Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-01-26
Evening Story
A BOWL OF SOUP.
(By Molly McMaster.)
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)


paper Syndicate)
Isabel had read much about econ
omic independence for women, ABOUT
the constant broadening Of woman's
industrial sphere and of making use OF
ones talents and ability.
I'm afraid my only talent Is
SOUP" she lamented.
| "Soup-is hardly talent, my dear,
reproved her mother. who was not IN
sympathy with the progressive women
Of the day.
But might not the making Of it
prove to De mother?" Isabel asked, halr
in earnest.
| NONSENSE" replied Mrs. Anderson.
and dismissed the frivolous suggestion
from her mind.
+! But this was not the case with Isa-
bel. She had heard of women who had
made tidy little incomes by making ap-
rons: she knew of a girl who had made
a fortune by making candy, and she
had read Of persons who specialized in
chicken salads and crullers or mince
pies for women's exchanges. SO why
might not she try ner hand at soup?
| The idea was really suggested to her
| on the pond when she was skating.
There We're hundreds of skaters trying
to keep warm while enjoying the sports
on the ice, and Isabel was sure that
most Of them would have been glad to
| have a steaming cup of her delicious
| soup if it were conveniently at hand.
| One inspiration followed another and
Isabel began to plan rapidly in her
mind. Dotted around the shore of the
skating pond were bungalows that
were occupied during the summer by
members of the club to which the pond
and surrounding grounds belonged. She
recalled the names of few of the
| l@
| "Mr. and Mrs. Walker Brown. |
know they would let me have the use
Of their cottage for a few weeks" she
decided
And forthwith she wrotJ to Mrs
Walker Brown, whom she had known
more or less intimately before her
| marriage. She outlinedNher plan and
offered to pay nominal rent for the
| use Of the bungalow.
Promptly her friend replied that they
| would not think Of taking compensa-
| ton, but would be only too glad to
have the cottage opened up and used by
Isabel. Mrs. Walker Brown, who was
one of the seni-society women who
had advanced views on the subject of
women in business, commended Isabel
for her enterprise AM! wished her sue
cess.
Inside of two days Isabel had had the
cottage cleaned and ready for business.
It stood on the very edge of the skat-
ing pond and Isabel's only advertise
ment was a whispered word to few
friends on the ice.
All during the skating season she
was buster than she had ever dreamed
Of being, and the skaters, young and
old, sought the pretty bungalow for
cup Of Isabers tomato PURGE or chicken
gumbo or cream of oyster soup. She
served nothing else except the bread
Stuffs that accompanied the soup and
after week several skaters came with
buckets in order that they might buy
and take home some Of Isabeis soup.
won't it ne possible to get it after
skating is over?" a Young man asked
| Isabel He was a stranger.
''Well, I hadn't considered perman-
emily going into business" the girl re-
Piled Tit is so new to me-"
"It seems rather too bad to abandon
such a promising opportunity, does it
not?" the man ventured further.
Isabel looked thonghtfully into the
dying embers in the bungalow fire.
place yes" she admitted, and espec-
tally in view Of the fact that l made
the venture solely to prove that l pos
sessed money making talent.
The man abandoned his task of eat
ing and took observation of Isabel as
he had not before noticed the real
| woman. His first glance had told him
she was pretty; her conversation led
him to believe she was interesting.
you've proven it," he said. ITS an
original idea.''
Isabel busined herself with one per-
son and another and did not see the
young man again, although he did steal
into her thoughts occasionally.
When the skating season was over
she had netted comfortable little sum
Of money and she found that the idle
life that had always been hers palled
on her unspsakably. After days and
nights Of indecision she determined to
go into business. And although she was
not encouraged by her family. she
managed to perfect !ler business plans.
"A Bowl of Soup" was to be the
name of her tiny soup depot, and she
had selected a small store hear an art
academy in the city and in the neigh
borhood of studios and light house.
keeping apartments
One venture led to another, and Is
| abel Anderson was widely known in
| few years as the owner of a series OF
soup depots, each of which was known
as "a Bowl of Soup"
| She was little surprised, one day
| in a summer during which she was
| finding the responsibilities of business
81
Mrs. Walker Brown to spend a week
end with her at the bungalow on the
side Of the pond.
Il believe I'll go. I've sentimental
regard for that bungalow and it won't
do me bit Of harm to rest for a couple
Of days. Isabel declared.
AS they wound through the woods
| toward the bungalow Mrs. Walker
Brown divulged to Isabel the reason
| the prime reason--for her invitation.
It's so perfectly, rresistibly roman
| tic, my dear she said. This man
came to the house and asked if he
could get bowl Of soup. happened to
| be out at the bungalow early in spring
attending to some planting and l look
ed at him as If he were crazy
Isabel began to laugh softly and
| warm color crept into her cheeks.
"Andway, he explained that he had
had soup at this bungalow on an oc-
casion when he had been skating on
the pond to pass away an hour he had
had to spend in the town. He described