The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-04
EVENING STORY
An Impossible Story.

spray Of the waves about these two as
tthey stood together on the rocky
shore. Suddenly she turned to him
and grasped his hand in hers, small.
cold and damp with The breath of the
sea.
was here years ago, when we were. oh.
so young. you-you once said you
loved me?"
"Yes," he answered with quiet ten
derness' 7 remember
mel. Do you still? ! want you to
oh, how want you tot"
Dearest. dearest OF all. you know
do"
Then kiss me-" she whispered.
He bent his head to hers, and their
souls seemed to meet, trembling upon
their lips.
The waves beat their Rhythmic thun-
der upon the rugged shore, spraying
high over the rocks as tho attempting
| to libcrate themselves from the eter-
nal bondage of the sea, and dash into
the mists. free as the air that swirled
about the. two indistinct figures.
The End
| AS the sound of his voice ceased he
closed the book softly, and there was a
4 moment of silence. She stood up Ian
guidly and gaged wistfully out over the
bleak sea.
4
Especially good for a weekend SWIM
ming party. when it'sAtoc cold to swim
and everybody sticks indoors"
"Eyerybody.?" she questioned arch
! ly. ."Thanks!"
you've known so long that shed be
! insulted if you tried any romance
$50 you AXE her out on the veranda
in the fog and read an Impossible story
impossible story! I think it's q
mighty good Pne; true. to life and
real"
"That's where you're wrong. 1t isn't
true to life or natural at all" flashing
1 a look of literary superiority at him.
| ''Of course, l like the way you read
and all that; but Il do hate these
bookey-books, with the things that
never happen except in some starving
authors brain. Imagine q woman ask
ing a man if he still cared for her.
she continued, scornfully.. I'D never
ask a man that--not il I was dying
| to know. And then. on top OF that
| without waiting for an answer, she
| not only admits she wants him to, but
/ practically begs him to. Pooh, It's
! too ridieulous!'' she finished with un-
expected heat, and, stepping from the
lveranda, started to walk toward the
| leaping breakers:
| A look of mild surprise came over
| his face. But as he watched her slen-
der figure retreattng thru the gray fog
a deep tenderness filled his eyes, un-
| hidden now that she was not there 70
see. He thought for a moment remin-
iscently and then grim determination,
| like an habitual mask, lined his fea-
lures as he made a slight unconscious
gesture, as tho casting away something
4 futile.
| Coming to. himself, he tossed the
book to the wicker taboret, and strode
after her. In a few Steps he was up
to her and linked his arm in hers in a
familiar way, She made no sign, but
lcontinued slowly along the shore.
The mist. billowing in from the re-
I mote mystery of the. ocean, soon hid
the house they had just left, and iso-
Lated them from the conYehtienalizing
ltouch of its presence, the toueh that
builds up walls and barriers and keeps
people from one another. The trees,
farther in from the shore, rose in dark
outline and moved in the wind hke
vaguely gesticulating phantoms. arous-
ing a sensation of strangeness and dis
| tance freU=the present. IKE blurred
tfIsaras surgfFg out of the past.
S.iI don't suppose they'll worry about
our being unohaperoned,' 4 he tested
eNe one ever worries about ehapeE-
oning us" she answered. with perhaps
the faintest hint of irritation.
''They all know Ina platcnie and
DO they9 That's why Mrs. Hos
4 tess Appealed on the veranda last
4 night with, some totally superfluous
refreshment when you were sitting out
4 a dance with that new girl"
i "Oh, you mean that wonderful bru-
pettes with the lovely
"You needn't describe her" she cut
! in Quickly. sI remember how she
4 looks. No one could help noticing
how you singled her out The re-
/ freshment was probably to2 prevent q
premature proposal-74or something OF
the sort. You danced six dances with
her" Z
Gently. -
And the only other one danced,
was with YOU"
More SO than you think"
please elucidate."
whats the use ?-Oh, we'll! It's
just this. l never dance with any one
else after having danced with you, !
make you my last partner When !
have one with you. want mofe-hut
L don't ask; so my evening Is thru"
Her eyes admitted her surprise at
this. Her. cheeks flushed, a little
pa ssing wave OF rose, as tho his renlafk
had made her heart beat suddenly
faster. But only for moment Then
she asked with apparently Indifferent
why don't you ask me for an
other7"
| 81 don't want to poster you, espe-
cially when your tall, young blonde
friend. who dances SO dfvinely, is
around"
"0h. I hate him."
'What!'
81 said I hate him
That's queer he said in surprise.
Then why favor him so often during
the evening? %
Sometimes, you know. when you
can't have what you want most you
take what you want least, just out OF
self-spite.".
This somewhat puzzling answer
passed unchallenged. His mind had
1 gone quickly to something else. Sud-
denly he spoke with apparent irrele-
vance, on dangerous ground.
you know, you once called mean
\ idiot It's pretty easy to see that you