The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-28
EreningStory
Where Money Was.
BY H. LOUIS RAYBoLD.


BY H. LOUIS RAYBOLD.
There goes Prof. Latham again
with the Prescott girl!' and Ruth
Cole drew her companions attention
to the occupants of a. low-hung. ma
Yoon roadster, one OF whom raised
his hat as they sped by.
The woman with Miss Cole nodded
pleasantly. She was a slim, graceful
person, not at all showing her thirty
four years, nor exhibiting in her at
tractive face any of the ravages which
might possibly be expected after
twelve years spent instructing giggling,
irresponsive girls in the intricacies of
Greek accents and declension.
Hes rushing her for fair" RAM
bled on Miss Cole, ''and who can
blame him if he believes in that old
go where money isl Her money must
look pretty good to anybody strug-
Cling along nowadays on the salary
Of a professor In a woman's college.
But what she sees in him is what gets
mel"
Hilda French turned her head
away to hide an annoying but uncon-
trollable flush. "He's-very interest
ing to talk to-" she returned quite
steadily.
well, you ought to know, consider
ing he's the head of your depart
iflCilts Null QlSllilSScu the SUI
ject for something more vital to her
own interests.
But Hilda's- thoughts did not change
their channel, even tho she managed
very creditable replies to the others
inconsequent remarks. And she was
in John Latham. What did John
Latham see in Celia? It must be
something visible to no other man.
for after six season as bud, Celia
still bloomed unpluclzed from the FAM
lily tree attic three younger sisters
had blossomed and gone their way
to ador1 homes of their own.
k The t. lth of the matter was that
John Latham's head was temporarily
turned. When a man gets to be forty
unmarried, almost any young thing
not too homely. possessing clothes
which in themselves are a lure. and
every kind of a device for making the
time pass pleasantly. such as automo-
btles, speed boats, wonderful summer
and winter homes. can get in her work
without any help from Cupid.
Hilda. watching the affair not disin-
terestedly, was convinced Celia would
succeed. And when one memorable
afternoon she handed in her resigna-
ton as instructor in Greek and it was
received with just the amount of po-
lite regret that might be expected, she
felt sure Celia had succeeded.
So Iilda quietly arranged her things
in exquisite order for her successor
locked her door for the last time, gave
the key to the janitor and went to
live
Well, John Latham did find time in
between his pursuit of the<heiress to
wonder where and on what Hilda went
to live.
She had said she wasn't accepting
another position, and her salary had
hardly hapn ENOUGH IN n9hln hoF n
save sufficient to retire on.
With her departure. the man, for
some reason, felt strange sense of
loss. And as time went on, he realized
slowly but surely that Hilda French
had been his compensation for his
.work-yes. just that. Always, beneath
the fret OF examinations to be cor
|rected, of marks to be computed, of
students who Numbered callously thru
the beauties of his beloved Greek, had
been the restfulness of her serene, de-
pendable personality. What fool
he had beenl Blind to her wonder
fulness when he saw her every day.
and only awakened to At when he no
longer knew where to find her. For
he had let her go without ascertaining
her address. Finally he approached
Ruth Cole, between whom and him
self waged perpetual war of the mod
ern languages versus the classics. Miss
Cole gave the Information.
About that time Celia. inheriting
with her sister a portion of a legacy
from some eccentric uncle out West
who had made a. sudden fortune from
an abandoned mine, had devoted a
part of it to the purchase of first edi-
tons in which the dear professor must
help her.
The following evening a middle
aged man, a bit stoop-shouldered yet
with undoubted dignity, stood per-
picked at the entrance of the Belle
terre apartments, those ultra-fashion-
able, albeit conservative, dwellings on
the windy turn of the Lakeview Drive.
John Latham, turning his back on
wealth, was seeking love, expecting to
find it inhabiting a humble, out-of-
the-way abode.
Ushered presently by a soft-step-
ping, uniformed maid into room
whose syery atmosphere. breathed
tasteful luxury, Latham brightly
solved the problem. Hilda French
was taking care of some apartment in
the owners absence. Ah-that was
it, undoubtedly.
As Hilda entered IA a clinging, trail
ing gown which set off her slender
figure So that she reminded him OF
some precious Greek vase, Latham
forgot completely his surmises as to
why he was there himse1f-forgot ev-
erything but the loneliness of her.
'Hildar' he cried impulsively, as
they shook hands, and never before,
except to himself. had he addressed
her thus. You don't know how I've
missed you,"
.It's pleasant to be missed said
Hilda, and the music ct her voice in
his ears robbed the little bromidium
of its commohplaceness.
'In fact, I came to-er-weiI, ina.
| is. after you went, I found that
| for a skillful coiner of Translated
Greek phrases. the man was bungling
dreadfully.
smiling ever SO gently into his eyes
"Oh, my dear" cried the man, sud-
denly casting to the winds the Sapphic
love lore he had rehearsed and was
trying in vain to recall. Longingly he
held out his arms, the woman came.
and the desperate moment was over
Then, a little later. 'I haven't much
to offer you, dear. This summer be
gins my sabbatical year, for which 1