The Topeka state journal., 1919-07-26
EVENING STORY
THE Reform of Roxana.
BY LINCOLN RoTHBLUM.

1t must be admitted that Roxana often
found need to exercise her most win
some tricks OF cajolery to win back
the smiles her teasing tricks had
chased away.
1t was Dick nicknamed the Faith
full" who suffered the most and COM
planned the least He loved Roxana
with a tenderness blinded to any of her
imperfections. and if sometimes her
laughter at his discontinue over some
prank of hers rippled too frequently
he would but gaze at her eyes so sud
denly assuming a mock serenity and
realize he loved her, loved her, loved
her.
But perhaps nothing tried his pa
tience and good temper more than
Roxana's curiosity. Nothing was
sacred from her prying fingers or
penetrating eyes. and when on one oc-
casion, he found papers on his office
desk mysteriously disturbed he was
| loath to lay the blame to Roxanas s
visit that afternoon.
1t was to her mother that in des-
peration he appealed. What can
do?" he asked dejectedly. Last night
she unwrapped, box I had with me
"a nd - prompted Roxana's
mother.
"Oh, pshaw," blurted Dick. cit con-
tanned some underwear 1 had just
bought" Dick fancied he saw Rox-
ana's eyes twinkling merrily at him.
What can I do?" he repeated.
Roxana's mother glanced up, lips
twitching in smile she could ill sup
press. "I'lI tell you. Dick" She final
ly answered in an encouraging tone,
you can either give her up-or marry
her."
"I'n marry her!"
And marry her he did. For, strange
person as Roxana. she suddenly found
herself one glorious day early in June,
without quite grasping the meaning of
the situation, walking up the familiar
, church aisle to the tune of we'll
known march.
Already on this fine July morning
her honeymoon of four saccharine
weeks seemed like beautiful dream
from which she was slowly awaken
ing to find the reality as equally pleas
ant and agreeable as the dream.
For even in this gingham house
dress, busted among the pots, she still
appeared as dimpled and bewitching
as ever and tho marriage had direct
ed her thoughts along other channels
than innocent flirtations. the old traits
were slowly creeping to the surface,
soon, to dispel Dicks fond hopes that
the utterance of the mystic words
which had made two one. would over
right, as it were, alter the nature of
his wife.
Just that week a roll of films had
been ruined by exposure to the light,
when RoXana could no longer resist
the temptation to learn if it contained
six or twelve exposures. But Dick
was big enough to realize he must not
permit this failing of his wife to mar
the placid and unruffled tenor of their
existence, and he gradually ceased to
resent the tampering with his mail
There was no more the unconscious
act of ripping open the envelopes as
Roxana handed him each night his
letters in exchange for a kiss.
Red summer had merged into a fall
resplendent in a galaxy of yelIows and
browns, and Dick trudged home from
the depot thru the cooler atmosphere
so pleasingly refreshing after the long
hot day just over. The days work
had been particularly and depressing
| ly enervating and he looked longingly
down the road toward his home as he
shifted the heavy satcheI he carried
from hand to hand.
wonder what's in IT," Roxana's
curiosity danced excitedly high as she
saw her husband coming up the gar
den path carrying the grip. She
waved her handkerchief at him and
ran down the walk halfway to sooner
slip her arm thru his and insist on re-
lieving him of his burden.
Making all sorts of pretty fuss about
him, RoXana finally gave verbal vent
to her thought. Dick, what have you
But his words did not carry effec-
tive weight. This satchel." he said
as he laid the small valise against the
wall, contains material for a suit"
"Oh, do let me see," interrupted
Roxana, I'm so anxious to look 1t
over. I'll bet it's beautiful"
NO, it isn't, and that's just why 1
don't want you to look at it." Roxana
| frowned. Its an off-coIor PROPOSE
tion," Dick continued. and it's just
as well you know nothing about it."
! Indeed! Roxana was quite dis
| pleased With her husband and firmly
| decided that II he was getting ma
terial for a suit she ought to have
| been consulted. Maybe if she had
| been it wouldn't be off color. All
night the matter gave her much con-
cern and the morning sun did not
shine on a very bright-eyed house
wife.
There the satchel lay on the floor
against the wall. it's black leather sur
face seeming to aggravatingly tan
| talize her with the secret it concealed.
| But If Dick noted how anxiously his
wife hovered about the bag 1t evident
| ly occasioned him no suspicion, nor
| did he exhibit any hesitancy in de-
parting for work and leaving its
tempting contents to his wife's uncon-
| trollable curiosity.
The echo of his footsteps along the
1
| when RoXana, with no qualms of con-
! science, sat herself on the floor before
the valise and with hairpin and scis-
/ sors commenced operations upon the
lock
| Not a note of vexation escaped her
as tools of feminine inventiveness bent
/ beneath the unusual task allotted
them, and as she applied herself with
patience worthier OF a better purpose.
| Not until the debris of two pairs of
manicure scissors, one pair of tailor's
/ shears and an easy gross of hairpins
| lay broken and bent before her did
results reward her efforts
| At last. The lock was pried. In a
I moment she would know all. The
catch was slipped and the sides of the
satchel flew open, revealing-a mass
Y of papers,
Roxana's surprise Of disappoilIt-
| ment angered her. "Oh. that Dick
| should have told me an untruth," she