The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-01-22
EVENING STORY
Down the Lane.

He was an angular young 1ellOW,
with hair that bordered on the yell
low, and he wore a striped green and
red shirt, blue overalls and boots that
were like the proverbial snow shovels.
His eyes were gray, and he had just
a few freckles peeping thru a heavy
coat of tan. Altogether he was not
unprepossessing. Dress him up in
store Clothes polish his shoes and
his speech and his manners, place him
in ballroom and he would have no
trouble IN filling his card.
Yes, Joe, I've got to. You see all
the prospect before me here is hard
work on a farm. If I marry you I'm
just a farmers wife. What / want is
to see the world, to live in the big city,
and changing street cars, and lots of
lights and operas and those things"
He grinned a rueful sort of grin
and rested his chin in his hands and
his elbows on his knees while he gaZed
intently at a colony of ants short
distance from his feet without seeing
one of the insects.
She was seated near him on the
log. Her dress was plain blue ging-
ham. and she wore a sunbonnet to
match it. The sunbonnet served as a
frame for an oval face, flushed with
health, and despite the bonnet's big
ness it could not prevent several wisps
of luxuriant hair from peeping out at
the edges. Some of the wisps appear
ed black. while others seemed a dark
red. 1t must have been the way the
sunshine, sitting thru the interlacing
leaves and formed the roof of the for
est path, fell on them Some such
idea occurred to Joe as he sat in
moody meditation, but his heart was
too heavy to let him dwell on any
such problem as whether girl can
have hair of two different shades.
''Has-has Paul Mccormick any,
thing to do with this?" he ventured
finally, raising his head.
A firm, slightly rebellious express
sion crossed her face, but it was gone
in flash and superseded by one that
was closely akin to pity
Yes. he has," she told him. ST may
as well tell you it all, Joe. You see,
summer we kept up the correspond
ence. You and me was engaged at
the time, and perhaps 1 ought to have
told you then; but L didn't think either
MIN or me was serious-until a month
ago when he proposed to me by let
ter. The letters had been getting
more and more friedly of late, and /
was not SO much surprised when he
asked me to go to Cleveland and mar
ry him.
When he was here he told me all
about life in the city; about his yachts
and his automobile and the beautiful
home he was going to build And he
made me think lot; though of course
L didn't suspect he intended for me to
live in that house. 1t didn't seem pos
slble then, and it don't now, that a
rich man like him would want to
marry me. 1 always thought a heap
or you, Joe, and We would have got
married next week, just as we planned,
only for his proposal. You see, mar
rying him offers me a chance to live
I a We RI n oil,
Please don't feel too bad and don't
think harsh of me. will you, Joe? 90
Joe stood up and placed his straw
hat firmly on his head. He held out a
hand and tried to grin pleasantly.
That's all right, Mae" he said. 81
don't think harsh of you. When are
you goin', if 1 may ask, and can 1
carry your things to the station for
you:"
Tomorrow she answered. "He
Said TO wire him if 1 was going. and
ned eat the station to meet me in
cleveland. 1 decided to send a tele-
gram just before I got on the train
mere. AS for you going to the sta
tion-well. I think it best to say
good-by here and now"
He clasped her firmly by the hand,
and left her, walking slowly out of
sight down the lane, without looking
back.
Mae sat on the log some time after
his departure from the scene, telling
herself that she really cared a LOT for
TINS country youth: and if it were not
for the motor car and the yachts and
the magnificent home that were
promised her she-well she had once
told Joe Martin that she would marry
him. and Mae did not feel that she
was tickle.
Finally she rose and walked along
the path in the direction opposite to
that which Joe had taken She was
absorbed in thought and scarcely no.
t1ced where she was until she found
herself looking down at stocky taw-
ny-halred youth of about seven, carry
ing rake over his shoulder. She had
passed from>the woods and was ira
versing the edge of field.
Hello. sis was the youths greet
ing. Where you goin'-home? To
get ready for the trip to Cleveland?"
She was startled. This boy was
Joe's brother. altho he had always re-
ferred to her as his sister, probably
counting on future events. Surely Joe
had not seen him SO soon and told him
of her plans.
What do you mean, Bub?" she
asked. What's this about a trip to
CIeveland?"
The boy spread his mouth in a wide,
knowing grin.
Jaw. you can't fool me-" he assert
ed. Didn't I hear Joe atellin' the
folks bout it last night? Didn't hear
him say he had got a job in a survey
or's office or something in Cleveland
thru takin' that mail school course :?
Didn't I hear him say he didn't want
you to spend your days on a farm and
he was going to take you to the city
and make good there? Didn't I folIer
him and see him meet on in Lovers
Lane this afternoon to talk it over
with you? Didn't I, huh? And then
you try to fool me like that. Shame
on you. Sis
Early in the afternoon the next day
Mae set out for the railroad station.
Her father and mother wanted to ac-
company her, but she declined and
walked off. Juggling a suitcase which
contained the clothes she had been I'M
able to crowd into the trunk that was
taken to the station the day previous.
She had plenty of time so she saun-
tered along. taking last looks at the
fields and the houses and trees that