The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-27
Eoening Story
A Trial Triangle.
BY DORA NOLAN,

Hall. Rose came joyously; her mother
acquiescently; her father reluctantly,
with many Protestations. Papa Hall
stayed just long enough to get his
family ensconeed in an exclusive no.
tel and then hustled back, to see to
it that nobody made hay of his bust
ness in the sunshine of his absence;
foE-A-was his boast that he owned his
success to strict personal attention to
details.
Mr.. Hall left an imposing bank ball
ance subject to his daughters sigma
ture, and for two weeks Rose was sub
timely happy. She was bewitching
little blonde, with softly waving hair,
to which a fashionable hair-dresser
did wondrous things, and a petite
figure that delighted. the exclusive
modistes. Innumerable oblongs of
pink paper bearing the imprint of a
big metropolitan bank passed into
willing hands and in exchange Rose
received masses Of chiffons and laces,
sattns and velvets, brocades and furs
which The faH5~wand of commerce
summons for my lady's adornment
| from the ends of the earth
| For year previous to the realiza-
| ton of her dream of spending win
tier in New York Rose had studied re-
| ngiously the Sunday editions of the
great eity's newspapers. The result
was two sheets of letter paper COW
cred with notes of places and things
she intended to see. Theaters, famous
and obscure; restaurants, fashionable
and merely queer; museums, art ex-
! hibits, foreign quarters. odd back
| waters that casual visitors usually
missed; everything-even down to the
menageries in the parks-Rose had
vowed to see it all. And now she was
ready to begin. But how was she to
go unacconpanfed?
| In Mrs. c. Slater Hall, Rose could
find no solution of her problem. Mrs.
Hall possessed two enormous interests,
and two only. Her aches and pains
and the movies. In her home town it
kept her humping" as Rose express
| ed it, to keep up with the changes in
the programs of three movie theaters.
| In New York even unlimited leisure
! and endless taxis could not bring sue
cess to her desperate efforts to see all
the releases" Rose tried the COM
partnership of Marie, her maid.
Marie was blase, unappreeiative-
no fun at all. Besides, she uttered
yelled threats of leaving. Rose turned
| in her extremity to a certain friendly
middle-aged clerk of the hotel, who
knew all things.
IF you don't mind the cost" sug-
gested he, you might engage some
decent. presentable young man who
knows his New York as a sort of per-
nanent escort. oh, it's quite often
done" The clerk even knew of such
a person, until recently a guest at the
hotel himself. but bit out of luck and
having some difficulty finding a job.
| The clerk would make a point of get
ting in touch with him If Rose wished.
| The idea was utterly novel to Rose
but so was New York. She told the
clerk to bring on his courier or escort
| or whatever he might be. And the
very next day he did. The young man,
who gave his name as Jerald Holmes,
seemed all he was represented to be,
so Rose enga ged him. Then it was a
case of breaking the news to her
mother. Mrs. Hall bestirred herself
to be little shocked at this caprice of
her daughters but in the end Rose
had her own way, as always
| Jerald Holmes proved tQAbe a de-
ilightfully sympathetic companion. AS
the days went by Roses enjoyment of
the things she had looked forward to
was complete; for wasn't she seeing
them properly dressed and properly
| escorted?
Also she was g1ad>very glad, Rose
succeeded in convincing herself-that
Mr.. Holmes was married. In their
first interview he had mentioned a
wife pack home" for whom he in
permanently. Meanwhile. he assured
Rose, acting as her escort was an ex-
ceeding1y pleasant way OF bridging
over what would have been for him a
very awkward period.
If their conversation ever verged on
the personal. it was the man who al
ways steered it away; so it was with
never hint to build on that Rose
concocted picture of Mrs. Jerald
| Holmes. Because her escort had the
look of an outdoors man, she placed
his wife as the tailor-made type. She
probably combed her hair smoothly
back and affected those mighty good
looking sport suits and sailor hats that
one saw in the shops. Internationally
Rose imagined Mrs: Holmes direct
contrast to herself.
Yes, Rose assured herself, it was far
better that her escort should be a
married man-previded his wife did
not object, and she had Mr.. Holiness
/. might attemRt to make love to her in
the many opportunities thrown in his
way, and then, of course, she would
be obliged to snub him. Or he might
be fortune hunter This train of
thought always landed Rose at the
Jerald Holmes was married--of
, counsel
1t was afternoon on one of those
mild sunny days which occasionally
lose their way in the calendar and
! stumble into the wrong month. Rose
ana her escort were strolling in the
park and amusing themselves by feed
: ing those little furry grafters, the
squirrels Rose had never seen Jer-
aid Holmes in such a happy mood. 1t
, was SoAld5lOuSs DuL 81 Tie same llIllS
she couldn't help wondering what had
caused it. So she questioned, very
casually, Had some good news?"
Yes" answered her companion.
l"how did you guess it? Word came
, this morning that a position 1 was
> waiting for is open and 1 leave New
York at the end of the week.
So his position was out of town.
= Well, what difference did it make to
her where it was? If he did not see
fit to tell her more about it she would
not ask. so. while she was nIurmuring
, congratulations, Rose shivered slightly
| in the wind which seemed to have
blown up of a sudden. She wished
the mild day had not beguiled her in
r to leaving off her fur wrap.
81 AS the taxi bore them slowly thru
:, the intricate traffic that evening or
' their way to the opera, Jerald Holrne:
took from his pocket two bits of paste