The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-06
THE EVENING STORY
That Interview.
(By Donald Allen.)

Miss Josie Morris was on visit to
her college chum and best friend,
Florence Grey. Miss Josie had arrived
at the dignified age of twenty, but
was still referred to by her acquaint-
ances as that mischievous mink" On
the contrary, Miss Florence, who was
a year younger, had dignity enough
for woman of forty. and was not to
be compared to a mink, a fox, wolf
or any other animal.
Mr.. and Mrs. Morris had been call
ed away from their home for stay of
four or five days. They did not doubt
| that Florence could manage things
during their absence, but they did
not take that little mink into con-
Sideration.
Something was wrong with the
| auto, and it was not to be taken out
| of the garage until the father re-
| turned. He hhadn't left the house an
hour before Miss Josie was planning
to have it out. She pestered and pro-
/ tested and coaxed, and when the
gardener had finally looked the ma
cnine over and said he guessed it was
all right if not speeded up, Miss Flor
ence reluctantly permitted herself to
| be coerced.
| the gardener at the wheel, and at the
| end of a mile they left the highway,
lodged telegraph pole, tore through
a stone wall and brought up in
| blackberry patch. No one was killed
no one badly injured. They were
| just shaken up; and the auto was just
| smashed.
| The accident was heard of, and the
| city editor of the Eagle assigned
a reporter to secure the details in an
interview. The gardener, who had
| just had his scalp wound dressed, said
that the thingumbob had suddenly got
away from the thingumjig,. and that
the first thing he knew he didn't know
anything, except that the boss would
surely give him the bounce when he
returned.
This was not enough for the
Eagle 1t wanted thrills and SEN
sations, and the gardener was sent in
to the house to see If they could be
had A personal interview was re-
quested with Miss Florence Gray. She
promptly replied in the negative, but
Just as promptly chat little minx'
came to the front with:
"Oh, it will be delightful All my
life I have longed to be interviewed
for a newspaper, but it has never come
about saE
i "But father will be angry - so
"Then. you needn't interview I'll
attend to it,
"But you'll make a great long story
of it,"
"Of course I will; and. oh. Flor
ence, we can have some fun out of it
at the same time. We can make it
the greatest interview of the TWEEN
tieth century,"
what do you mean?" her friend
asked
"You needn't come in the room at
all. I'll tie bandage around my head
and another around one of my ankles,
and I'll pretend to be deaf and dumb.
Get me a pencil and some paper. 1t
will be barrels Of fun"
| "But-but-"
But she had her way about it. The
/ - -,
find one of the victims of the accident
nesting in big easy chair. and he pro-
ceeded to say:
ct am from the Eagle, and I shall
be much obliged for your story of the
accident. Were you speeding? 2"
Miss Josie fetched a groan and
wrote on slip of paper:
ct am deaf and dumb. You must
write out your questions.
"By George, but this is rather in
teresting!" exclaimed the reporter
, l"Deaf and dumb, and a staving look
ing girl at that! Too blamed bad.
, First and only interview with deal
!. and dumb girl
had asked before, and she wrote in
. answer:
mo, we were not speeding We
. were just passing a swamp, and ]
think a bullfrog came out and at,
tackled one of the front wheels.
! felt the machine give an awful shud-
!. der, just a strong man does when he
is shot and death comes to him.
"She can't mean that they were at
tackled by a bullfrog. and yet she say.
So" murmufed the reporter. It'll
make good copy, though. That will
s come under the head of "A New Dan
ger to Autoists-Beware the Bull
y frog"
I she thought as the auto left the high
e way and she realized that smash-ul
Il was imminent, and she replied:
I st thought of some popcorn one
= bought at Coney Island. 1t was tn
: best ever. 1 wish 1 could find SOM
> more like it,
Here's righteousness for you." sail
: the reporter. "She must be all of nine
e teen or twenty, and yet she has tn
v mind of a girl of ten. That will g
!. under the subhead of: Death Starinl
e Her in the Face, and Yet She Think
d Of Coney Island Popcorn!
y Then he wrote and asked her If sh
= could remember her sensations as tn
IS machine was blowing its way through
Is the stone wall, and she answered:
II Most wildly. I thought I was Il
= my room and turning handspring
Is over the bed and cartwheels around i
n 1 had just turned a back somersaul
- and kicked globe off the chandeiie
= when the auto stopped"
"a "By George, but she may be circu
'e or a vaudeville grill" exclaimed tn
J reporter. mo, she can't be. He
father is a church deacon and in tn
lumber business. Never heard of
girl turning cartwhels in her own rooI
before. I'll make daisy thing of thi
:. INTERVIEW"
Is Then he asked her if at any tim
during the awful danger she felt tn
- | sensation of fear.
mot at ALL was the reply. "On tn
:. contrary, there was such feeling c
oI contentment that L can not describe i
re I seemed to be floating in the air o
angels wings. 1 could look down o
lie earth and see an old woman fryin
ut eggs and bacon. and oh, how I longe
for them: 1 tried to fly down for dir
lie nre, but kept flying higher instead.
III by Georgei BY George!" soft
exclaimed the newspaper man. II