The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-19
EVENING STORY
Little Sister.
BY r. RAY BAKER.

Frances Hayden sat at the window
OF her room and looked out on a
dreary. drizzly day-Sunday, March
so. In one hand she held a letter,
which was somewhat crumpled, as tho
she had started to convert 1T into
| wastepaper and had thought better
Of it.
Two robins were holding a CONVEX
sation in the tree whose branches
brushed the window. The birds START
ed out as if they were Quarreling, but
the excited chirping diminished into
| sound that was as near cooling as can
be expected of robins.
wouldn't it be fine to be bird ?"
Frances sighed. They're always
happy, it seems"
She looked at the letter, and a wry
little smile adorned her face
HE calls me sister," she unused.
That's what they all say when they
want to leave you for some one else.
Little sister. that's what he says. 1t
sounds pretty, but he used to say
things that were prettier."
She stood up and made "a motion as
tho to throw the letter in the waste
basket but changed her mind again
and placed it in drawer of the dress
er. Then she stood before the mirror
and surveyed herself critically for sew
eral moments.
The person who gazed back at
Frances from the glass was not exact
" beautiful, but there was something
about her that would not permit her
to pass unnoticed in a crowd. The
eyes were Just common eyes: that is,
there were no special arches to the
brows, and the long, graceful lashes
that are considered so desirable were
wholesome blue in the eyes. which
could not be discounted in an inVen-
tory of attractive points.
The nose was inclined to be pug"
which gave the face a kind OF saucy
look. and the hair was nearly stringy,
| being of a rusty hue; but there was
plenty of it. and it was done up attrac
| lively, If not up to the minute in style.
The teeth were the principal attraction
of Frances Hayden's countenance.
When she smiled even the least bit
they showed, dazzling white and even,
and the smile was about as sweet as
any girl could hope to offer.
But Frances was unhappy. She had
long suspected that Melville Clark had
ceased to care for her-in the way he
| once had cared. But, she told herself,
| il was hardly unexpected, despite the
| protestations Melville had made, when
| he left Glendale two years ago, that he
would never care for another girl and
that he was coming back some bright,
sunny day" to make her Mrs. Clark.
| She remembered the apprehensions
she had entertained at that time, re-
| karless of his earnest words, that he
would come across some one else in
the big city. However, Melville had
written steadily for year, and in
every letter had reiterated his inten-
tions. During the next year. however,
| she could not help noticing that his
letters alluded more and more to
friendship and less to love. Finally
they dropped off altogether, until for
period of five months none came at
all.
| Frances went about her stenographic
duties in the real estate office with
| the usual smile and the same capacity
! for work that she had always dis
played, but when she got home at
! night she often shut herself in her
room and thought hard, and some
times cried little.
| Frances had given her heart to Mel
vile when he went to the city to make
a name for himself and a few coins for
his pocket. 1t was a hard and rocky
first year, and then his communities
tions began to take on a more hope
| full tone. Things are coming, slowly.
but surely" hel would write.
Frances hoped in vain that Melville
would return home for a. visit. He
! had said he would come for her when
he made good; but now. when he
was making good, there was no men
| ton of the visit. Then came this let
| ter referring to her as little sister,"
| in which he told her he had at last at
tanned the object he had sought. He
was a successful stock broker, with
an office of his own and neat sum
in bank But never a mention of COM
/ ing to Glendale did the letter con-
tain.
Later in the day the sun chased the
clouds away and warmed the earth
again and Frances went for walk.
Maybe this is the bright. sunny day
! he referred to-" she said.-as she
| laughed, with tinge of wistfulness.
when she recalled the little sister"
passages of the epistle from Melville
At the edge of Glendale was a
wooden bridge which SPAWNED a silent
little brook, vending its way thru the
valley with many twists and turns.
Foliage was beginning to adorn the
numerous trees one either side of the
stream, which looked delightfully."- re-
freshing. Frances leaned over the
railing and looked into a miniature
whirlpool created by a bend which
formed a pool just above the bridge.
A fish came up to dine on an early
bug and left spreading circles in the
water, and it caused som ething like
sob in Frances's throat. She had seen
that same thing happen-perhaps it
was thesame fish-when she and Mel
vile stood looking over that same
railing of that same bridge on the
| same kind of day two years ago. 1t
was the day on which he asked her to
marry him,
A purrihg sound along the road
made her look up the slope and see
J an automobile approaching the bridge
| and the village. In the car was Mel
vile Clark. on his way to Jenson City,
fifteen miles distant. to deliver a. pro-
posal of marriage to Julia Armstrong,
daughter of Benjamin Armstrong, the
wealthy importer, who lived in the
same city where Melville had made
good in the financial world
! Melville had decided to marry Julia;
not because of love. but because she
would get dowry that would increase
| his little fortune at least threefold. A
| taste of riches had made him hungry
| for more, and he had set out deliber-
/ ately to win Julia for his bride. She
appeared responsive and he could see