The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-16
EUening Story
Robinson Crusoe Stuff.
BY JESSIE DOUGLAS.

BY JESSIE DOUGLAS
'of course. you can ask them ZEN
Bring down all your beans. Annie
They're not beaus," Annie Laurie
answered Indignantly; "youIl under
stand that when you see them! Jim
good creature; you'll like him; all
the old-all the middle-aged women
do. And Norman, well. Nornan's diff
ferent. You'll see. Aunt Hettie."
Aunt Hettie did.
She saw just how it was when Jim
jumped down from the train and tock
Annie Laurie's little hand in his big
brown paw and looked at her ador-
ingly. She saw, too, when Norman
Dana, with his golf clubs and his two
suitcases, with his gun case and his
English tweeds, called noncfalantly;
"a 'Lo there, AnneH
Annie Laurie lifted her head proud
ly with its soft, curling hair snd an
swered Norman's sallies calmly and
told Jim patiently that she had got
his letter, that she hadn't had time
to answer it. oh, yes, and that the
incest girl was coming down for the
week-endi
Aunt Hettie's cottage was snuggled
in between the pine trees, and the
blue lake glimmered the othef side of
the birehes. It was charming. But
it had no gas nor running water nor
sealed walls. The spiders had q mer-
ry way of skirtihg along the walls,
and the well sometimes went dry.
But what was this to Annie Laurie
when a round, golden moon swan
across the sky and Norman unpacked
his guitar and lifted a charming voice
to the silent woods?
Jim meanwhile had trailed to the
village in search of water. AS Annie
Laurie said, he was always popular
with middle-aged ladies.
1t was Aunt Hettie who was voluble
in her praise of Jim next morning, but
it was to Norman that Annie Laurie's
eyes kept glancing again and again.
bockers he looked very manly and at
tractive.
"Canoe?" Norman suggested.
Jim took him up with more enthusi-
asm than was necessary, Annie Laurie
While Annie Laurie trailed her
hands thru the water Jim padded and
Norman, facing the pink and white
fluff that was Annie, read snatches of
poetry that, spoken in a jdeep-toned
voice, were very charming.
Jim padded silently Z without
word, frownfng now and then into the
clear lake. 1t was he who broke into
a bit about a rosy morn with the
abrupt:
Going to be a storm. wen have to
clear over to Coon Island. Take
paddle, Norman"
Norman dug his paddle into the
water. He was not as graceful Annie
Laurie thought as when he read
verses. The storm came up. Sud
denly like mountain storms, in a few
minutes the sky was blackened and
the pines rocked menancingly.
Jim beached the canoe and dragged
Annie Laurie out, while Norman was
! still hunting for the poetry book.
The rain lashed out at them. Hold
( ing herself stiff against a tree trunk,
Annie Laurie felt rivulets of water
pouring down her neck, while Nor
man, speaking against the rush of the
wind, shouted: My coati" and began
to tear it from him and thrust it to-
ward her. But before he had even
pulled off the sleeve, Jim had caught
her ruthlessly by the arm and dragged
her away
stood there breathlesS and laid both
hands against Jim's sleeve as the tree
trembled, seemed to quiver from root
to tip and fell with a soughing groan.
The rain stopped. Almost as sud-
denly as it had begun the storm was
over the sun struggled thru clouds.
Every leaf gIistened with its load of
jewels.
Norman gave a sudden cry.
Look! The cancel"
1t had drifted easily to the center
of the lake and there it seemed to
find placid mooring.
Rotten fixl Not thing to eat
and Annie Laurie shivering from
cold" Norman growled, looking at
Jim with disgust. Somehow he felt
as tho Jim had got the whole thing
unsettled.
Jim was placidly gathering together
bits of dried bark twigs and logs and
slowly a curl of smoke lifted and
! floated above them. Annie Laurie
knelt down with little rapturous cry.
How lovely! If we only had some
coffee" she s:ghed.F
! Norman was turning over the