Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1911-03-16
THE LIGHT in
THE KITCHEN
BY NJ. J. PHILIPS
Copyright. 1910 BY Associated Literary Press.)


ants recognized the tall young man
with the shoulders of an athlete and
the bullying brow of student as one
of themselves, and he had the run
of the place.
Tower hill stood between the ocean
and the plain. 1t shot up into the air
several hundred feet. Oak Harbor,
city of considerable size, nestled
at its base, spread over the plain, and
climbed ambitiously up its side. Wiles
liked 10 sit on the hill, like an eagle
on his crag, and sweep the pageant sea
with long, slim powerful telescope
that was his own property. Between
this telescope and the great barrel
which peered into the mysteries Of the
sky and was moved only by ponderous
machinery, he was perfectly happy.
One evening in early spring the sky
was overcast so that no stars were
visible, and the sea was empty Of
ships. Wiles took his telescope to a
loophole in the dome of the observa-
tory, adjusted 1t on its tripod and sat
down to the eyepiece. The city Of
Oak Harbor was In front and beneath
him, pricked out by its hundred thou
sand lights.
Dividing the town into vast check
erboards were the electric street lamps
glowing white in the gloom. The lights
in the homes were of mellOwer and
less obtrusive tint. They peered from
the open doors and windows and
twinkled shyly through the budding
trees. The great office buildings, tier
on tier, illumined like the portfolios of
undreamed of ocean liners, thrust
themselves proudly aloft. The troll
legs, whose snoring hum came family
to him in his aerie were moving
streaks OF fire. Motor cars flew with
err and thither like orderly firehies.
Seated thus at his telescope, Hoover
Wiles felt like one of the immortals.
He abode on his mountain, above hui
mainly and Its petty, buglike emotions
How aimless and useless seemed all
this Fastening to and fro! What waste
of energy in trivial, blind pursuit Of
pleasure! Surely an ant Hill. with its
misdirected activity, was a conserva-
tive and intellectual community beside
the city OF Oak Harbor!
Thus musing, Wiles turned his tele-
scope slowly, like a long, moving fin
ger. 1t showed the groups waiting for
cars on tht corners; occasionally it fol-
lowed an automobile for block or
two. Then, as it swept far to the left
the telescope seemed to stop of its
own volition on a pretty scene.
A lighted kitchen window. surround
ed by vines newly green. filled its field
Within the kitchen, small boy was
sitting at a table eating. A young
woman was waiting on him. She wore
light dress, and had profusion of
dark hair Wiles felt that she was
pretty, though his instrument would
not bring ont her face in detail. But
the air of beauty was about her.
In her passing to and fro, once she
stopped to tousle the youngsters hair.
The watcher could see the happy
smile on the lads face. Presently
having finished his supper, he showed
back from the table. The GIRL bub-
bling over with mirth and high splr-
its, began to dance about the kitchen
The light, irregular steps were the
personification of grace. She swayed
back and forth across the space op-
posite the window. The boy clapped
his hands gleefully. Wiles watched
the scene until the dance was over
Then he leaned back, took long
breath, and said:
Il shall find that girl and marry
her!"
Wiles had cause to regret not keep
ing his eye glued to the telescope; for
when he looked again, the lighted win
dow had vanished. Either the tele-
scope had moved or else the light in
the kitchen had been extlngulshed.
For two hours he peered steadily into
the eyepiece, in the vain hope that the
dancing girl would again fit across
his field of vision. But not another
sight of her did he get. At last, re-
lunctantly, he gave 1t up and went
home.
The next night he was early at his
post. His heart beat with anticipa-
ton as he sat down at the telescope
and watched the dusk close in and
the lights of Oak Harbor spring into
being like jewels on velvet cloth.
The glass was as he had left 1t the
night before.
Again he was disappointed. In an
hour of painstaking peering he picked
up a score of kitchen windows but in
each something was lacking. This one
had no vines about it; that one did
not have a table within the line of
vision; the third was lighted by cleo
tricity instead of gas, and so on. No
sight of the dancing GIRL" as ne had
begun to call her, gladdened his heart.
When the clocks in the city below
began booming the hour of II, Wiles
admitted to himself that It was too
late for small boys to be eating sup
per, and for pretty girls to be float
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