Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-27
....THE....
RACKET DRUG STORE
AT BEEN0.

died. Then Harold Updike, one of the
town boys" came back from the
city a graduated, full-fedged pharma-
cist and Dr. Poppitz employed him
in the drug store. THE Racket Drug
Store, Beena, Ark" that was the sign
over the door, but on little tin sign
near the side entrance was the legend,
Herr Poppitz, Apotheke." The ai-
vent of Harold Updike lent new glory
to the drug store. He wore a pink
shirt and silk garters to hold up IS
sleeves. He parted his hair in the
middle, and kept it dropping, name
like, over his eyes after the manner
of the college football hero. He was
the envy of all the young men in town,
because he ruled the soda fountain,
and every girl in town called him
Hal" and quit buying stamps at the
postofIice. Meanwhile DR.. Poppitz,
who, by the way, wasn't a doctor at
all, was disabled almost entirely by
accelerated diabetes, and Harold
came pretty near running things" in
the store.
Would you like cooling beverage,
Miss Sue?" asked Harold one evening,
when pretty Miss Clayton, who had
got into long dresses within the year.
had bought a box of note paper and
some stamps. with me, you know.
My treat"
And while she was Dibbling daint-
lily at it. he eyed her admiringly and
stammered: 1.-TWO years have made
quite change in you, Susie
They've changed you, too Hal.
We're all glad to see you back-there
aren't enough boys round, you see,
and-you know Dan Atterbury--"
"Oh, that's so. | forgot about Dan!
Where is he?"
He hasn't come back from the
army yet" she said, getting deeper
into the conlection, but blushing, too
THAT is, we, have been expecting
him. He said he'd be here for the
Fourth. and I'm hoping"
Aha, Miss Susie" simpered Updike,
80 he's been writing to you, eh? He
always was a little sweet"
He was schoolmate with us, with
a serious attempt at severity, and
l think you ought to be glad to see
him too, Hal. He's been wounded and
sick, and suffered ever so many things
over there in the Philippines. And he
was in China too"
But Updile didn't care whether his
old schoolmate ever came lack, for ne
had some plans of his own with re-
gard to Susie, and he knew that even
a pink shirt and football hair are not
special advantages over blue uni
form and bolo wound.
But Dan came back, just the same,
and the girls made quite hero of
him-for a few days. He had some
presents too, principally for Susie,
but he proved his generosity with
gifts of Filipino mat and a Chinese
ring to Updike. He brought a great
carton of Manila cigars for old DR..
Poppitz, and they lay open on the
little table by his bed the night the
good old apothecary died.
After the funeral was over and the
good old doctor was forgotten Har-
old began to cut quite a figure in
Beeno circles. The store owed money
to the Hot Springs wholesaler and Hal
was acting manager for it's creditor.
Meanwhile he was paying the most
ardent court to Miss Susie. She
might have bathed in costly perfumes
and feasted interminably on bonbons
and ice cream soda without infringing
an inch upon Updikes grandiose hos
pitality. He sent her presents of
every kind of note paper, fancy toilet
articles, soaps, novelties, combs,
brushes and the rest of drug store
fancy goods.
Dan Atterbury's star, on the con-
trary, was on the descent. He had
put aside his weather-stained cam
paign suit and was loafing. A soldier
out of his regimentals and out of
job is not usually heroic spectacle
Some of the good people of Beeno be-
gan to hint that "soldierin' allus did
make fellers no count" and Atterbury
was commencing to be aware of his
questionable position in the commun-
ity, when at her gate one night Susie,
fixing a poppy in his buttonhole, said:
Danny, what are you going to do?"
4 don't know yet, Sue" he hesitat-
ed; I've got over two hundred saved
up, l told you and if | sell that loot
| brought home I'd have pretty good
stake-perhaps eight hundred or a
thousand. We could get married on
less than that Susie"
mo, we couldn't, Dan. Not unless
you had position, or some business or
something ahead. 1t doesn't take long
to spend a thousand dollars, Dan"
"Well, what would you do?" he
asked, boylille, I'm willing to do any
thing. Would you go to the city and
study law or medicine, or-or--"
"Pharmacy?" she laughed, helping
him out, "no Dan, don't study phar-
macy if it's going to make you like
Hal. He's"
Il don't think you ought to backbite
him, Sue You ought to send back