The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-01-13
The Euening Story
The Food Show Romance,


couldn't stand wind. and, my, how
it did blow last Sunday And speak
ing of Sunday brought the CONVERSE
ton around to the new minister and
the new minister suggested the min
iSter'S wife and her fireleSs cooker
and fireless cookers suggested the
food show, and, having brought things
around to the food show, Tom Wilbur
felt inwardly much rejoiced because
he had come to call on Madge Tucker
! that evening, for he was particularly
anxious to ask her to go to the food
show with him.
The fates had been kind, for some
times just because the conversation
| didn't bend around as he wanted it to,
he left unsaid the very things for
which he had made his call. He had
tried for three whole evenings to get
the conversation around to circuses
the week that the three-ring show
came to town, but in vain. So the
tickets he had bought for himself
and Madge just went unused. And
how many times he had tried to no
purpose to bend the conversation in
the direction of the subject that was
always uppermost in his mind when
he called on Madge! He sometimes
got it as far as the jewelry store
when he had planned to lead up to
engagement rings, and there it would
stick or else glance off from jewelry
stores to the tea store next door and
+ so off again at a tangent. Then
4 sometimes when he thought of lead
ing to it by way of mentioning the
/ fact that he had enough laid aside to
build a nice little farmhouse it would
get as far as the bank where his saw
ings were kept, and again it would di-
/ gress
But on this particular evening when
Tom Wilbur robust young farmer of
Timlow's Corners, was calling on
/ Madge Tucker, the pretty district
school-teacher, who boarded with
Toms neal rest neighbor, matters pro-
crossed as Tom had hoped.
Il guess they have got quite few
of those fireless cookers over at the
food show in Mapleton,' he said.
''D'you ever go to a food show? Kind
o interesting to go, don't you think
?" Here he was desperately afraid
that the fates would spoil it all and
Madge would change the subject be-
fore he could stammer out his invita-
ton. Il see by the paper how they
are letting the girls with red hair IN
for nothing. Sort of boost the show,
I suppose. And the red-haired girls
and their escorts have free samples
| of everything at the show If you'd
| care to go some afternoon this week
after school I guess I can make the
trip in my little car in about half an
I hour. Would you care to go with me,
/ Miss Madge?" Yes. he had actually
asked her. He paused, GREATNESS,
for her answer.
Madge, because I'm the only girl
you know that has red hair" And
then she laughed in a way that at the
same time tantalized and delighted
her rustic admlrer.
4 We'll, now 1 don't know as I'd say
that you had real red hair he par
ried, and again Madge laughed de-
lightfully.
You needn't hesitate about saying
so" Madge assured him, for now
f I,ai is ia oh
no girl objects in the least to having
it. In fact, in the big cities the girls
actually color it red on purpose"
Yes. but let's talk about that food
| show" Tom insisted. Say We go to-
morrow afternoon. Oh, well, if you
can't go tomorrow We might go the
next day-Saturday. That is to be the
grand finale and every one will be
| there. l guess we can start out a little
earlier since you'll have no school that
day"
81 haven't read the papers lately"
Tom was saying as they sped in his
small roadster over the country high
ways in the direction of Mapleton,
but I guess they are still on the look
out for girls with red hair all right.
1 expect Wen see a good many of the
boys and girls 1 used to know. It's
only at times like this that l see the
old crowd 1 went to school with"
II should think'-Madge had note
of coaxng in her voice that Tom did
not dream was intentiona1-'I should
think that you would go and see the
girls you used to know oftener, al
though 1 suppose most of the boys
and girls you went to school with are
married by now"
For one fleeing second Tom
thought he saw the w3y to bend tse
conversation abruptly 10 the engage
ment ring or the bank account or the
little new farmhouse he was planning,
but the vision of such an achievement
was dispelIed as soon it had come.
Instead ne only gripped the wheel of
his car more intently and stared ahead
of him in confusion.
AS Tom had foreseen, there were
many of his old acquaintance at the
convention hall, where the food show
was in progress and several curious
eyes were turned upon him as he APP
peared at the door with the pretty
district school teacher at his side.
Tickets, twenty-five cents apiece, -
said the man at the door. and Madge
cast a challenging glance at ner es-
cort's face, a glance that stopped him
as he put his hand in his pocket for
the requisite coin.
1.-The lady With me says" Tom eX-
planned to the ticket seller with an en-
barrassed laugh, "thac-that we ought
to go in free
Here ye are erinned back the
. | ticket seller, cycling them curiously as
he pushed out two passes. ''She sure
ought to know if any one does. Make
yourselves at home and have a good
time, and just SO as the folks at the
booths viii know that you are among
the guests Of honor today I'll ask the
lady to pin this little white bow or
| her coat somewhere. There you are
ma TAM
well. he certainly was nice about
it" said Madge. making her way al
Toms side into the busy hall that
teemed with the mingled sounds and
scents of a food show in progress. 81
never knew that red hair was such
a distinction as that. did your"
I'D a bit rather have paid ouI
way" commented Tom. but 1 sup
pose it is just part of the game. Why