The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-01
EOcning Story
She Wanted to Get Married.
BY FRANK II. WILLIAMS.

little home which set back a little
distance from the road. There was a
broad, welI-kept lawn in front of the
house with a neat brick walk leading
from the street to the broad porch.
The house was vine covered and yet
new, and was altogether pleasing AMI
homelike.
A girl was standing half way be-
tween the street and the house on the
walk looking the place over carefully.
She was a. slim girl, a youthful girl,
and she was dressed quietly, yet In
perfect STYLE As she turned, uppn
feeling Wills eyes upon her, VIII saw
that she was exceedingly pretty in an
animated, intellectual sort of a way.
For a moment Will hesitated. Then
the girls piquant face lured him. He
tipped his hat.
Might 1 get a drink here?" he
queried. Its hot walking in the sun"
The girl looked him over apprais-
ing1y. Apparently her inspection was
satisfactory, for in a moment or so
she smiled.
Wen see," she said 'T don't live
here myself, but I imagine there must
be some one at home. Come" she ex-
claimed.
Will fastened up the walk to her.
Closer inspection revealed the fact
that she was altogether lovely and de-
sirable. Wills heart beat more rap
idly. Here, at last, was the sort of
girl he had always dreamed about!
81 judged you must live here" said
Will, pleasantly. you looked as tho
you might be considering a location
for a new vine or rosebush or some
thing"
The girl flashed smile at him.
1T don't live here-yet," she said
automatically. Perhaps I'll never live
here. I don't know
An expression of deep worry
clouded her face for a moment.
do you know" she said, this is
the first time in my life I've ever seen
this placer
The girls words indicated a mystery
of some sort. What had brought her
to this house? Why had she never
seen it before IL it was possible she
was going to live here?
You interest me-" said viii. Lets
sit here on the porch while you tell
me all about it"
It seemed to Will that for moment
the girl resented this apparent prying
into her affairs. Then she smiled at
him again.
Its odd,' she said, "but we seem
to be like oId-time friends. And yet
I've never seen you before. It really
would help to tell some one the story.
And after we get you a drink
Never mind the drink said Will,
I'D rather hear your story"
There were several big, comfortable
chairs on the veranda. The girl Sc
lected 8. wicker rocker and Will es-
tablished himself in a swing opposite
her. He gazed at the girl in a friend
ly way. Their eyes met and she
smiled at him.
IT'S an odd thing for me to be sit
ting here and talking to a perfect
stranger in this way" she said. But
it's really no stranger than the things
which have happened to me during
the past month or so.
I'm an orphan" she continued,
"and I've been brought up in board
ing schools. 1t was all right at first. 1
had fine time and it wasn't SO bad
at the holidays when L had no home
of my own to go to, because I had
a lot of girl friends and was always
being invited by them to spend the
holidays at their homes.
But things have changed during
the past two or three years. I can't
stay in boarding schools and colleges
and universities all my life. An of
my friends have been out of school
Tor several years now. Quite a num-
Der of them are married and have
families of their own.
SO about six or seven months ago
| decided that I'd get married myself
L wasn't in love with any one, but L
1elt If the right man came along it
wouldn't be hard for me to fall in
There was a young professor at
the university where L was taking a
POSTGRADUATE course who was fairly
good looking and who seemed to like
me a lot. He was always paying at
tenuon to me and sending me books
and flowers and candies and, taking
me to shows and so on. I can't saw
that l was head over heels in love
with him, but I did like him quite a
good deal. I thought the matter over
carefully and finally 1 decided that
I'd marry him, altho his pay was
was very small and he didn't thrill me
very greatly. But I had to do some-
thing: 1 simply couldn't keep on liv-
ing the way 1 was, and he was the
only man who'd ever come into my
life to any very great extent.
I'VE had planned to elope about
two weeks ago and then
The girl broke off suddenly. An
expression of horror came over her
face. Will followed her glance and |
saw that she was gazing in fascination |
at an old man who had turned in from |
the street and was laborfousIy coming |
up the walk toward the nome. There |
was that in the way the old man
walked and in his bearing which in
dicated beyond the shadow of a doubt |
that he belonged to the house.
"Oh, won't do til won't do it," |
cried the girl, miserably. I'D rather /
be an old maid all my life. Come,
help me get away from here-quickt" |
The girl caught Will by the hand |
and hurried him off the side of the |
porch and around the side of the |
house. AS they ran the girl looked |
back.
He didn't see u.s." she cried. I'VE
can get away yet oh. must get 1
away. I could never stand it to marry |
that old man."
There was a beautiful garden at /
the rear of the house, but they didn't
stop to admire its beauties. Beyond |
the garden was a paved street and |
On the other side of the street was a
heavily wooded park. The girl still
held frantically to Wits hand as she
hurried him across the street and in
to the park. And she did not stop un-
Ill the far side of the park was
IL. Z. l