The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-09-10
The Eoenins Story


sesss9 O
Curiosity and Peter.
(By Dorothy Douglas.)
Peter had always been inQuisitive
Even AZ q child his curiosity had been
a marked characteristic and had often
been the bane Of his mothers exist
ence. When she had wanted a few
moments free from childish questions
she had been wont to give him the frag-
ments of a letter that he might piece
it together. Peter would have extract
ed them all from the depths Of the
waste basket had she not anticipated
the trend of his mind.
Curiosity remained q constant COM
panion to Peter as he advanced into
fere with his career, though it made
him q target for banter. Peter could
no more pass paper lying in his
path without turning 1t over with his
walking stick to see what the other
side contained than he could have
written a love story. Peter was not
artistic, romantic, nor in any way SEN
timental, yet at the interesting age of
80 had gained q more or less flattering
position in the world of finance.
Edna Glover. who lived in the same
street with Peter could write love
stories, but she could not use q type
writer. 1t was through her attempts
to master her new machine that Peter
came to realize that he was entirely
lacking in artistic sense.
He was going to business as usual
on bright November morning when
bit OF paper, perhaps BLOWN from
waste basket. caught his eye. With
his habitual interest In things that did
not in the least concern him he picked
the crump1ed paper up on the end of
his walking stick. The fragment prov
ed more entertaining than most Of
| Peters discoveries. 1t was q sheet of
copy paper which had been used by a
person evidently learning to use a type
writer. Appalling mistakes came one
after the other. and Peter smiled as
| he read the badly printed thoughts
that had been waited onto the paper
from a rather observing brain. The
writer had put down anything that
had come into the mind and after q
| few repetitions of the usual. :Now Is
1.-THE, time" Peter found himself read
ing none too flattering criticism of
| himself.
! IT do wish.'' he read, that the
| young man in the gray suit would se-
| lect a new tie and kav~ his clothes
/ pressed more often. He wouldn't be
at alT bad looking II he possessed an
+ atom I taste in his dress-but. alas!
he wears a green and brown tie, a
soft blue hat and red socks He
! would look stunning in brown. with a
small dull gold tie" Peter laughed
aloud md fell to wondering who had
| watched him passing and witt. an eye
| SO critical Surely nom but femi-
nine mind would want to dress a man
in brown.
! A few more criticisms of passers-
by and q number of beginnings for
letters to editors of various magazines
and Peter found himself at the end
=! of the strange medley OF thoughts
81 - n
name, Edna Glover, SO often repeated.
was the typist's name or merely a
fictitious one. Also Peter pondered
on the brown suggestion.
II might try brown suit next,"
! he decided as he made his way past
his tailor's and into his Office.
! Through the day he realized that
the oddment OF paper had given him
food for thought. He disliked the
idea of critical ano hidden eyes
watching him pass and perhaps TAX
/ ing n~te Of his very brand Of cigar
the office Peter had decided to send q
card to Edna Glover in the hope that
| the name was a real one. He knew
that the address would be near
enough should a person of lat name
live in Seventy-eighth street. He
would mystify that fair writer even
as she had mystified him.
The card he sent reached Edna when
1 she was having her early morning cup
/ OF tea Martha. her faithful maid.
brought 1t to her.
from editors and realized joyful1y that
a good check was among her posses
sions, Edna came upon the postal card:
ST have ordered a brown suit and
purchased q dun gold tie: n y! IN the the
wearing them. Hope they please you.
.tP. D." Edna arched her fine brows In
thought, then a smile 1eapt into her
leyes. "Oh." she gasped. my papers
must have been blown about and he
has picked one UP. Isn't that dread
full" Edna did not think 1t dreadful
in the least, but she puckered heE
brows in a futile attempt to remember
lust what of her numerous silly Jot-
things had come into his hands. Il
i must be more careful Of waste paper
in the future she told herself. How
ever, IL he had not been curious, he
would not have seen what was not in
TENDED for his eyes" she consoled her.
self.
The typewriting was progressing
/ nicely and Edna could do an entire
page without more than half dozen
mistakes before she had the pleasure
Of seeing. from behind her rose cur
tanned windows, the brown suit Edna
Easped at the wonderful change II
made in Peter. He certainly was good
until he had turned the corner to enter
the subway.
Peter was really proud OF himself.
He wondered why he had never worn
brown before and thanked Edna in
another card.
sCaH me mp at ~ Broda. he wrote,
II want to know II have selected the
fright color. Ny name IL Dean-Peter
Dean"
Edna drew . sharp breath. half of
anger and half OF excitement. when
she read that card She decided first
to ignore the request, but during the
AFTERNOON her sense Of the romantic
and perhaps desire to write q story
saround Peter prompted her to call mp
1.-THE number. s