The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1903-01-26

OLD DR.. Poppits never had an assis
ant till about six months before I
died. Then Harold updilke. ono of III
town boys" came back from the cit
a graduated full-hedged pharmacis
and Dr. Poppitz employed him in TIA
. drug store. THE Racket Drug Store.
/. / Been0, Ark, that was the sign over tn
, door. but on little tin sign near th
side entrance was TIE legend, Her
| Poppitz, Apotheke The advent d
Harold Updike lent new glory to tn
drug storss He wore a pink shirt an
silk gartefs TO hold up his sleeves. II
parted his hair in the middle, and KEEP
1t dropping, manelike. over his eye
after the manner OF the college football
hero. He was the envy OF all the youni
men In town, because he ruled the sod
fountain. and every girl in town callel
him HAP and quit buying stamps a
the postoffice. Meanwhile DR.. poppitz
who, by the way, WASH I a doctor at all
was disabled almost entirely by accel
Grated diabetes. and Harold cant
pretty near running things" in tn
store
Would you like cooling beverage
Miss Sue2" asked Harold one evening
when pretty Miss Clayton who had go
into long dresses within the year had
bought a box Of note paper and SOM
stamps with me. you know. Ny
treat"
And while she was nibblIng daintily
at It he eyed her admiringly and STAN.
mered: Two years has made quite q
change in you, Susie"
They've changed you, too, Hal. We
n 80 n nHI IUA 20 1.s44 81 !. 49,
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 tn
confection, but blushing, too, "I-that
Is, we, have been expecting him. lie
said he'd be here for the Fourth, and
I'm hoping"
rAh, Miss Susie" simpered Updike.
so he's been writing to you, eh? He
always was a little sweet"
HE was schoolmate with us, with
you. too" she said, frownlng with
quite serious attempt at severity,
''and think you ought 10 be glad to
zee 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, tool"
But Updike didn't care whether his
old scho0lmate ever came back, for he
had some plans Of his own with regard
to Susie, and he knew that even a
pink shirt and football hair are not
special advantages over a blue uniform
and a bolo wound.
But Dan came back. just the same.
and the girls made quite a hero OF him
for few days. He had some pres
ents. too. principally for Susie, but he
proved his generosity with gifts OF a
Filipino mat and a Chinese RIG to Up
dixie. He brought great cartoon Of
Manila cigars for old Dr. Popptz. and
they lay open on the little table by his
bed and that night the good old apothe-
cary died.
After the funeral was over and the
lonely old doctor was almost forgotten
Harold began to cut quite a figure In
Beeno circles. The store owed money
to the Hot Springs wholesaler, and Hal
was acting manager for its creditor.
Meanwhile he was paying the most
ardent court to Miss Susie She might
have bathed in costly perfumes and
feasted lnterminably on bonbcns and
ice cream soda without Infringing All
inch upon Updikes grandoise hospital
ity. 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 campaign
I..af A ..ttf -
his regimcntals and out of job is not
usually a heroic spectacle Some of the
good people Of Beeno began to hint
that esoldierin' allus did make fellers
ma count" and Atterbury was COM
mencing 10 be aware OF his question:
able position in the community. when
at her gate one night Susie. fixing
poppy in his huttonhole, said:
Danny what are you going 70 do?"
Il don't know yet, Sue" he hesitat-
ed; "I've got over two hundred saved
up, ] told you, and if sell that loot
brought home Id 1iavs 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
10 spend thousand dollars, Dan"
well what would you do2' he ask
ed boy-llke. I'm willing to do any
thing Would you go to the city and
study law, or medicine, or-or-r
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 haclxbite
him. Sue You ought to send back his
presents or at least tell him to stop"
oh. don't know. He gives them to
all the girls the same as to me-"
Il know. Sue. But he's beginning to
talk like he owned you. I don't like
IT,"
And Updike wandered that suSic quit
buying trifies at his store and he be-
anne quite enraged when she asked
him. kindly, to send her no more gifts
The drug store Is for sale. Sue" Dan
was saying one night few weeks
later. Il heard the man from Hot
springs telling Hal to look ont for
purchaser. Seems il hasn't been MAX
ing money. or they don't want to be
bothered with IT, Too bad. isn't it.
Hal viii lose his job.
why don't you buy IT, Darnyy"
II was a bold idea and they l0oked at
each other silently in the moonlight
But be went to Hot Springs next day
with all bis money and q little that she
had been saving since she couid re
member aad=hn houqht the Racka.