The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-08
EOening Story
Whole Hearts and a Shattered
Car.
BY H. IRVING KING.


sheets of pouring rain, as solitary
car might have been seen making its
perilous way along a deserted country
road At the wheel of the storm
| tossed vehicle, his face set in grim
! determination. was a young man of
about twenty-five. Long years of hard
service had left the machine much de-
lapidated; it was not at all the sort
of car that ought to have been taken
abroad in such a night. The OBJECT
Of Franklin Madison's nocturnal ex-
pedition was on of serious import
it was to pay off the mortgage on the
old home. Franklin lived on farm
four miles from Middietown. He had
inherited the farmland the mort
gage. He had worked hard to recu-
pGrate the rundown place, had gone
into fruit growing and saved money.
He was now ready to take care of the
mortgage. After th-e- he proposed to
get married, set out two more apple
orchards and run for the legislature
The holder of the mortgage on
Franklin'S old home was a chum OF
Franklin out his own age, a youth
possessed of much money who spent
his summers with an uncle in Middle
town. When Franklin had inherited
the farm and the mortgage he found
that his father had been paying~7 per
cent interest and mentioned the fact
to his friend Martin Fairbanks.
Outrageous" said Martin. ''Pay
the old thief off. I'll lend you the
money to do it and take mortgage
from you for the amount at per
cent" And so it was done.
The mortgage fell due on December
and Franklin, now being in po-
sition to do so, wanted to take 1t up.
So he wrote to Martin, who was lead
ing the simple life along the Great
White Way, asking him to empower
some one IN Middletown as his attor-
ney to discharge the obligation To
Franklin's surprise, for Martin seldom
visited Middletown in winter, he re-
ceived a reply saying that important
business called Martin to that place on
December s, and if Franklin would
drive down from the farm on that
date they could do business. But he
(Martin) would not arrive until
o'cloclNin the evening and would have
but a few minutes to spare. This
sounded -ather curious, but Franklin,
anxious to get the mortgage out of the
way, started for Middletown on the
evening specified, regardless of the
bowling storm and the frailty of his
flivver. He had advanced as far as
the outskirts of the town. Then, just
where the road descends the hill, the
might ave-been-expected happened
A branch, torn from a tree by the
gale, struck his windshield, smashing
it and cutting him about the head ana
face He lost contr / of the wheel for
a second. the car SHE'D to roadside
ditch and turned over with an explod-
ing tire and a broken axle.
Franklin crawled from under the
wreck, bleeding profusely but not
otherwise much injured-some con-
tusions and sprs>ins and slight inter-
nal shake-up. AS Franklin cleared
the momentary daZe from his mind he
saw that he had been wrecked in front
of a trim White house, the light
streaming windows of which gave
promise of help, arnica and sticking
plaster. He knew the place well; 1t
the homo of nT0SnRTnTIG SIlaS
Merriweather, Middletown's hardware
merchant, who possessed, among 9TH
er good things, a daughter Millie, a
charming creature about Franklin's
own age and, as her father said, as
smart "as a keg of tenpenny nails"
Franklin Knocked at the door,
which was presently opened by Millie,
and he staggered into the hall. Millie
did not faint at the CORY spectacle
she was not # the fainting kind; but
she screamed a screech which brought
the rest of the family running. They
got Franklin into the sitting room, on
to a sofa and Mrs. Merriweather ami
Millie weLt to work on him with warm
water, peroxide of hydrogen and
courtplaster. while Silas Merriweather
telephoned for the doctor and the pa
tient discoursed disiointedly of
wrecked cars and flying limbs. Frank
trations of his --nateur surgeons were
over; so soft and pleasing had been
the touch of Miles fingers, so close
her tempting lips had come to his as
she searched for overlooked abrasions.
FRANKLIN had long looked longingly
at Millie Merriweather and had not
been mistaken in thinking that AIillie
was not entirely Indifferent to him.
But between Franklin and Millie was
an interv> ing obstacle in the person
of Caroline Sigsby, a sprightly and
comely young lady of the town, with
well-to-do parents and - longing for
the good, the beautiful and the true.
Caroline and Franklin were not for
mally engaged, but it was an under
stood thing that they were to be mar
ried as soon as Franklin got on his
feet, as the saying is. The two young |
people had drifted into this position
a drift which Franklin had not re-
gretted until he had come to know |
and appreciate Millie. Then he Sc
cretly kicked himself for not having |
taken to his oars in time Now it !
was too lat.. To break with Caroline |
now, he was sure, would be to break |
the poor girls heart. But as he sat |
there in the Merriweather home after |
the doctor had come and gone, re- /
counting his nights adventures, the /
wounded hero of the hour, as he |
looked at Miles sympathetic face.
all the NOR beautiful in its sympathy /
his heart sank a. the thought of the
drifting process of which he had al
lowed himself to be the victim.
''Bless mel" suddenly cried Frank
lin. in whom the presence of Millie /
had dulled all sense of the flight of /
time. TITS after o'clock must try
and get downtown
Just thin the telephone bell rang.
Millie answered it. and this is what
she heard over the wire: "Is this
you. Mile? This is Caroline. I've
such a surprise for you. Martin Fair
banks and have just been married 1
Only the immediate family present
We made up our minds very suddenly
and decided to have the wedding very
quiet, on account of-oh, you know
that sort of understanding between
Franklin Madison and me, am afraid /
Franklin will do something desperate
when he hears Martin and I are