The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-09-07
E0ening Story
Susan James Lease.
BY JANE OSBORN
THE SUSAN JANE
GIFT SHOP"

let on a soft blue background, start
ling but not inharmonious. greeted
young DIR. Lester Clark when he ar
rived at last at the objective of his
long trip to the East. They were on
\ large wooden sign that swung along
side the door of his father .old office
on Beverly avenue, in his old home
town of Sprucehurst.
Lester Clark had not actually lived
/ in Sprucehurst for a decade or so.
| First he had gone away to college and
medical school, with only vacations
spent at home He received his medi-
| cal degree in time to enter the army
as a surgeon at the beginning of the
war. His father, old DIR. Clark, had
died while Lester was in France, an
aunt had closed the house. disposed of
+ the furniture in storage or at the sec
ondhand stores, and after the war
| Lester had not hurried home again.
Now he had at last secured his dis
| charge, and tho necessity did not
force it-for his father had left his
| only son a rather comfortable fortune
Lester was determined to go back
to the old home town of Sprucehurst
! to begin again where his father had
left off.
| The old house which had belonged
to Testers mother and had therefore
been kindly willed to Testers aunt was
| tenantlesS, Lester had heard. He had
come back to Sprucehurst without Wis
iting his aunt in the city. bent first on
buying the house thru her agent and
then settling down at his fathers old
stand.
1t would be a sad Homecoming,
| finding his old home so lone and desc
late, but Lester had never dreamed of
such . disappointment as faced him in
| that violet and blue sign. The blinds
had been taken down from the front
windows that had given light to the
| -tc
curtains within. and piled neatly on a
table just within the other window
was pyramid of gaily colored knitting
woods.
Lester Clark stood looking rather
blankly at the Susan Jane Gift Shop.
Just beyond the pile of gay woods he
caught sight of a neatly coifed chest
nut head. The head was bent as if its
, owner was intent on fine work. Doubt
less this was Susan Jane.
| When Lester took time to think his
feeling of disappointment and annoy
ance with this Susan. Jane person was
softened. 1t had all been a mistake.
The agent had let her in while wait
ing for developments. He would sim
ply 20 to the agent and Susan Jane
would have to find new quarters. It
was his office. 1t adjoined the old
| Clark residence on Beverly avenue
which was vacant.
So Lester Clark went to the office
of Quick & Smell before taking time
| to look I'D any of his old friends in
| Sprucehurst. Mr.. Quick was embar-
rassed.. Still he felt sure that within
a day or so matters could be adjusted.
Miss Jane-Susan Jane-would be
told. Doubtless she would see the sit
uation and would want to open her
shop somewhere else.
But would it be case of want
OF" asked Lester. THAT is, of course,
she has no lease"
There is some sort of lease" ad-
mitted Mr. Quick. That is to say,
you see Miss Jane rather insisted on
| it. But she will see how things are
You see, your aunt first told US to go
ahead and dispose of the place as we
could and then after receiving your
letter, Mr.. Clark, she wrote in and
said, Don't rent the house, We sup
posed, of course, that she wanted to
occupy it herself. She didn't say any
thing about the office wing and SO we
went ahead"
1t was later in the day after Mr..
Quick had called on Susan Jane and
received her firm refusal to vacate
the premises, and after Lester had re-
turned to the real estate office, that
they looked up the lease. 1t was made
out for three years. There seemed to
be no clause that might be used as a
lever to Gust the young storekeeper
who had started business in the doc
tors office.
Lester Clark had so definitely made
up his mind on starting in in his faith
ers old office that this information
seemed to leave him at sea. He had
! figured in his mind just how he would
bring the old office wing into a thoroly
up-to-date doctors suite. He knew
where each piece of new equipment
would stand. He could not think now
of practicing save With the old office
as his headquarters. 1t seemed as II
there he would have the guidance OF
his father, who had worked there SO
many years.
1t was on Testers third call that
first day. after they hadsread thru the
lease with the greatest scrutiny. that
Mr.. Quick seemed to see a way out.
"Of course" he said with a mild
smile on his face, sit isn't likely that
Susan Jane will remain in business
as it were-indefinitely-"
isn't she making it go?"
THAT isn't it.. She really seems to
be doing very well. The point is that
Miss Jane is more than commonly at
/ tractive. I know of two-I might say
three-young men who would marry
her tomorrow If she consented. I dare
say there are more. She is not of a
r yielding nature. You might know that
+ from the way she stuck out about va
eating. 1t wouldn't be easy to per
suade her. still"
: "Are you still a bachelor, ME
t Quick?"
Mr.. Quicl1's confusion as he admit
ted that he was led Lester to surmise
that he was one of the three he had
mentioned a moment before.
E well, go to it," laughed the young
, doctor. "Ill give you case of silver
for wedding present-only you must
/ not be many months about IT."
1t was just as DR.. Clark was about
to leave the office that Quick called
n ha I'll In ~ IN HI ho a
head reflectively ST was only going
o to ask you" he said whether you
e were not also single. It might be, you
p know. that Miss Jane would prefer
medicine to real estate-thirty years
l to ,forty-five."
e Lester laughed. storekeepers were
[ not in his line. but he did not want to
give Quick offense by saving so.