The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-11-22
EVENING STORY
MIR. Merwfn Protests!"
(By Louise Oliyer.)

10y LOUISE OllVeI-I
"a youngster like that has no bust
ness to be teaching school" Mr.. Mer-
win, known Familiarity to the mystic
circle Of his underlings as Billy"
looked after Margaret Baker, who was
on her way to her classroom humming
a little tune, jingling her keys and
thinking, 'Billy's pill. He's the kind
that thinks that the meanest, scrawn-
lest, stupidest man in the world is bet
ter than the finest woman ever made"
''She looks pale" Billy continued to
himself. mot enough sleep. Her
idea of living is to work for enough
money to buy satins and slippers so
she can go to a dance every night
weekdays and spend Saturdays in
beauty parlor. Not that she needs it"
he added grudgingly. "She'S the pref
test girl 1 ever saw, When 1 was
kid, tho. teachers all wore spectacles
and black silk aprons" Which wasn't
true. Billy had been a kid a ridicu-
lOuSly few years before; as a matter of
fact this was his first year out of COL
lege.
Margaret worked hard all day, her
contagious enthusiasm never waning
She explained how to get two-thirds
of ten with as much interest as she
told the daily fairy story; she took
off heart-broken Rachael Zug-
schmidt's ink-spattered dress, dressed
Rachael modestly in the roller towel
and put the ruin to soak in sour milk
with much patience as she sang
Merry Sunshine A great MANY
things went to make up Margaret's
day.
Mr. Merwin gave a few instructions
TO his assistant, reprimanded three de-
Hnquent pupils, interviewed the tru-
ant officer, spent ten minutes in each
or the second-flOor rooms, and the rest
OF the time talked to directors who
happened in. At AIS he locked his
desk and went to play tennis A full
day for mimi
Until now there has been no story,
but We know that Billy disap-
proved of Margaret-and thought she
was pretty We know, too, that Mar
garet disapproved of Billy. or rather
resented him, but she in turn thought
that it.was a shame that such SPLEEN
did broad shoulders were wasted on a
school principal.
as he unlocked his own door and
switched on the light, that the pee
pie upstairs would keep quiet tonight
and let me sleep. That baby has
cried for three days and that woman
has walked the floor over my head
until I'm nearly crazy. When 1 rent
ed this place l was told no children
were allowed. I'll go out and have
a cigar on the back porch and look at
the stars awhile. Maybe they will get
settled before 1 return
He thought of a number of things
as he smoked. How he had planned
to be an engineer when he went to
college and how he had been COM
PEELED to postpone his plan; how his
chum, Jack Emery, had gone on and
finished. and of the time Jacks sis
ter had visited him. Margaret Baker
looked something like her. he thought.
Then he thought of the men he had
JUST left and of their game of whist
IF Alex hadn't led that spade al
compelled me to trump and break up
my heart suit we'd have taken the ex-
ira trick. Another thing, 1 forgot the
leads when Alexis wife came in that
time. She has a mouth like Mar
garet Baker. Talks like her, too,
little In fact all roads in his brain
seemed to lead to Margaret. His ci-
gar went out. He tossed it Impatient
" into the bricked yard beneath and
got up. Guess I'll go in" But he
didn't go IN. He put his foot on the
rail and Rugged his knee and looked
at the stars and thought of Jacks sis
ter and Mrs. Alexis mouth.
There was a sudden crash.
dish of china or glass whizzed
past his head and smashed on the
bricks below. But the contents, some
thing warm and g1uey, was clinging
like a besetting sin to Billys coat,
trousers and shoes.
well, I'll be darned!" said Billy
furiously. What on earth do they
leave their meals outside for to ruin
other peoples clothes? That's the same
bunch that walks the baby all night.
think this is a pretty God time to tell
them what 1 think of them. I'll go
right up as 1 am and make them help
me clean it off"
Dripping gelatine, he knocked i'm
pe-atively on the door above, thru
which infantile walls were coming.
and almost instantly it opened.
Il would like you to see the damage
your He got no further. MAR
Miss Bakeri" he exclaimed. 81 didn't
know you lived here. 1 came up to tell
you that something fell off your back
porch and
''EIy gelatiner' cried Margaret in
dismay, shifting the crying baby from
one shoulder to the other. 'Oh, what
will poor Mrs. Doogan do now; it's all
she can eat. How could it have fall
len?"
Billy was puzzled but indignation
was Jpn rmost But my clothes,
Miss Baker. 1t was careless of your
maid to leave 1t where it could fall"
My maid; that's good. Hush.
honey! There, that's better" euddling
the baby close to her neck. 81 made
that gelatine myself and put it there
to harden. And I'm not half as sorry
about your clothes as 1 am for poor
Mrs. Doogan. But if you will come in,
I'll try to get it off. There, sit on this
chair, and I'll spread a newspaper.
Maybe baby will keep quiet a little
while now for it's bottle time. I'll be
right back
In few minutes the crying stopped
and Margaret came in with a basin of
warm water and a cloth.
Il told you to sit down." she said.
-'I don't always do as I'm told"
Il can't reach up when you are