
| each with a tiny bit of lonesome hu-
manity struggling to make Gay
| n.
| There was not even the smallest OF
openinRs in the great fence, nor yet
even a broken board thru winch chliu-
ish curiosity might peer.
Had the fence been less perfect
most harmonious pair of lonesome
children might have found each other
and made the long days short. Also
il would have given two distracted
narents more opportunity to pursue
their fortunes free from an ever
recurring demand on their time.
But one day, because it must al
wavs be the male who hunts, young
Harold decided that he would IKE 70
know what lay on the opposite side
of his combining wall. At seven years
old a six-foot fence seems regular
Jack-in-the-R eanstalk climb. Ine
vines were strong, or seemed so to
Harold's venturesome mood
Mumsey was not looking when he
began the ascent; othewise-WeIl'
I
Harold gained the top with only
minor struggles. His delight at see
ing Joy in all her young beauty as
a reward for his climb almost sue
. ceeded in sending him headlong into
, her garden. As it was he perched
himself like a squirrel on branch
: and opened shameless conversation
/ with the young lady with her dolls.
JOY made suitable replies and made
no effort to conceal the delight his
arrival on the fence gave her. She
! held her doll up for his inspection
only TO be told that his railway
track was much more fun Joy only
tossed her sunny curls.
Perhaps it was her disdain that I'M
= balanced him, for second later he
l thumped down into joys garden and
q lay in a heap among the pink geran-
iums that bordered. the wall.
, Joys shrek of dismay was so ter
b., rifying that her daddy flew down the
stairs at top speed, scattering the
pages of his novelette, and leaving his
. heroine in a scandalous, wholly com
, promising position.
And Harold's mother flung a fran
:, tic glance at the two gardens, sus-
4 pected the worst and barely escaped
= falling out of her window in an ef-
2 fort to see where her boy lay.
But the author had been so swift
TO the rescue that before she could
withdraw from the window and dash
down the stairs he had Harold in his
g arms. There were no bones broker
a | and a most manly smile crept thru the
fright that fingered in the small ad
% venturer's eyes.
g Mrs. Ainley nearly collapsed owe
= the window ledge in her relief.
Sound as a bell" Ransom callet
! up when he caught sight of her. In ;
0 flash he wondered why he had neve
v before known that his next-doo
4 neighbor, was q charming mixture o
poetic loneliness and earthly reality
/ Her hair was sunkissed and reddish
d her color delicate as hawthorn
blooms and her nose had a smear o
typewriter ink on it. He hoped tina
she. too, was not a poor struggling
IS writer.
l. How shall get him back?" sh
70 was calling.
g Now that he has found his wa
II over, may he not play with my daugh
lie ter? think uley both need compan
IT ionship." Ransom meantime had go
- rid of young Harold and was gain
'r eyes.
ID Poor lonesomes," was what sh
> softly answered. "if they don't distur
you am happy to let him stay" He
~ eyes were suddenly appealing. II ar
so terribly disqualified as a father.
she added; my boy does so need som
he one to help him with engines an
tracks,"
8 Ransom found himself shaking wit
to sympathy for Harold.
X And my tiny daughter" he toll
~ her, has one tragedy after anothe
:" with her dolls. Only yesterday sh
d. tore what she calls her very beste:
lg dress. Poor little soul. she certainl
T. needs more mothering than 1 seer
able to give her"
r Mrs. NAinley's blue were positivel
e. glistening with tears of sympathy fc
s. motherless little Joy.
STILL" she suggested, "if they ca
> Just play together perhaps they wi
ne manage to be more contented."
4: Il will have to make a small >opeT
n ing in the fence for them" Ransol
said; I'VE don't want them scramblin
over the fence"
In "Ohi If you only would it woul
d. be splendid way out of the difficult
: Do You think YOU can saw throug