The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-31
Eoening, Story
Three Nineteens.
BIZ poRA MoLLAN,

\ STOOD B. crystal DaA. into THIS the
woman gazed thru eyes as opaque. as
jet beads. Opposite. huddled close to-
gether on q rickety plush settee, sat
her audience. two grown-up children
or very young ladies', as one might
choose to call them-the man in the
street would have chosen to call them
| "flappers.'
In deep, artificially bass voice
which rumbled up from somewhere
| in the depths OF the red kimono the
crystal gazer spoke. The words came
slowly:
| Marie Fenton clutched- at the hand
of her plump companion.
/ 81 see in the life of the slim one"
repeated the oracle, "a bright light
1t flares up suddenly, then burns
steadily thru tns years. 1t is the love
light. st comes the year the same
/ number appears three times in the
future of her whose life 1 see here
depicted
The fat sybil lifted her chins from
! their resting place, yawned expansive
| ly, then turned to her audience with
a briskly business-like air. "a dollar,
apiece she demanded, stretching out
a hand decorated with many rings
This. sudden metamorphosis of
prophecies, endowed with magical
power to see around the curves of the
| long lane of fgoing-to-be. into a mere
greedy money getter was disconcert-
ing to the spellbound listeners. But
| they opened their handbags quickly
and paid the fee.
"Of course she has to live" nttl
Marie Fenton excused as they hurried
down the dark stairway.
Eyes, I suppose so. and she looks
stouter companion. But. oh. Marie!
What she foretold for you is wonder
full! What can she mean by the same
number coming three times?"
''Why, that's easy enough to under
stand" replied Marie proudly. ''I
| thought of it right off. I'll be nine
| teen in nineteen nineteen"
| ooh, how wonderful" thrilled the
chubby one. - 7-
| Three years suffice to change many
a flapper into a real young woman.
/ Marie Fenton passed her nineteenth
birthday early in January of nineteen
nineteen. The months passed on Oc-
tober came and still the bright light
that had flared from the depths of the
crystal ball to the eyes of the inter-
prefer failed to illumine with it's ra-
dance the life of Marie.
The summers cocky straw sailor
had given place to a fiery red tam.
But still the latter was never pulled
as she set off for business in the
morning without the accompanying
hope that this might be the day of
days.
Then it happenedNwhen Marie
least expected it.
There was a new purchasing agent.
Marie was sent in to take dictation
/ from him. He was tall and broad
/ Notwithstanding, Marie thought,
and he had that suave way with him
that convinces one woman at time
that she is the only woman.
It convinced Marie to such an ex-
tent that the curves and dashes on
the Dad before her became alarmingly
blurred.
| '.Rrinx the letters to me just before
five" Into these seven words Mr..
Beers managed to condense volumes
fof meaning. That he was loath to
send Marie away; that five o'clock
was a long way off; that he should
await her return impatientiy, and that
when the longed-for hour arrived
well, somehow there was vaguely
romantic suggestion of a tryst.
| Marie's fingers justified their auto
matte training that afternoon, for her
thoughts went skylarking down the
| long lane of the future, where some
one tall and stunning walked by her
side. When 4:45 came and she pre-
caused no surprise at all that Mr..
Beers should suggest walking home
with her.
Wasn't it all foreordained? Then
| too, it seemed perfectly natural and
at the same time incredibly marvellous
that the new purchasing agent should
ask her to go to the movies that very
evening. And some people said crystal
gazing was all huge fake!
| AS Marie closed the front door be-
| hind her and passed thru to the kit
| chen where Mrs. Fenton was preparing
the evening meal, something intangi-
BILE prieked her bubble of elation.
What was it that had filled her
thoughts before that fateful moment
when she had opened Mr.. Beers's Of
4
brought it all back.
| Bob is much worse" she an
nounced.
Bob? oh, yes, to be sure; Bob was
sick-that- was the truant thought.
Bob Bryan, the standby of childhood
and girlhood; funny, steady, true-blue
| old Bob,s who would have let them cut
| off his right hand for her any time,
she knew; and who had always been
why, as much a part of life as
mother herself!
But how tiresome that Bob's ILL
ness should have to come right now
when she wanted no shadows-only
| the high lights of happiness! Marie
had never been in the habit of con-
fiding her innermost thoughts in her
mother, and now it would be impos-
sible to make her understand.
WELL. I must confess that 1 never
thought a daughter of mine could be
! so heartless-to go to a show with a
stranger when her playmate and chum
was dying, like enough. This new.
| generation moves too rapidly for me"
Mrs! Fenton's tone was bitter.
But Marie went. Bob couldn't be in
| danger; it was unthinkable. And he
would have been the last one to. wish
her to stay home.
The picture that night concerned
| the love adventures of a worldfamous
comedian. But suddenly some awk-
/ ward movement Of the irresistible lit
/ tie man reminded Marie of Bob. Bob
was q bit clumsy, too. in just that way.
| And then. because of the subtle
artistry of the actor, Marie saw in the
woe-begone plight of the man of com
edy the utter tragedy that the crowd
missed. Bob would look like that
and it would all be black reality.
| A great revulsien swept over the
girl. On its urge she almost sprang to
her feet, indifferent as to her COM
l.