The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-21
EceningStoy
Circumstances Alter Cases.
BY LILLIAN HALL CROWLEY

feel pretty good for two reasons: One,
because he was ambitious and meant
ITO succeed, and the other and more i'm
portant one was that he was going to
marry Esther Granger. They intended
to be married just SO soon as he should
have another raise in salary. He had
been most successful in his work lately
and had reason to hope.
OF course, sticking as closely as he
did to business curtailed his pleasure,
for he had had to refuse invitations
that came from his loved one. But he
was working for her.
Esther had been SO sweet about it.
IT understand, dear" she had said
more than once
This very morning the president of
the firm had slapped him on the
shoulder and said:
James. my boy, want you to go
to court this morning and take charge
of our suit. Miss Roatwright will go
with you, as she made out the contract
for the defendant and is pretty level
headed>girl. Phone me as soon as it is
over. Go ahead and wini''
The president sent Miss Boatwright
his private secretary, to accompany
James and the two set off for court.
ing on his work of the immediate
present and he hardly noticed his COM
panion. She was simply something be-
| longing to the work in hand like the
books under his arm.
He never lost sight of an advantage
for his case, and Miss Boatwright
proved to be clever witness, in fact,
| they won the case on her testimony as
much as on any other one thing.
| When James, about IL O'Clock,
'phoned the president triumphantly
| the big man was elated.
1 l. Doc -ffr13f 70 L..
| Give her the best the Blackmar has to
offer. I'm grateful to her, and I know
! it'll be treat, because she has to sup
! port her mother on her salary and her
| fiance is in South America. So go as
| far as you like, and it's on the firm
| James by this time was pretty hun
cry himself, SO he didn't mind doing
| as the boss ordered. He called a
| taxi and they were driven to the hotel,
where the waiter escorted them to a
little rose-shaded table for two. He
! never sighted any work that was
given him to do. Therefore he was
| most solicitous that his companion
should have a luncheon that was
worthy of the name. Miss Boatwright
appreciated his thopghtfulness.
After he had given his order and the
| beaming waiter had gone to fill it.
James let his eyes wander about the
! large and beautiful room. They did
not wander far, for a short distance
away sat Esther with two other girls.
| Her glance was turned away from him
and he could not catch her eye. Then
it dawned on him that she was pur-
posely looking away. His heart sank
when he realized the situation. He re-
I called the many times lately that he
| had been unable to join her-pleading
! business.
His companion spoke to him and for
the first time he discovered that she
| was pretty-an extremely pretty girl,
| daintily dressed.
| What a itlationi Here he was do
| ing the work the firm demanded; hav-
| ing luncheon with a. girl he barely
! knew; he wasn't even treating her to
/ the meal. Business pure and simple
| and Esther, with averted head, hadn't
understood. Why couldn't Miss Boat
| wright have been old and ugly? There
were plenty of ugly women connected
| with the business. He couldn't leave
his guest and go over to- explain to
Esther before her friends, friends of
hers he had never seen before. He felt
like trapped animal.
| Miss Boatwright sensing his alb
| straction thought that she herself
| must be dull and so tried to be pleas
| ant and entertaining. James replied to
| her efforts with disconnected words
Esther and her friends soon left
without a glance at James's table.
When he got back to the office he
1
other members of the firm for several
hours and did not get a chance to
| telephone.
1 He had received the raise in salary
He could explain to Esther about the
luncheon and they could be married
at once. Esther.was not at home, the
maid informed him. She was to be
out for dinner and go to the theatel
later. He left a ,nore asking her tC
call him up at his rooms as soon "a
she should get home, no matter how
late it was.
Esther did not call He telephonet
in the morning as early as he dared
She had gone out Of town to be gone
indefinitely.
mo, there was no message and nj
letter."
Repeated calls over the telephone
brought only the same answer. From
bewilderment and grief James turned
to anger for consolation. To be 81
completely innocent and then to b'
treated as tho he were a criminal
for such a little thing anyway. 1t wa
well that he found out. He'd have al
awful time with a wife who was 81
suspicious and saw harm in nothing a
all. He was thru and would con
centrate entirely on business; then
sometime he might become mayor o
! knows? Then she'd be sorryi Thel
he would look away from her as sh
had looked away from him.
And Esther? She had gone with he
father and mother to Washington, blu
she was not enjoying herself. Nothin,
seemed right. She realized that sh
had been hasty. She had been silly
Suppose James had been with a prett,
girl? She might have been a relative
, a fourth or fifth cousin Lots of per
sons have relatives turning up whel
they least expect them.
She wished she were home, but Sh
couldn't leave until her fathers bust
ness was finished She couldn't writ
direct1y-that would be too humiliat
ing-but she could write to Nora an,
| tell her to give her address,to whom
ever called, Happy thought!
But Nora had left and the house
keeper had installed a new maid il
her place and the letter was forwarde
. across the continent to her
Esther waited. ''He won't write me
> so there must be another girl, and n
= is glad L have given him this chanc
= to conclude that all is over between us