The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-05
Eoening Story
The Spring Girl.
BY KATE EDMONDS.

i with long swinging stride, his gray
/ eyes eager for the open glade where
the spring was. Brown leaves rustled
down on his bare head, and the cool
kiss of the October wind touched his
Drowned face; he walked with the air
of one who has quaffed the elixir of
| life. Emerging from the deep woods
near the spring a girls slim form was
| lightly poised. In the russet of her
dress and the scarlet of her cap she
seemed another wind-blown leaf, frost
touched to gold and fire. He drank
! in the 1.-THE brown beauty of the girl,
the perfectly autumnal setting of GRIM
son leaf. brown earth and wind
stripped trees.
The girl began to danee-with up
! lifted arms and a careless abandon,
moving in rhythm with a strange wild
melody that the wind tore from her
lips to flutter up in airy fragments of
pure delight.
Orth frowned as he strobe toward
the spring. The girl did not see him
| at first; her arms were uplifted in a
wild invocation to the cleudless blue
and when her glance fell upon him as
he drank from his folding cup she
sank in brown heap on the rock star
ing at him with mutinous eyes.
He dipped the cup again int the
/ spring, drained it, and put It away in
| his kit bag. Then, for the first time,
he recognized her presence. He re-
moved his cap with stiff inclination
| of his head, and did not replace it.
| She sat on the rock eying his move
ments with open curiosity.
| He opened his bag and took out a
tin of CONDENSED heat" lighted it,
placed a small folding saucepan over
it filled with water, took out a small
tea caddy, various tins of crackers,
sardines and sweet biscuit, then sat
down to watch the water come to a
boil. When it boiled he extinguished
| the flame, put some tea into the sauce
| pan and covered it tightly.
The girl on the rock watched these
preparation with hungry eyes but
her mouth was set very firmly and her
face grew quite pink. How delicious
| the lunch looked therei She saw that
| there was a box of her favorite crack
ers and a jar of pimento cheese-and
| the tea was really fragrant. The brute
was actually going to sit down and eat
in front of Observation-Disclosures
-a-bite!
She hated him for that.
! At least she would compel him to
notice her presence!
Deliberately she slipped toward the
| edge of the rock--it was three feet
above the ground-uttered a strangled
shrek of dismay that sounded very
genuine, and fell plump on the soft
truf. crashing down upon the most
| She looked very pale and frightened.
] sitting there with one slender ankle
twisted under her skirt.
He was up in an instant. ST am
| sorry-are you hurt?' he asked con-
| cernedly, but there was a hostile note
| in his voice.
my ankle-just a sprain-stupid Of
| me-"
at should be bandaged at once-ice
cold water from the spring-you must
allow me- In less time than it
/ takes to tell it he had brought the
| soaked it in cold water while the girl
obedi emily barred her slender ankle.
| He looked at it, tested It skillfully, and
then proceeded deity to inciose it in a
| tight bandage.
Are you a-doctor ?" she inquired.
"a lawyer" he answered crisply;
'.just lost my first case, tool" bending
low over the little foot
How provokingl Thank you so
much-I am afraid I have spoiled
| your lunch
NO will make another cup of
! tea and you must share it with me-"
I Orth's formal tone had lost its sever
! ity, and as he talked pleasantly while
| he worked the girls manner CONCEAL
ed into frozen silence. He brought out
| from his bag big package of thick
meat sandwiches and added" them to
/ the meal.
Sugar." he asked, giving her cup
of steaming tea.
9 Her eyes flashed. you know" she
began and stopped short. mo, thank
YOU" she ended icily.
She slipped the tea daintily, watching
him with unfriendly eyes as he at
tackled the meat sandwiches. She nib
bled some of the crackers and sardines
and thought with regret of the delicate
biscuits she had crushed.
s'You are not eating anything" he
noticed at last.
IT am not hungry, thank you"
You will have another cup of tea ?"
stretching forth strong brown hand
for her aluminium cup.
"Please@," she held the cup
steadily.
A few drops of scalding tea fell on
her hand and she WINGED.
II am sorry." he apologized; 81 am
clumsy"
nothing" she said hastily.
at is your unlucky day." he re-
marked.
The strange meal proceeded to its
close, the mans eyes studying the fly
ing clouds. the flash of a scudding
bird in the next field. The girl saw
none of these things-she was looking
covertly at the mans fine, stern face,
scanning the food spread on the grass
between them
Suddenly she spoke. "why did you
bring a lunch for me?" she asked.
Their eyes met, there was humor in
his-defiance in hers and a hint of
tears.
"A lunch for you?"
: She pointed TO the crackers, sardines
and cheese. and then to the substantial
sandwiches before him.
These sre all the things Love-"
Impossible that / should presume
to expect a strange young lady to
lunch with me-" he said sadly Last
night you told me that henceforIh we
were ssrangersi"
"Well?" she challenged.
This is heneeforth' isn't it," he
asked mildly.
IT hate you, Billy Orthi" she cried,
and jumping to her feet, she ran
swiftly toward the patch of woods
where a path led to her fathers camp.
He was after her, with grimly snil-
ing lips and anxious eyes. Peggy"
he called. Peggy-dear-wait for