The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-05
The Epening Story
A Family Feud.
(By Louise Oliver.)

ran from the street to the back lot
and Tom Watterscn and his mother
lived on the other.
There were no neighborly holes in
the fence, no place where palings had
been knocked off to facilitate The
transmission of hot apple pies, or
plates of fresh. sugared doughnuts,
for pies and doughnutS were no more
common than hcw-do-you-dos be-
tween the two families. But the old
est inhabitant could have told that the
real beginning was politics, Mr.. Wat
terSon having been a republican ana
Mr.. Brown a cock-crowing Democrat.
Since then things had happened, Mr..
Watterson now being referred to as
deceased and Mr.. Brown having Sc
cured a position in the tack factO y.
which limited pointedly that employees
would be expected to uphold the tar
iff- He had, without any joke being
implied, tactfully Endorsed the plat
form of his party, and voted consist
emily at all ensuing elections.
But everything is finder TO the
sparks of a family feud. There had
been the Brown cat and the Waiter
son dog, which had more than the
usual antipathy for each other. and
their owners, having taken up the
cause, residents of the street had been
frightened to death by wrathful ma
neuverings of household artillery.
Then the WatterSon chickens got
into the Brown garden, the Brown roof
drained into the Watterson. yard, the
Waterson dandelionS seeded and blew
over onto the Browns front avn.
1t was a matter of many seasons,
and even the demise of Mrs. Brown
and Mr.. WatterSon, although bunting
for a time the two edged sword that
hung between the families, did not re-
move it altogether.
Polly Brown grew up to hate Tom
Watterson and Tom had been taught
to dislike the Brown girl. Things had
been much worse since the incident of
L, wv or
Polly never meant to hit Tom in the
back with it. She knew it was passe
the minute she discovered the hidden
nest in the chicken coop, and, picking
it up ging erly between her thumb and
forefinger, she had aimed over the
fence into the pack lot. But the egg
and just then Tom straight
ened up from his wedding. Polly
closed her eyes for an instant as she
heard it hit. Than she lifted her chin
two inches and walked majesticauy
into the kitchen.
After that Tom called her that lit
the grass go three weeks without cut
ting so the dandelions would seed
again ana blow over.
Polly had a voice, and it was the
summit of her ambition to go away
to study.
There is no one in stolway TO teach
me-" she complained. IF 1 only had
training 1 could open a studio of my
own ana give vocal iSSSOlIo IlO4 e. Oeli
1 go, father?"
9'WellEyou can write to Aunt Peg,
and if she can come and keep mouse
for me for year you can go to New
York I guess 1 have enough saved
for that The only thing'I hate about
the whole business is that your Aunt
Peg is such a blamed bad cook! Any
way, you'd better ask her to come
Aunt Peg came and Polly went, with
enough money to keep her ten years
in Stolway, but by compression and
stinting it might stretch for six months
in New York
Tom had been studying law-odd
hours out of the store and at nights
for a period of three years. About the
time Polly went away, he passed his
examinations at the bar. But he
couldn't afford to give up the store
work and starve on law in Stolway.
Three months after Aunt Peggy had
been cooking bad meals for Mr..
Brown, a third cousin of the Waiter
sons in New York told Tom that he
had splendid opening for him there;
So Tom babe his mother goodby and
went to the city of skyscrapers. i
one night Polly, feeling particularly
blue and lonely in her ugly little room,
desired to take walk down Broad
way contrary to the good advice of
her one or two friends in town But
the windows fascinated her and made
her forget that she was poor and
lonely
the same evening to walk up Broad
way.
They met at Herald Square. looked
fairly into each others faces and then
quickly away. In all the immense
desert of New York they avoided this
little oasis of friendship But Tom
the egg and the cat and
the roof, and Polly the seeds and the
up to Forty-second street. she down |
to TWenty-third.
Polly turned. So did Tom. Polly |
stopped to look into a window.
Some one said, Hello, grille, nice |
night" in a strange masculine voice
and linked his arm Familiarity through |
hers.
Polly shrank back frightened. Then
she suddenly saw Tom rushing at her
-ormentor like thunderbolt and
swing his right fist under the mans
neither jaw.
Come with me, Polly!" cried he as
The man staggered back. TIL take you
nome if you don't hate me too ever
astingly much to let me walk beside
you."
"oh. Tom, I never meant to do it.
It slipped, truly; The egg. I mean"
ct me think you meant it. Then I'm
sorry about everything I've ever done.
rye been a nasty brute and am heart
ly ashamed of myself. But I hope
I'm a man now. The world makes one
ook at things differently, doesn't it
We all need to get out and be shaken
Up a little"
Indeed. yes," agreed Polly, and.
alter, when they had reached her steps
md Tom leaving, she asked: won't
rou come to see me, Tom? I'm afraid
We can't talk over the good old times
1t home, but we can babble at least
lbout future prospects. We have that
N common, although mine are not as
.osy as I had expected
Tom promised eagerly Polly
Browns the prettiest girl I've seen in
New York. was his comment to him
self going home. II shall certainly
ry to make up for lost time while she