The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-28
EDening Story
VIII and a WAY.
BY R. RAY PAKER


Standing with feet far apart to
maintain his balance on the swaying,
jolting box car, Win Dennis waved his
hat at the girl he loved, and she re-
sponded with an uplifted hand.
"Doggone it," Will growled, when
the car careened round a bend and
placed a big red barn between him
and the girl. "Doggone it, Why can't
figure out some way to get acnuaint-
ed with her? Here's another day
gone by-and I haven't met her yet"
He walked to the rear of the car
and hoped across to the one follow
ing.
well, anyhow. day after tomorrow
she'll be spading in the garden"
For six months-ever since he took
the fast freight run on the Pembroke
line--Will had loved the girl who lived
in the blue house, close to the track,
IN the northern environs of the village
of Lawton.
Every Monday. Wednesday and Fri
day during those six months Will had
seen the girl in the garden from the
box car throne where he reigned as
brakeman of the freight. The first
time was Monday, and she was hang
ing clothes on the line in the garden.
She excited only a passing interest,
because a sheet blew across her face
and viii did not get good look.
The next time was the following
y, SDdu1IR
in the garden. She had looked UP as
the freight passed and the sunlight
had sifted thru the leaves of the big
maple tree at just the right angle to
illuminate her countenance attractive
ly. 1t revealed a complexion stained
deeply by the sun, curly light brown
hair, and full red lips and dimples-
very enticing dimples.
Then and there Will fell in love for
the first time in his life, and on Fri
day, when the freight passed and he
saw the girl seated at a churn, he
summoned the courage to wave his
hat; and to his pleasure and gratifi-
cation she hailed him with her hand.
Will was a determined young man
Long ago be had selected as his motto
in life the adage. Where there's a
will. there's a way" and up to the
time of his falling in love he never had
| been baked in anything he set out
to do.
Wills first attempt to meet the girl
was a week after he first saw her in
the garden hanging the clothes. He
had scrubbed on note. my name is
viii Dennis. What's yours?" This
note he planned to drop over the blue
house garden wall when the train
flashed past. The track ran almost
flush with the wall, and it ought to be
easy.
But VIII did not reckon with the
wind, which caught the note and
whisked it merrily back along the
freight train, delivering it into the
right hand of Jeff Franklin, another
member of the crew, who stood on
the front platform of the caboose
holding out the hand to see whether
rain was falling. The note landed
squarely in his hand, and without
computations he read it.
Will standing glum on the freight
car, not suspecting the ultimate rest
ing place of the note, was brought
out of reverie by a boisterous guffaw
at his elbow, and there was Jeff
Franklin Haunting the note.
When Will learned the cause of the
merriment his eyes blazed and he
seized the note and tore it into null
titude of fine pieces, which he scat
tered over the side of the train. Then
he placed one hand back of Jeff S
neck and drew that young man close
to him and held him there, while the
other hand took the form of a fist
which was shaken in the others face,
keeping time with these remarks:
Jeff Franklin, if ever you so much
as breathe a word of this to any per-
son on this earth I'll wiring your
neck
Jeff Franklin was husky, but Will
Dennis was huskier, and the former
kept silence in regard to the note:
Will made the second attempt a
week later. Before the train started
on it's run he pulled the waste out of
a journal box on one of the cars. He
figured that by the time the train
reached Layton a hotbox would de-
velop and he could signal for a stop
at the right moment to bring the car
in question to the blue house.
But the calculations miscarried.
Jeff Franklin happened to be stand
ing on that particular car when the
train was seven miles south OF Law
ton, and the hotbox developed sooner
than it should, and Jeff stopped the
| train and the trouble was ren.edied