The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-20
EVENING STORY
To Meet Miss Dale.
BY JANE DREW.

on III never KNOW ner Dy SlSnt Dy
just that description" said Powers.
digging diligently into the spaghetti
kettle with chain dish cloth. Rot
ten shame, the way your relatives land
these little jokes on you, anyhow.
Don't they know you're keeping bach
eIor's hall here with me?''
''She won't come here. I'm only to
meet her at the train and trot her
over to the Long Island terminal.
Mother says she's blonde and wears a
blue serge suit with white silk waist
and white hat"
'There'n be 5000 girls dressed just
like that, Tommy. you poor fish, Sat
urday afternoon in the Grand Central.
1 suppose she has a full description
of you, too, Slender. distinguished
youth with dark blue serge suit. brown
low cuts, reddish hair, blue eyes, af-
fable manner
Shut up" growled Tom. Perhaps
you'd like to meet her yourself. No
body'd ever trust you to take a young
person under your wing and land Der
safely in the bosom of her family
yet I shall go with you, Tommy, to
see that you behave" Powers waSned
cheerfully. Have L ever deserted you
in any emergency? No, sir. Brother
to brother, thru thick and thin. I will
stand at a safe distance while you meet
her.
Therefore, promptly at three min
utes before 2, there weited at the
lower level gate two anxious young
men, watching for Miss Virginia Dale,
from Tuckahoe, N. Y. But one after
another the driving passengers dis
persed and there was no young blonde
person clad in blue serge with white
hat or white silk waist.
sGV II I, ocly I'D Tor oy1
iously. IF you'd shut up and not
get me all ratified. Steve, I'd have been
sure"
But Powers failed to respond be-.
cause he had been accosted by a young
person. Certainly she was not the
one expected. All in pink, she was,
short, ruff1y pink skirts above white
stockings and black patent leather
slippers. Then brown hair braided
into pigtails with big. bunchy pink
bows hiding her ears and black hair
and blue eyes.
81 suppose you're expecting Virgin
ia she said, in the friendkest fashion
possible. well, she couldn't come.
She's gone to be bridesmaid up at
Elaine Farrelrs wedding, because
Anne got sick and couldn't. You are
the right ones, aren't you? Which is
Tommy? I've heard your mother and
your grandmother talk to much about
you, I guess L just know everything
that's ever happened to you ever since
you were born"
How did you know about me?"
asked Steve, wistfully. You're leaving
he out
well" she tripped along between
them to the taxi happily. Virginia
was telling about you. She says she
knew your big brother when he went
to the Jussand Military school up
where we live. That's about five years
ago.
Hes my younger brother said
Powers grayely; I'm twenty-five
"Reany? You don't look it vir-
ginia's nineteen. I'm thirteen. I'm
tall for my age, don't you think so?
Everybody takes me for fifteen.
didn't. tell you my name, did 1?
Guessr'
"Gwendolyn," said Tom hopefully.
Agnes. Evangeline, Beatrice, Bar
bara, Constance"
''Oh. dear. no. It's just Betty" she
chuckled. rs this our taxi?''
1t was, Steve thought. with relief
All the way to the Pennsylvania she
kept up a running fire of questions,
and finally made them promise on her
way home they would meet her, and
give her a spaghetti dinner.
Right up in your most special, Sc
cret place." she urged, last of all.
"Good-by. I'll tell Virginia how nice
you were. She'll want to know which
is the nicer, but don't know myself.
Good-by."
THE little flirt" gasped Tom. rs
there anything she missed?''
10 I'm engaged" answered Steve SOL
EMMY. I've got her silver pencil to
mend and a snapshot of her, and she's
going to send me a box of walnut
fudge every Saturday. L think she's
honey. You can keep your lofty gold
en- haired Virginias."
Letters came from eBtty every other
day, all to Steve. Likewise the box of
fudge. And he answered all loyalty
and sent back huge boxes of marsh
in pink satin ribbon Also he sent out
his folding kodak that had seen serv-
ice abroad, and various other things.
81 want to- he said in answer to
ter, and she's a honey. 1T takes my
mind off my troubles. Let me alone"
Then came a sudden visit from Ted,
the younger brother. Certainly he
knew the Dale family up at Tuckahoe.
he told them. while Steve listened.
girl ever happened.
II like her sister" said Steve
thouehtfully.
'She hasn't any sister," Ted retorted
fatty.
Named Betty
'aNo Beetles virginia's the one and
only"
"Blonde?" qucried Tom eagerly
NO. Brown haired. Dimples. blue
eyes. little bit of girl;'
The two stared at each other, and
Tom grinned aggressively. But Steve
was a shade paler and there was a de-
termined look in his eyes. He had
date on Long Island, it appeared, an
immediate one. Tom called to him as
he left them to take out some Turkish
paste with him and a kiddie car for
luck.
And when he t1ced her in the cool
living room at her chum's house not
one bit did Virginia back down from
her stand, only in her blue linen dress
Observation-Disclosures
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