The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-05
THE STORY OF A STEW.

Al Harlow works IN a downtown book
concern and makes pretty fair salary
weekly. The trouble with Harlow has
been that for something over a year
past he spent more than the stipend
which the big publishers bookkeeper
poked into his envelope every Satur-
day night. Al was born with several
generous streaks in him. ana as he ap-
preached adolescence he developed an in
clination To go generosity one better or
worse. and actually to throw money
away Harlow is good looking and there
never was a generous man who lacked
friends. The girls in young Harlow s set
all thOught-its q question what they re
thinking now though-that he was just
about right. They gagged him perhaps
by the candy. flower and theater ticket
standard
1t must not be supposed for a minute
that there were not many matroRs who
We're ready TO declare that Al was going
az too swift 3 pace, although not one
Of them was found ready TO tell her
daughter that Il were wise that a hint
be thrown out TO young Harlow that
American Beauty roses in December We're
too costly d gift 10 be sent to one young
woman twice week. There was only
one of AIS set, and she was only in
Tire set on occasicn-for the other girls
declared her rather prim and nnicky-
who had the courage born of a conviction
that Al was developing spendthrift hab-
its, TO tell him frankly one day that
neither she nor her mother thought il
right for him to send as he did occasion
ally the expensive dollhouse blossoms and
the equally expensive boHbons.
Al took this in good part and way down
in his heart he thought that Mary John
son was saying just about the right
thing. and that the saying of it was
prompted by a delicate consideration for
his own good, as well as by an equally
delicate understanding OF the propriety
of things.
If Harlow did spend more than his
salary he stuck close TO business IN the
book establishment. and one day he was
promoted to a better position and 70 more
pay, an advancement that gave him q
very comfortable income. Al sat down
one night TO figure it up. His debts
scared him. He thought TO himself that
by rigid economy for a year, he could
square UP, but he was not of the kind
TO settle down of his own free viii and
accord to any economy, let alone that of
the rigid kind. All of the girls in the
set Knew of AIS advancement, and most
of them thought OF it as meaning just so
many more chrysanthemums and so
many more chocolate caramels. There
were many Of them, too, 1t must be said
to whom this advancement gave to Al
new value. As q matter Of fact, the ma
jority Of them began TO set its cap for
Al. It must not be supposed, however,
that a great burden Of sense lay with
the majority. 1t could not bring itself
to fOrego the pleasures of the sweets of
candy and the scents of flowers simply
because one of its members hoped to lead
the spendthrift tc the altar. Let him
spend said the girls. When he does
get married he can save money, pay his
debts and become a model for the com
munity."
Mary Johnson did not like it when AL
showed a tendency to keep on running
along the road which has a big finger
post marked Ruin standing all along
the way. There wasn't a grain OF selfish
ness in Mary Johnsons nature. She liked
the young fellow and she hated to see
him go the way that leads TO a great
big precipice.
All the set. Al and a lot of other young
fellows included, went to ST. Dives
church. Most OF the members OF st.
Dives church were so rich that they
could have each Clipped in enough with
out missing it to make unnecessary the
holding of a church fair for the benefit
of the poor of the outlying districts of
the parish. They gave a church fair
however, and the young women prepared
to play, as sadly enough they always do
at church fairs, the parts of harpies.
The girls held d meeting before the
fair and planned a campaign. Each one
had little book in which the victims
were to put down their names, pay
quarter for the privilege and thus secure
one chance in 1000 OF winning a tidy or
an impossible whisi1 broom holder. One
of the girls said that it should be
matter of conscience with them all 70
make as much as they could and then
she added: Every girl in this bunch
must make Al Harlow pay 90 cents
chance, because he'll do it and never
wink. It's in a good couse, you know,
and he's easy, and we must get all we
can. The other boys Will stand for
quarters, but they are not in the easy
class with AL