The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-09-25
Euening Story
A Year Ago Today.
BY MARY MORRISON.

dinner she receveled 1n-smau init
mate, and carefully chosen. She
glanced at Roderick Sears, the young
explorer, whose name was on every
,, body's lips and whose story of being
shipwrecked for a year on some IN
heard of island in the South Seas was
| filling columns daily in the news
papers.
Sears was talking somewhat in an
undertone to Carol Terhune. Mrs.
Lane wished she could hear what he
was saying. Carols hands were
clasped before her on the table, and in
the shadowy golden light of the
candles they looked like beautifully
i nodded marble. and just as motion
less. Mrs. Lane raised her voice in a
question:
T What were you doing a year ago
today, Mr.. Sears?" she asked.
The man came back to the present
with a perceptible start
Strange that you should ask that"
he exclaimed, with his attractive smile.
II was just telling Miss Terhune what
happened a year ago. Now that you
have asked 1 shall, of course. tell you,
too"-and he gave Carol Terhune a
rather quizZical glance
There was silence in the big room.
For some intangible reason every one
| had simultaneously stopped talking
and paused to hear what the young
explorer had to say. as If they felt
| certain tenseness, rather a dramatic
situation in the air. From the open
window came the soft murmur of the
ocean on the beach and the fragrance
of nearby garden. Deft servants
moved without sound. Carol Ter
hune's hands frightened and then with
drew into the shadow as Roderick
Sears began.
For two days.we had been cooped
up in our hut while the sort of down
pour that only that part of the world
knows sanything about swept the
island, lashings the foliage to shreds.
We took turns looking thru the one
window of which the hut boosted at a
steamer in distress. stuck fast on a
| coral reef. Poor devilsi Our own ex-
perience was too fresh in our minds
not to know what the men aboard
| must be feeling from minute to min
ute. Bowman was watching when he
suddenly gave a sort of groan and
turned away. When Smith and 1 got
there, no boat was in sight. We knew
what had happened.
"At that moment by some freak
which holds sway over that part of
the country, the sun broke thru, and
in five minutes you would never have
known there had been a storm-eX-
cept for the wrecked vegetation lying
around. We three-Bowman, Smith
and rushed down to the beach to
see what we could find. Beach comb
ing is not a business much in vogue up
here-but, Lord! it was the one excite
ment down there. Then, too, we
hoped against hope we might be able
to help a stray survivor from the
steamer.
= The wreckage began to strew The
beach-here chair. there a part of a
table, a barrel and bits of unrecog-
nizable odds and ends. When dark
I
thing and hit the trail back to the
hut
Smith carried the barrel, SO of
course everything in it was his. We
watched him unpack it with all the
thrill Of a Christmas stockingi Jov!
| What wasn't in that barrli Then at
the bottom was something wrapped up
in paper-an old Sunday supplement
of the New York Times Smith saw
the picture and didn't even stop to
look any further
BY cricky! fellows" he cried. IF
here isn't Ethel barrymore! The
names soaked off, but I'd know her
any place
"All the homesickness of Nne last
few months was in his voice as he
Rugged the picture to his heart, muir
| muring, oh, you beauty, You bit of
Broad'vay! Next to a rescuing steamer
"a rather have found you than any
thing 1 knowi' Poor old SMITH He
| picked a long nail out of the barrel
and proceeded to hang Miss Barry
more on the wall over his shakcdown.
Bowman had picked up the re-
malnder OF the paper and was looking
! at 1t, not saying a word. He was so
quiet. SO intent, that finally Smith and
noticed him. 1 suppose men who
| nave been cooped up on a desert island
| Tor months, waiting day after day for
the rescuing steamer that never seems
TO come, are not quite normal So
When bowman spoke, his voice hoarse
and shaking, we didn't think he had
gone mad We just laughed at him.
Rooer!ck Sears stopped speaking
mere and looked direct at Carol Ter
hume. Their eyes met for a moment
ana not until hers had dropped again
ala ne continue in response to Mrs
Lanes rather breathIess-
What did Bowman say, Mr.. Sears ~
| he SAID When get home 1 am
going to find this girl and marry
her If it takes every hour of nv life
and every cent I have in the world
sears smiled as he finished and
somehow the table full of people that
i had been hanging so breathlessIv on.
his words felt that thew had been
cheated Of more dramatic finish
that they were the victims of an anti
climax A sigh passed round.
DID he ever find her?" asked Mrs.
Lane, as she gave the signal TO rise
Yes, he found her., replied Sears
but IN the pushing back of chairs and
| the noise of resumed conversation his
answer was lost. That is, it was lost
| to all but Carol Terhune
| Roderick Sears walked beside Carol
INTO the drawing room and followed
her out onto the terrace, where the
moon lighted the garden and the
water beyond, and made it a veritabIe
| fairyland.
"A year ago tonight I was the most
homesick, miserable man in the
world he said.
I suppose you felt rather out of it
I-Wltn MI Smith engrossed with
Ethel Barrymore and Mr.. Bowman
with the Supplement LADY, Carols
voice would have sounded detached to