The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-10-22
Epening Story
David's House.
By KATE EDMoNDs.

The soun0 of hammer and saw rang
across the hills and valleys of Little
ford. People who heard it said to one
another: David Brown is building
his house,
That was when the .-.use was start
ed. Suddenly. the sound of hammer
and saw was stilled and the staring
windows. unfinished, were covered
| with tarred .aper and the little build
ing implanted, incomplete, was closed
and left alone. T-vid Brown had gone
to war.
The women who met at each others
| homes and worked for the Red Cross
wondered because Alice Corson was so
! cheerful They knew she was worried
about David because he had been in
/ some of the hardest fought and won
battles in France, but always she kept
up her courage and her high endeavor
never faltered, altho there were griefs
| at home. That last year of the war
! her father had died and Alice had
| taken ever his small but established
real estate and insurance business. Il
worked for father so long that he
knew 1 could understand it-he left
it to me. Mother has the home and
! separate income. This is NINE" she
told people. and she proved a formid-
able competitor to the other dealers
! in her locality
THAT Corson girls got some git up
and git to her." said one of them. with
admiration. and after that his adnira-
ton ripened into love and he wanted
| to marry Alice Corson, but she smiled
gently and shook her head.
I'm engaged to David Brown" she
said amiably
so heard. but he may never come
nome and if he does he might not be
able to support you-suppose he'd be
md I1I,
Il would still be engaged to him.
| returned the girl proudly.
| one day there came the news. Day.
ID Brown was coming home-crippled
| Tor life. He wrote Alice q letter, re-
| leasing her from their enga cement.
what l shall do in the future-se!l
| the little house I made for you and
start a news setand or something"
Alice cried and kissed the letter.
Dear old thing" she whispered He
must think I'm afraid to face the flu
ture with him! I am SO proud of his
vaior that could shout the news
from the house tops. l must do for
him what 1 CAM am sound and
strong. He has fought to save us
from the plight of Europe-ah. my
soldier boyi''
After that she Seemed happier than
ever. and once more people heard the
sound of hammer and saw on the hill
side, and they told each other breath
] lessly that Alice Corson was finishing
the house that David began-"she
] wears overalis-and she mounts a
| ladder and paints the housei'' 1t was
all true, she would not let another
hand touch it. Sometimes she would
allow man to lift something heavy.
but she did the actual work, clumsilv
it is true; but as one man said with
tears in his eyes. II wouldn't care if
| the roof was matched, if a woman
1 loved me enough to do that for me!''
Alice did that and more. and when
spring came and David was expected
home, she had the garden ready for
seed and the house furnished. Her
mother gave her much furniture, be-
cause she was going to make her
home with a married daughter in a
| nearby town, and so David's house
4 was ready when he came back to
| Littleford.
He never forgot that day.
The townspeople had turned out,
there was parade in his honor, head
ed by a brass band and a committee
of welcome. The houses were gay
with flags and little girls strewed
flowers under the wheels of the auto
mobile that bore him down the villa ee
street. David pale after long months
of hospital life. looked very handsome
in his uniform. On his breast were
medals of honor and faded ribbons
worn thru many campaigns He
| smiled and waved his hat again and
again, but nowhere in the crowd did
he see the face he loved--the face of
the girl he had voluntarily released
from her engagement to him. His
mouth became bitter and cynical. He
had hoped thru everything that Alice
would not give him up-almost any
girl would have quailed at the thought
of marrying a cripple, but-his eyes
| suddenly blurred.
The crowd had dispersed in front of
the town hall with a final cheer for
their wounded hero and the automo-
bile was bearing him thru the viii
! lage. His parents had died years be-
fore and he had only a sister in the
next village-he would go to her to-
night: she was expecting him.
Where are you taking me-" he
asked of Judge BLAND. in whose car
he was riding. The minister sat OPP