The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-06-01
Eoening Story
When Love Comes.
BY. KATE EDMONDs.


"rve been here two years, Mr. Busby,
and almost every day I've thought,
| Something new will happen today
but it's always the same old tread
MILL"
Mr.. Busby looked up from the
stamp drawer which he was cleaning
out and there was a twinkle in his
! jolly blue eye. Amt it a change to
| have Sammy Jones come in fer his
maws mail?" he chuckled.
| Ruby groaned. Change? Mr.. Busby,
/ you know that young ones been in
here twice a day regularly for mail,
and they never got one single letter
yet. 1t makes me wild to think III
stay here and stay and stay till I'm
/ Maybe I'll fire we, Ruby" inter-
rupted Mr.. Busby.
THAT would be a change" agreed
| Ruby. 81 haven't got thing to do
mails all made up for o'clock, every
| things neat as wax, I'll have to knit
again. believe I'll crochet some lace
| for your wife, Mr.. Busby; she was ad
miring the butterfly pattern"
Ding it all, Ruby, don't put any
more lace-diddles into my house" OBJ
jected Mr.. Busby forcibly. Every
thing has lace dangling from it
| ketch my fingers in the edges of the
pillow slips at night and pull lamps
off the table mats and dishes off the
table-make her something to wear,
Ruby, that's a good girl" ne coun-
seled.
Ruby jumped up to give a letter to
Deacon Smart and to poke weekly
paper thru the grating at old Mrs
Fowler. Pretty cold weather for you
| to be out, Mrs. Fowler" said the
pretty girl pleasantly.
''Its growing warmer, Ruby, going
| to have a thaw," and Mrs. Fowler de-
| parted, leaving a blast of cold air in
the tiny office whicl~was perched on
| the very edge of the little lake. All
winter long the lake had been frozen
hard and there had been skating. but
| today was dull and lowering, with
softening of the wind that presa ged
thaw.
Ruby yawned fretfully. Nothing
ever happens here" she complained;
Make it happen, them" retorted
good -natured Mr.. Busby.
How can I make'it happen?" asked
| the girl mo one ever comes into
Lakeside village-no new people,
don't mean summer folks, they don't
count would like to have good
time"
Some of our village boys would
like to take you about, only you're
to uppity."
| There only one-or two" Ruby's
voice trailed off into silence.
The remainder of the day was very
busy for both of them and there was
little talk between the postmaster and
| his young assistant. Mr.. Busby told
Ruby that he would take her home in
his sleigh that night after the office
| closed as he was going down her way.
| but he did not tell her that big Cor
nelious Wayne, his nephew, would be
along. Cornelius didn't know it him
self until he brought the double cutter
around to the postoffice at 8 o'clock
Mr. Busby got into the front seat of
the double sleigh, helped Ruby into
the back seat, motioned Cornelius to
! get in there with the girl and drove
away. ''See that Ruby is wrapped up
warm, Corny,' he commanded as he
| flicked his spirited black horse with
the whip. There's plenty of robes in
there"
/ "All right, Uncle Jim" And it was
apparent that Corny didn't object to
being ordered around in the service of
a fair lady. Ruby had always held
him aloof-perhaps it was because she
was afraid she would like him too well.
Cornelius was a nice boy and he was
| making lots of money with his model
chicken farm, but Ruby, in spite of her
idle chatter, was afraid of love, and
somehow Cornelius represented love,
tho she had never recognized that
fact. Now the two of them rode silent
ly side by side, with a moon breaking
thru the clouds to stare at them and
the cold wind tingling their cheeks.
Meanwhile Mr.. Busby racked his
brain to think of some way to make
them talk, and while he worried about
it the spirited black horse brought
about the desired result without being
consulted at all. There was a patch
of white near the graveyard, a staring
white monument erected that year,
and the moonlight fell upon it. The
horse had seen it before and SHE'D at
1t every time, and SO tonight he SHE'D
again and danced around with a sharp
turn of the sleigh that neatly dumped
! Ruby ana Cornelius into a great soft
snowbank that muffled their cries of
dismay. In a moment the sleigh was
righted and Mr.. Busby had driven
away blissfully unaware OF the acct
dent.
Ruby and young Cornelius sat up in
the snow and stared at each other
Then they began to laugh at their
plight, and the laughter seemed to
melt the strangeness Of their being to-
! gether Cornelius helped Ruby out OF
the snow and wiped her face dry with
his big white handkerchief. His
fingers shook a little as he did so;
her cheeks were soft and round like
a baby's and her hair was soft. He
wiped dry her cold little hands and
brushed off the snow from her gar
ments. "You look like an Easter rab-
Bit" he said admiringly.
81 feel more like a snow owl,
laughed Ruby. There. Corny, you
better look out for yourself. You'll
be catching coldi''
1--WE better walk home the rest Of
the way" suggested Cornelius. 1--WE
can warm up, and I don't believe
Uncle Jim will miss US till he gets tc
your house"
; So he tucked Ruby's hand unde,
his arm and they set off down tht
road, finding their tongues loosed, ant
discovering that they liked the same
books and the same dances and the
same photograph records. Ruby re
lated how she had told his uncle tina
very AFTERNOON that nothing ever hap
| pened in Lakeside. And just SEE
what has happened tonight" sh'
cried.
That's right" agreed Cornelius IL
! an odd voice. and after that the,
both o1Iief bI1t he held heI