The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-23
Evening Story
You'd Be Surprised.
BY II. LOUIS RAYBOLD

There it was againi Butler Aims
worth laid down his fountain pen with
a groan. That phrase would be the
death of him yet Forever 1t buzzed
in his ears, and twice he'd nearly writ
ten it down in the manuscript of his
play.
How the dickens was a man, already
wildly running his fingers thru his
hair in the throes of extracting from
his vocabulary the exact word for the
big moment in the great love scene at
the end of the third act, to coin the
vital expression when his ears were
being assaulted by murdered English
and meaningless slang? Just listen to
her at this moment:
Charley blew me to coupla seats
at the show last night"
You'd be surprised"
Sure, and he's going to take me to
the dance Tuesday"
YOU'D be surprisedp'
With feelings similar to those of the
historic camel at the placing of the
last straw, Ainsworth. strobe to the
door and flung it open.
Miss Carter" he enunciated. will
you kindly go downstairs and if there
| is any girl down there whose tongue
is not hung in the middle send her up,
if you please. Thank you"
That evening Betty, Buffers sister.
listened amusedly to Buffers TRADE on
the genus female. "Oh, Butler" she
said. you shouldn't generalize. You
know I always maintain that every
girl, even the primmest, properest
one. has a little bit of deviltry in her.
Well, quite likely all the slangy. shall
low ones have their speck of sobriety
and earnestness-she just didn't show
you that side
oddly enough It was not the last
part of Betty's sentence which stuck
Buffers mind, but the first. And 1t
was that he recalled the next morning
as he watched the girl who had been
sent up to replace Susie.
Was it possible that a girl of this
type with such deep gray eyes under
level brows such a serene mouth. such
a steady poise, possessed any slightest
spark of deyiltry? Butler found 1t q
positive pleasure to watch her supple,
we'll cared for, accurate fingers and
ponder what hidden surprises man
who knew her well might discover
Every morning she worked for him,
until at last the finished play was
ready to place before the manager.
Butler had planned. on its completion,
a long rest on sunny southern shores.
Suddenly IL occurred to him that that
would mean foregoing the sight of
Miss Lane
Il say, Miss Lane,r he begged boy
ishly. Just to help me celebrate,
won't you go out to lunch with me ?''
The girl, who had been slipping on
her gloves, paused, raised her inseru-
table eyes to his seemed to be CON
sidering his proposal, then replied in
even tones, mo, thank you"
A mad desire seized Butler to break
down this barrier of reserve Her
eyes, he told himself we're the win
dews of a soul well worth the know
ling, or he was hot so adept a judge
of women as the author of three sue
cessfui plays should be. -
Just this once" he pleaded. amy
where you say and 1 won't do it again.
I am so glad to get that thing off my
| mind that I want to go out and throw
up my hat and do a snake dance but
yeu can't do that sort of thing all by
i yourself
Perhaps the shadow of very genuine
disappointment clouding his face. as
she still hesitated, finally influenced
the girl. IAN right, I WILL" she told
him. Just this once"
That night Butler, sitting cozily OPP
| posite his sister on the other side of
the table in the tiny dining room of
! the apartment Betty kept for her
brother. told of taking his stenegra-
pher out to lunch. "She's quite girl
has Depths" he added.
whats her name?" asked Betty,
| absent-mindedly. thinking that next
time she would either put more gela-
tine or less water in the dessert of
jcllied fruit
She's Miss Lane replied Butlee-
Betty looked up quickly. Not Peggy
Lane?" she asked.
Cant say said the man, wend err
ing why on earth he didn't know her
first name. This girl is rather tall
very quiet and reserved"
Couldn't be Pes" declared his SIS
ter with emphasis. Peg is in some
downtown office, but she's the opposite
of that description-or was when
used to see her-a regular live wire
That isn't at all like my Miss-er-
I mean, this Miss Lane" said Butler