The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-26
EDening Story
The June Offering.
BY LILY WANDEL.

These roses" murmsred Aunt
Blanca whimsicauy as she strolled
with her niece thru the flaming flower
garden, ~seem to inspire me every year
at this blooming time-inspire me to-
do something kind. something partic-
ularly beneficent. Do they make you
think the same way, Carlotta?"
They make me think of love and
brides, these darling June roses"
laughed the girl, blushing prettily.
The aunt smiled. Perhaps when
June with brides and love, too. But
now, since, many years, love takes a
broader sense more a love of human
ity in general and a big desire to make
some one very happy every June"
the niece softly.
Good? Lovely?" almost cynically,
the intention, yes, but-Carlotta. do
you know that every single June Of
fering for years and years has been a
complete failure?"
Failure" repeated the girl incred-
ulously. why, how do you mean?"
Take last June for an instance"
demonstrated Aunt Blanca YEARLY;
tho l had vowed the year before not
to try again. with the roses came the
old delightful spell and 1 felt urged
to make somebody happy. There was
the poor Clemmer family whose af-
flictions and hard luck were the talk
of the town. They had all been down
with the flu the father out of work
for months, the oldest son in a bad
accident. People told me that they
were in arrears with the rent and
threatened with eviction, that poor
Mrs. Clemmer was still in bed too
weak to move. Here was my oppor-
tunity. l went to their landlord and
paid their rent for two years in adj
vance and armed with the receipts
went to the sick woman. When told
her she burst into tears. 1 wept along,
moved by her gratitude. until she
spoke. She had always hated that
there. being forced to stay for two
more years, was more than she could
stand.
THE year before it was poor Mrs
McNulty. Her husband beat her. took
away the little money she managed to
earn, pawned the clothes people gave
her, did everything to make the poor
woman's life unbearable. ...-..
For years she told the town peo-
pie that she was saving for a divorce
and each time she had a little sum
together. her brutal husband robbed
McNulty came out of the hospital,
where she had been carried after her
husbands last drunken outburst.
helped her get her divorce, paid ev-.
erything and set her up in a neat lit
tie flat. But she is not happy and
tells everybody that 1 interfered-if 1t
had not been for me she would still
have her husband
Three years ago it was the girl
with the voice-why go into details?
But can you imagine any one so silly
as I, Carlotta? 1 feel inspired again
to help some one, but honestly I am a
little afraid to venture"
Aunt Blanca" cried Carlotta, her
eyes shining with sudden impulse,
you must let me help you with this
June offering! oh, please, 1 know the
very person and oh. how grateful we
Il mean he-will bel"
Who is this exceptional person p"
THE finest BOY in the world The
most self-sacrificing man-he's an ar
tisti He loves his art better than any
Aunt Blancal"
All" laughed the elderly lady
now I Sect
Let me tell you, dear Aunt Blanca.
please" began the girl earnestly land
you canot help but admire my Rolf
from the bottom of your heart He
was studying art when he fell in love
and he asked me to marry him and
then he-told me. Told me that he
was as poor as a church mouse, but
that his whole ambition in life was to
become an artist. He would have to
study long time before he would
amount to anything. and even then it
would be years before he would earn
enough to support two. He could not
afford studio or any of those de-
liShtfu1 places artists have. So, what
do you think he did, Aunt Blanca?
He gave up his art! Gave up his life's