The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-03
TIE EVENING STORY
Captain CObb's Cook.
(By Temple Bailey.)


stated, specifically, man cook"
But I thought-maybe-
You thought wrong" said the cap
tain.
He shut the door, and the woman
with sigh sat down on the step.
Presently the captain opened the door.
He had on his hat and carried a cane.
He stopped short at the sight of the
dropping figure in front of him.
Whats the matter?" he demanded.
well, I'm tired-I-'' the little
white face under the round brown hat
grew suddenly blank. The woman on
step had faintedi
AS he picked her up, the captain
shouted for his next door neighbor,
was a stout, good natured creature,
very much out of breath as she bent
over the tiny bit of femininity which
the captain had loid on the sofa in his
"Why, she don't seem nothing but
Child said Miss Tucker, pityingly; eff
it wasn't for her gray hair and few
wrinkles you'd say she wasn't more'n
twenty"
What am I going to do with herr"
the captain demanded. 81 can't have
her here
Miss Tucker Strengthened up and
looked at him with whitening scorn.
You amt going to turn her out right
now, are you-a starvin' creature like
she is?"
The captain stared. "Starving?"
Sarah touched one of the thin
hands Its like a birds claw" she
said softly. people don't get hands
like that when they have enough to
eat
She bent to her task of reviving the
sick woman, and the captain ran to
the kitchen. He came back with an
assortment of provisions. There were
lobster, two sea biscuits and a bottle
of milk.
'eWeI of all the combinations said
Miss Tucker. What she needs is
something hot You run right over
to my house, captain, and you'll find
some beef boilin' on the stove, and you
get her cup of broth
The captain ran. When he came
back with the steaming cup in his
hands the invalid was sitting up. Her
soft, curly gray hair was down and
her head was against Miss fuckers
| broad shoulder. you're very kind
she said as the captain handed her the
mo. I'm not" the captain said has
lilly. TITS Miss Tucker. And if you're
well enough you'd better go right over
| and stay with her tonight"
A frightened look came into the
faded blue eyes. "I am all right" the
pale lips faltered. Il can go on-pres-
entity
Miss Tucker looked at the captain
| in scorn. "Of course you're coming
over to stay with me- she said. I'm
going to put you to bed, and you shall
have a nice long rest. I'll bet you've
Yes" the wayfarer whispered. II m
I'm tired"
Captain Cobb, watching. felt a lump
in his throat He felt himself some
thing of a brute, too.
Sarah" he asked. obviously. Per
haps she oughtn't to be moved"
shortly. "Shes goin' home with me-"
AS the captain watched the two
women walk slowly across the lawn,
he was seized with sense of desperate
loneliness. The wayfarer had left him
without a word of gratitude-Sarah
had f1ounced out with her nose in the
air.
He cooked a lonely supper, then
! went over to inquire about the invalid.
He found her sitting on Sarah'S porch.
She looked even more frail than he
had remembered, but there was pink
flush in her cheeks and she had on one
of Sarah's pink wrappers.
| The captain asked bluffy after her
health, and made sort of awkward
apology.
cook. 1 wanted some one to help
me with the boats, renting them to
people and all that, and a woman
couldn't do it"
| She nodded. isn't Miss Tucker
lovely?" she said.
The captains eyes rested on Sarah's.
Her smooth brown hair was parted
over a serene forehead, her eyes were
sparkling. She had on a white shirt
waist and a white linen skirt, and a
white apron was tied about her ex-
| pansive waist
''Why, yes" he said, as one who has
suddenly walked. II guess she's real
pretty"
'She's asked me to stay here with
her." said the invalid, land help-till
IL can get something else to do
| 1t came to be a common thing after
that for Capt Cobb to call on Sarah,
and Violet Dean-for that was the in
valid's name. For years he had lived
next door to Sarah, and while he had
talked to her over the fence, he had
never called. An early love affair
had left him a woman-hater, but now
he felt that there was safety in num-
| bers Surely Sarah couldn't take his
calls to herself.
Violet grew prettier as she grew
stronger and the captains eyes rest
ed often upon her. She had an APP
him to her. Sarah was not appealing,
but she was a fine woman.
The loneliness of his house began
to be appalling to the captain. For
the first time in his life he wondered
why he had not married. He won
dered, too, why he had not sooner
recognized Sarah's competency and
could do without him, but that Violet
could not. If he asked Sarah to
marry him, Violet would be left alone
and he was sorry for Violet.
| Divided thus between pity and love,
he delayed his wooing. Then came a
day when the heavens fell.
''Vfolet and 1 have decided" Sarah
spend the winter in the city. She
knows of a good boarding place where