The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-23
,EDcning Story
The Girl With Two Sweethearts
BY LILLIACE N. MITCHELL.


to say yes to one of them-and leave
the other one for some other girl
I Ellen stared at her chum. But you
/ see. I've known both of them ever
| since 1 was a child and sometimes I
| think it's one and then again I think
/ it's the other" Her blue eyes clouded
for a moment and then she smiled.
But 1 know that III know-pretty
soon-some way I can tell that real
ly love- she paused.
ST believe that you know right now
Ellen looked aggrieved: "Tpuly, I
don't. But, some way know that
"Bahi" interrupted her chum and
slammed out of the house.
1t was Saturday afternoon and Ell
len began preparing for the evening.
Tom always took her to dinner down
town on Saturday nights and then
they usually went to a show or a con-
cert while they were still downtown
And so on Saturday afternoons Ellen
always washed her hair and mani
cured her. nails with extra care for
Tom, who, altho hex never said any
thing concerning her personal appear
iance, always had the air of regarding
/ her critically as she stood in the front
hallway drawing on her gloves.
She and Tom and David Mcguire
had all gone to school at the little red
school house which lay equidistant
| between their three homes. Tom had
gone to the city, where he had made
a definite success in the bond bust
| ness which, his uncle had founded
some forty years before, while David
! Mcguire had stayed back in Hills
town, where he worked hard on the
farm all summer and shaved all win
ter at the little model of the potato
hitler he was trying TO perfect enough
to invent.
That evening she was drawing on
her white, gloves under the affection
David Mcguire was announced. The
men greeted each other with the
friendliness that their school days
warranted; yet, Ellen thought, there
was a reserve on the part of each.
While they stood discussing business
she had a good opportunity to conf
| pare them.
| Tom wore his clothes well and was
| entirely at ease; David, however, was
plainly from the country. His clothes
| were store clothes and Ellen could just
| imagine how old Mr.. Holloway had
tried the coat on for David in front of
| the mirror that stood before the bench
where new shoes were tried on. She
| could fairly see him slap David on the
| back wish I could look as peart."
he had probably said as he called old
Mrs. Holloway to view the fit of the
coat that looked like it was made for
Davey."
!
should all dine together and Ellen
found as they drove uptown inc the
cab that Tom had ordered early in the
afternoon that she still had ample
| occasion to look at the two men to-
gether. She thought of the two pro-
posals so like the men who had maids
| them.
II can't give YOU much now
honey-except love-" David said as
| they had stood under tree laden with
| cherry blossoms. "but some day the
i potato hitler will work o,1t and taeia+zas
then" his eyes had looked far
away over the hills.
| Toms proposal had come while they
stood waiting for a taxicab after the
| theater: II think whole lot of you,
Ellen, and with your looks and my
money we'll just make the little old
town hum-I can give you every
thing
Everything-and nothing!
Tonight she would decide. She felt
| it instinctively. At dinner she said lit
| tie. Tom did the ordering easily and
! she saw that David MCGUIRE was de-
| lighted to be relieved of the duty. Tom
was very careful about it all; there was
/ nothing left to chance. for he asked
the waiter about every item to make
sure that each one was good this night.
| David was plainly distressed by the
| silver and Ellen found that he
watched her eagerly to see which
should be picked up first. Between
courses Tome said:
Ever study psychology, Dave? %
David shook his head.
I'm much interested in it." Tom
| went on 4 easily, psychology, men
| tai sciences, Freudian theories and
all of that. L believe that man
| can get on faster in the world if he
| knows a good deal about the work
| ings of the minds of the man with
whom he deals. Take me, for in
| stance, when fellow comes into
the office with a bit of money to in
vest can usually tell to a t. whether
he is interested in public utilities
in industrials or rails. I watch
| him-that's ADJUST watch him
and see where his eyes travel. At
ter I know that 1 mention different
sums of money until I see. by the
flicker of his eyes. how much he
wants to invest. Most people are
| rather reticent about mentioning
certain set sum of money. without
knowing how much they want to
put up it's hard for me to tell what
| suggestion to make in order for
them to get the most return for
their money. What's this, waiter3
he broke off impatiently and his
| face grew red. 81 told you well done
l-N,en done, do you understand Eng
! lish? Look at the red blood running
out of that meat" He pointed a
finger shaking with wrath toward the
| silver platter before him.
And Ellen knew, 1t didn't make
any difference about manners or
money or anything else. 1t was dis
position that counted. David was
looking at the confused waiter with
sorry eyes and kept telling Tom that
he liked his meat rare anyhow. Ellen
wondered how she ever could have
| faltered.
And on Sunday morning when she
met her chum at church she told her.
| Were going to live on the farm. on
/ the tip of a hill. and the cherry bios
SONS in the spring-oh, Marie, you
must come ont to visit US next spring:"
| "And-and you're not going TO
marry Tom2' amazement spread over
Marie's face.
Ellen shook her blond head and
her eyes grew soft. Il guess I've al
I 7