The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-09-14
EDening Story
Crime, Love and Psychology.


with her friend Mrs Blake: What
a wonderful work Hannah Sprague
has accomplished. She married that
dissipated wretch. John Tillinghast to
reform him--and she has done it. We
all know what he was. and now Just
look at him--not q more respectable
citizen in town"
Eyes. indeed" replied Mrs. Blake.
what Hannah went thru with him
nobody will ever know. She mar
tyrized herself, but she succeeded.
Hannah deserves a medal"
That was all; but it was enough.
Mrs. Tiilinghast-Hannah Sprague1
that was--from being an utterly unin-
an incentive and an Inspiration. Ger
tain em otions in the persistent priIni-
tive of her unconscious eye were re-
leased into the conscious, and there
she was-as bent on marrying some
body to reform him. But here a great
and apparently insuperable difficulty
confronted her. William Richardson
had nothing about him to reform.
He was a, lover sans peur ct sans
reproehe--a very Bayard, an Admir-
able Crichton in the lover line. Clara
thought 1t all over and. for the first
time since she had known William.
felt disappointed with him. II seemed
as II he were cheating her out of
something. To be, sure there were
other young men of her acquaintance
whom she had heard spoken of as be-
ing far. far from what they ought to
be. She might marry one Of these to
reform hifn--hut she didn't want to
marry one of these; she wanted to
marry William. No wonder the poor
girl was perpfe2ed and had a sense of
personal injury. Here she was ready
to perform e. great and noble action
he faf % hax fr-
| ing 1t utterly inadequate. It was all
very trying--and it was all Williams
| fault When William called that night
as per schedule Clara could not avoid
| showing her irritation at his impecca-
| bility by certain vague hints and
inuendoes-all Of which greatly aston
ished william. Then she introduced
| the subject Of Hannah Sprague and
| John Tff1inghast, repeating as original
| the remarks made by her mother and
Mrs. Blake.
| "Ah" she sighed, mot every woman
/ has the opportunity to doing what
| Hannah Sprague did" William caught
| the note of envy and discomfort in
Clara's words and exclaimed: Good
| heavens Clara! You don't want me TO
be what John TiIlinghast was SO that
you can reform me do you? I don't
know exactly what my possibilities
for crime are; but 1 fancy I could do
fairly we'll in that line if I really put
| my mind to it.
| "Of course don't want you to be
| like John Tillinghast' retorted Clara.
| How silly you are" But there was
| a touch of insincerity in the dis
claimer which William perceived and
| as he walked homeward that night
he thought: women certainly arc
curious creatures. Queer notions they
take sometimes; but one thing-thes
soon get over them"
But Clara did not SO soon get over
her notion. The courtship went on. OF
| course, but there was always that un-
| dercurrent which made William fee
as If he was not quite filling the bill
/ Clara suggested that she might never
marry, after all, but devote her life &c
turning the heather from his idol wor-
ship. or doing settlement work In
some city slum where she could bs
became seriously alarmed.
WELL" said he to himself, eff she
is so bent on reforming somebody
suppose I'll have to furnish the some
body Anything to oblige-"
Most men can bear with consider
able competency being regarded as q
devil of fellow but no man can
bear with complacency having his at
tempts in that direction greeted with
ridicule. And ridicule was about al
that Williams attempts at being u
bold, bad man resulted in.
| That is from the public, Clara did
not ridicule him, but she heard others
do SO and it soon became painfully
obvious to. him that she regarded his
\ manifestations in anything but a ser.
ious light-that she still saw in hin
nothing to satisfy her desire for mar
! tyrdom. In despair William tool
counsel with Charley Fosdick with
whom William had had no relations
at all until. having resolved upon Z
criminal career, he began cultivatinG
him in the hope of getting points
With all his faults Charley was 6
good-natured chap, close-mouthed ani
safe to confide inA william said
Charley, "as a dead game sport yot
ing life, believe me there's nothing ii
it" And then William told his story
and from uncanny store of worldly
wisdom, Charley handed out the re
quired prescription.
There was q church lawn-party
! soon after this and at 1t William
while not absolutely neglecfing Clara
Mowbray, bought two plates of ice
cream for Maybell Harris to one thai
he bought for Clara Maybell was {
lively young thing with bobbed hail
II -lively and fond of attention. Sh,
was as surprised as delighted wher
William took notice of her and pa
raded him about the grounds as a new
conquest.
| Clara made sneering remarks abou
:.
before he left she had played and
sung for him his favorite song, Thin,
Eyes So Blue and Tender" and alto.
| gether seemed more like her old self
Not long after Clara heard that vii
liam had taken Maybell to a dance
When he next called there was g
scene. Tears, reproaches. take bacl
your ring" and all that sort of thing
1 But. Clara" protested William, g
don't care a snap for Maybell Harris
You are the only one 1 care for, bu
you seemed to think that somehow
was inadequate. And 1 can't be Z
sport-thats all there is to it,
"Oh. William" sobbed Clara, "wha
strange idea 1 don't want you Il
; be sport as you call 1T want 20,
just as you are-just as you used t.
be-
well, here 1 am" replied William
. They were married in June.
: YouSsee in the persistent primitive
of the feminine unconscious ther'