The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-10-26
The Euening Story
A Pair of Gray Slippers.
DIV Alice Edwards.l

Mrs. Wicks showed the best suite
over the parlors and the suite above
that, but the pale, pretty girl in black
only shook her head.
"A smaller room would do" she
said. II am on night duty at the tele-
graph office and shall only be here TO
sleep during the day. Sundays L spend
with my sister in Brookfeld.
Mrs Wicks considered the matter.
All her large rooms were vacant and
the smaller rooms were occupied; yet
she hated to turn an applicant away
Come again this afternoon and L
think I can show you room you
may have she said at last. 1t is
only 49, Would that suit your"
"Yes-your other rooms are lovely,
but L can't afford to pay S6 and 81
merely for a ROOM" said the girl de-
cidedly. II will come again this
afternoon and look at the room you
speak off,
At o'clock that afternoon Hester
Moore found herself in possession of
a medium. sized room at the top of
the house. 1t was neat and clean
and bore evidence of having been
newly swept, and the curtains were
unusually good pictures on the walls
and the absence of wall paper was E
relief; a soft buff paint replaced tho
usual boarding house horror.
Miss Moore, as she dropped her suit
case on a chair. II must hurry
away now and I will not return until
about in the morning"
received a latchkey in return. After
that she hurried away.
The following afternoon Hester was
late and was running down the stone
steps of Mrs. Wicks's house when she
tripped and would have fallen had
not strong hand stayed her
"Oh, thank you'll" she cried breath
lessly looking up into mans sun
tanned countenance.
He lifted his hat and went on up
the steps, thrusting latchkey into
the door.
thought Hester as she waited for a
car at the corner. He looked like
sailor, with his weather-beaten face
and his blue Clothes
Timothy Drew went up the three
flights of stairs to his room and open
ed the door. The windows were wide
open and the curtains were blowing.
He had met Mrs. Wicl<s scurry1ng
through the upper hall and he had
thrown her a CHEEKY word of greeting.
He stood in the doorway and sniff
ed suspiciously; then he strobe down
the hall and captured his landlady at
the head of the stairs.
She uttered a frightened squeak as
his hand fell on her shoulder.
"Oh, Capt. Drew, how you did
brighten me- she laughed.
BEG pardon. ma'am,'' he said in a
hearty voice. IT want to ask you
question, Mrs. wicks''
Yes, sir. I hope you'll find the
room all right. captain
Right enough, Mrs. Wicks, except
that I've a suspicion that you don't
like tobacco smoke"
''Wh-h-at." gasped Mrs. Wicks.
IT don't mind smoking a bit. Why my
husband smokes like a regular CHM
ney. What makes you think 1 don't
like your smoking ?"
Because I thought you'd been
sprinkling perfumery around or burn
ing incense-or something. 1 can't say
that I object to it, only I guess I'll
just stick to tobacco smoke. if you
don't mind"
Yes, SIR groaned Mrs. Wicks, and
vanished down the dark stairway
Capt. Timothy Drew returned to his
room and lighted his pipe. He sat by
the window looking off toward the
wharf. where his work lay. He was
captain of a small freight and passen-
ger steamer which piled daily between
the city and a smaller town farther
down the sound. Every morning at
o'clock he pulled the string which
sounded the last whistle and every
night shortly before he caused the
siren to blare triumphantly. as she
turned to her dock. He was a young
man who had been born to the sea and
had received his masters papers the
same year he had cast his first vote
He might have slept aboard the
Pennyroyal, as the steamer was called,
but he chose to spend his sleeping