The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-30
TIE EVENING STORY
The House That Bruce Built.
(By Marie La Rocque.)

their wedding ana VloIet Dafe anu
Bruce Armstrong ha dcome to the
little suburban settlement where they
had planned to make their future
home in order to receive their furni-
ture and other household contrapt1olS
and settle their little house. Bruce
told Violet that he had rented the
only house he could afford. but for
the rest Violet had to wait till she
| saw.
violet had brought her two chums
Helen and Clarice, who knew much
more of the mysteries of housesettling
than Violet did to help her and to
play the role of chaperon. They ar
rived at the little suburban boarding
house at noon and as soon as lunch
con was over the three girls started
out in all Impotence to see the mouse
that Bruce had rented. 1t was PLAIN
to see as they followed the boarding
house keepers directions to the desir-
ed street that Bruce had not chosen
one of the choicest neighborhoods.
Then they reached the street and
the house designated on the key tag:
A walk lined with deeply imbedded
scraps of clam shells led from the
sidewalk to the front porch, which
was a square, slender-columned after
thought painted a heavy, dirty green
against the once-yellow of the house.
Violet unlocked the door and the three
young women stepped into the very
small entrance hall.
There was much ornamented lat
tice screening between the hall and
the diminutive parlor, and the parlor
opened through another similar
screening to a more diminutive dining
room. The hall was papered in bril-
liant red wallpaper with a large green
and yellow tracery, the parlor hao
salmon pink, gold ornamented satin
paper and the dining room was decked
out in a wonderful depletion of feudal
castles, shepherds and shepherdesses
in bright autumnal colors that stood
out from the wall in all the glory OF
their vivid colors.
my dear" began Helen. laying a
hand of sympathy on Violet's arm.
my poor, dear girl-but, of course,
with a singletone paper throughout,
the rooms won't look so very dread
full
But Bruce said the owner wouldn't
repaper. 1t is all new and we have
only taken years lease and he does
MT want to change.
By this time they had passed on to
the kitchen, a box-1ike compartment,
strewn with the ashes and scrap of
discarded household furnishings from
the last tenant. A large coal range
occupied the place of honor.
"a coal range!" exclaimed Clarice.
Bruce said he thought I ought to
be willing to make fire."
The young women went through
the house, seeing one horror after an
other-bare splintered floors, and
That night when Bruce arrived at
the boarding house he greeted the
three girls with enthusiasm What
did you think of the house," he ask
ed beaming; and when a silence fol-
lowed in which only Violet murnnur-
ed that she was eager to see how the
furniture would make it look, his en-
thusiasm seemed not in the least whet-
ted. That night, after dinner, Violet
went early to her room with Clarice.
and Helen detained Bruce in the han.
at don't know you we'll enough to
talk to you this way, Bruce Arm
strong" she said; but If you want
frankly. I think you are behaving
like brute to put a sweet little
thing like Violet in that awful house
and ask her to do the homework"
n Bruce ism smiled e. T., what aae does Violet
'she doesn't know enough about
housekeeping to know. Besides, she
is SO far in love she wouldn't say
if she did,
IT put up with more trying condi-
lions every day than that in the Of
flee in order to make enough to sup
port Violet and me-" answered Bruce.
my mother had to make a fire for
the first year or so after she was
married, and she was happy. Violet
knows I am a poor man.
The next morning when Violet went
to the station to see Bruce off there
was a JrOu Dl6Q look IN nGT race, DuI
Bruce smiled.
''I want to tell you Violet began.
"Clarice talked to me almost all night.
She said that didn't know what I was
getting into; that that wallpaper would
give me melancholia; that would turn
into trump in a year: that men were
all like that if you Let them impose
on you: that 1t would be better for me
to break off our engagement, or at
least wait till you could get a decent
house for US to live in, and that if you |
had begun like this there was no tell |
ing what you would develop into"
\ what did you Think" asked Bruce |
ct thought that I would be happy |
anywhere with you, and that If You |
could stand the wallpaper, I could, |
and that it was very little to put up
with for your sake-but Clarice and
Helen both think I am wrong.
"Clarice and Helen haven't been ask
ed to marry me- said Bruce. IF you
can stand it, that is all I want to
know" And then as he hurried ahead
for the train he said, 81 will be home
early this afternoon, and the furniture
wi here then. We can all put it
in order together
All the morning the girls spent at
the boar ding house resting for the an
ticipated ordeal of settling during the
afternoon. At the lunch table they found
Bruce beaming with happiness
There has been a mistake" he said,
rising from the table after luncheon.
The furniture has all been sent to an
other house. Let's all walk around
while correct the mistake. and then