The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-21
Euening Story
You Never Can Tell.
BY JESSIE DOUGLAS.

Little Miss Angel looked smothered
behind her pile of exercise books. The
front of her hair was quite white
where she had brushed against the
chalky board. and her middle finger
had a>deep scar of ink.
Wen you looked very hard at Miss
Angel you saw she might have been
pretty, if the shyness of her eyes had
not concealed their sweetness and the
dullness of her hair had not hidden
its softness and the wistful look about
her mouth had not forbidden you to
look at its pretty curves.
When you had seen all this-you
saw suddenly Just how little Miss An
gell would look in ten years when the
softness had changed to sharpness and
Miss Angel would have become
good teacher"
But Miss Angel wasn't thinking
lust now of becoming a good teacher;
She was staring right thru the school
room with it's prim little desks, right
thru the wall with its gay maps into
the manse at Brookline where Uncle
Pete was sitting all alone.
Just because she. Mary Angel,
wanted to go out into the world and
see what happened there. And this
was the world. This school with Its
gay, carefree girls, and its older
women who had taught too long to
care very much what happened to the
Mary Angells-an except Roberta.
Right into the middle of Mary's
thought came Roberta Hardy, the reai
Roberta In a minute the room had
ceased to be a schoolroof and had be-
come the background for her glowing
uerson She perched herself on the
desk, which was unthougE OF; she
tossed off her hat and put a warm
hand on a cold red cheek, Wh1le her
black eyes cleaned.
sfPear1 in here all the AFTERNOON
working?" she groaned in sympathy.
"Oh, Angel, If you wouldn't be SO
goodI But whatever should do with
out YOU in this nunnery? Angel, I've
got to tell you" she lowered her voice
SO that none of the curious maps could
hear, I'm going to marry.
Marry repeated Miss Angel.
I"Oh, Roberta" Her eyes glowed as
tho it were she to be married, so II
is Joe. and you are going to
You poor innocent! No! Whoever
heard of marrying man you could
1 was taking the children walking up
by the old highway and 1 was SO bored.
At the top of the hill we. passed tina
pathetic looking mission; the girls
begged to go in. Anything was better
than their everlasting chatter. So in
we went. 1 felt IKE an orphan
asylum, of course, with six of them
tagging on behind, and then 1 knew
why they had wanted to go. Up the
aisle came the ASSISTANT man. The
first I've seen in months. with the
face of a st. Anthony or some early
martyr, and the devil lurking in the
back of his eyes. And a voice. the
kind that once you've heard it winds
itself about your heart and squeezes
! it After the service 1 put on my
sanity expression and went up to him.
az wonder If 1 couldn't help you.
Sunday school work
Or
HE looked at me very gravely be-
| fore he said, Thank you, have about
| all the teachers and assistants 1 can
| manage at present. But
"'Yes?' 1 asked sweetly-
! "'I'm going to have a sewing class
| Saturday mornings, perhaps you
| might@
II jumped at the chance. not that
I can sew a stitch"
Mary Angel sat looking at the mar
rator breathlessly. She loved her
warm cheeks and her wiry black hair
and her eyes that were dark and dar-
| ing and gay.
That's ALL" Roberta ended, sc
I'm going to marry him. It's very
simple. I shall make a delightful
minister's wife, something new in
that line. Damn, there's the dressing
! bell. See you later!" she caught UT
her hat and flew down the hall. her
heels clickclacking over the polish
| ed floors.
And that was the beginning of 1t.
The last bell had rung, the lights
were out in the dormitory. except fol-
the tiny CLEAN thtat peered thru Miss
| Angeles keyhole. Miss Angel wal
still working over a problem in arith-
metic. She never heard Roberta's
light knock.
working? Oh. Angel, you'll loss
your beauty sleepr'' Roberta laughed
at a funny little thought of her own
you've got to help me, Angel. I'm
in an awful mess. You know the
| mani m going-to- marry"
Mary Angel nod led and for some
reason she flushed all over her fail
skin. Yes, I've seen HIM when I've
been walking with the children in tht
| afternoons"
"Somehow,that man is very hard te
WOO" RoDerte went on, ''ir spite o.
Bernard Shaw. You know. I've laugh
sewing every Saturday and twice
afternoon; but he's very backward
Now I come to the awful part. H,
asked me today if I could play, and
told him I cou4tf 1 promised to pia.
for him tomorrow-.he only way gu
is for you to do it! Mr.. Page will
never find it out. for you are to weal
my squirrel coat and my little squire
Aidl anu hluc yOOA lace, WnSIl yOu d
thru. sneak out the rectory door
Don't forget, the rest o-y door,
"But-but-'
you've got to; besides that tire
some Joe is coming up from home to
morrow just to see me-
So that was how little Miss Angel
came to be caught in the organ loft b.
the young assistant of the mission.
Il wanted to thank you, Mrs Hardy
for playing. 1t was" he stopped, fol
instead of Roberta's self-assurance ant
daring black eyes, he found a girl will
wide, dreaming eyes Of gray set in
white little face, who looked as ths
she had been caught in the wickedes
of crimes by the blush that went creep
ing to her temples.
| WHY. YOU'RE the girl I've Uanted-