The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-11-29
Eoening Story
A DimpIed MiIkmaid.
By MARTHA MCCULLOUGH
i. WILLIAMS.

young Maben shifted. ..And you can't
help agreeing with me- Lorraine
giggled. twining an Enthusiastically pre-
Fmeditated curl ABOUT her forefinger.
Maben shifted again. saying:
What I think doesn't matter-not
the least. But If my name were only
Wainright-' pausing significantly.
Lorraine smiled elfinly, clasped her
hands behind her head and murmured,
apparently to the breeze:
1T is nice to be found pleasing by
a person who knows" Then, sitting
up, head thrust forward: Tell me,
Dicky. does the exalted one really
think anything about me? The frozen
truth-there's good fellow"
Young Maben smiled crafty.
'Fraid you couldn't bear It," he said,
looking past Lorraine to her reflection
in the mantel mirror.
oh, it won't quite turn my head"
she laughed back at him, yet with a
deep note under it that hurt Maben to
hear. But to be madly jealous at two
and-twenty is to be also entirely ruth
less. He says you are q type-the
dimpled dairymaid-mighty fetching
here on the farm-but civilization.
would spoil you utterly" Maben an
swered slowly.
would it, I wonder?" Lorraine
answered calmly. with a meditative
smile, but something at the bottom of
her eyes that was disturbing to her
sometime sweetheart. They had grown
up together into an illusory loye-and
grown out of it, they thought, by help
of school and college. But since loves
possessiye case is nearly an immortelle,
Wainright's advent had made Maben
furious. All the more SO that he him
SELF was responsible for it---Wainright,
fellow of Mabens college, specialize
Hnl <.lr
the lad from the wheat country, had
hefped him in many ways-in return
for all of which Maben had almost
bullied him into coming to PARABLE for
| the holidays.
The farm name had pleased him
tmightily when he sensed its derivation
It was the old form of arabic and
doubtless meant adapted to cared
crops. Place names, you see, all hold
glints of sociology. Thus wainwright
to himself. The basic truth was
wearied OF sophistication, he felt a
longing for life next to the ground.
He said openly he COLLECTED. sum
mer girls" thereby assuring his harm
lessness. 1t was thus he had classified
Lo1 raine, with no thought of slight or
SUR. Maben knew as much-knew
| that his quotation actually. veritable,
was spiritually false. But in a losing
battle one takes any weapon handy.
Lorraine, in front of the tall mirror,
scanned herself narrowly, turning and
bending to see herself at all angles. A
new and specially wicked dimple
played hide and seek in her left cheek.
Maben, watching it, yearned to kiss it
iaway, but felt somehow as tho he had
forfeited all right even to think of
such thing. Presently he said awk-
wardly; I'm glad you don't mind,
'Raine. The old boy meant no harm.
but most girls wouldn't understand
God Almighty made 'em to match
the men, Lorraine quoted with a
twinkle. But mel. I'm the best little
understanding going. If you doubt it,
just you watch me-" *,
I'm sure you've said things to him.
Maben began defensively. She nodded.
Iinterrupting again. mot a patch on
/ the things I shall say to him. Be-
loved, listen, it will be worth while''
| Going to ask him if dinp1ed dairy
maid wears her finger in her mouth %
Maben bantered
| why didn't you let me think of
that" Lorraine sighed. You know
original sin gets there first always
| Shut up! There he comes" Maben
iadmonished over his shoulder, as he
rushed to meet a tall, thin person with
scholarly droop of eyes and shout
uers, who came up the path between
brilliant flower borders. Lorraine
flung after him an inscrutable smile
then vanished, not to reappear until
VERY late afternoon.
| Maben stared at her. She was trans
figured; Not curl, hardly a wave
broke the sweAp of her red-golden
crown. She had banished every dim
pie, gentled her dancing feet to a soft
er rhythm. All in white, clinging and
lvaporous, she seemed to float rather
| than walk across grass already cool
with dew. Lifting her head deerlike
from her1ow garden seat, she smiled
up at wainwright, a smile of primal al
| lurement, saying softly: Now is the
time for wonder stories. You must
tell me one-the one most care to
hhear."
what is it?" he asked.
"You promised to tell it, anxiously.
"If 1 know it, he said indulgently,
in his best elder BROTHER voice
Lorraine smiled again IF not you
who does?' she murmured TT is
the story of yourself-tell it from the
| very beginning
wainwright gasped. Half a minute
before he would have sworn to him.
self and walked off. Now instead he
flung himself on the turf. set his chin
in his palms-and made the beginning
of the end.
1t was profound social observer
who said; There are no such trou-
blesome ghosts at maturity as the I'M
committed sins of our YOUTH VAIN
right proved the saying. His youth
had been hard and driving, untouched
by merry balances, unsweetened by
saving follies. Naturally his ghost
dancing made him a spectacle for
gods and men. But he cared nothing
for that. Men might scott, women
sheer, all he wanted was to battle
himself in. the sunlight of Lorraine's
eyes and let her gentle feet dance
oveR,-his heart if they chose.
/ Maben tried rescues many and vari-
Gus, partly on his own account, partly
also because of real friendliness. He
4 dared not risk open expostulation-
II the habit of reverence was too strong
in him. Lorraine would neither talk
4 nor listen to him-no more than she
would to her mother or the minister.
Now and then she held chuckline
conferences with her father-who
never since the day she was born had
seen anything wrong in her. But
even he at length grew, not anxious.
but compassionate. s'Put 'em out of
misery gently. honey" he counseled.
when you don't want a fish throw