Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-11-14
Euening Story
Mr.. MERWIN PROTESTS.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)
BY Louise Oliver.

paper SynOlCate.)
"A younester like that has no bust
| ness to be teaching school" Mr.. Mer-
| win, known Familiarity to the mystic cir
Gle of his underings 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, scrawniest, stupldest
man in the world is better than the nm
est woman ever made
she looks pale" Billy continued to
himself Not 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 prettiest girl ! ever saw.
| When / was kid, though, teachers all
| wore spectacles and black silk aprons.
| Which wasn't true. Billy had been
kid ridiculously few years before: as
! q matter of fact that was his first year
out of college.
Margaret worked Hard all day. her
conta gious 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 Zugschmidts ink-spat-
tered dress, draped Rachel modestly in
| the roller towel and put the ruin to soak
in sour milk. with as much patience as
she sang Merry Sunshine great
many things went to make up Mar
garet's day.
Mr.. Mervin gave a few instructions to
| his assistant reprimanded three delin-
quent pupils, interviewed the truant Of
ficer spent ten minutes in each OF 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 him!
Until now there has been no story.
but we know that Billy disapproved of
Margaret--and thought she was pretty.
We know. too. that Margaret disap-
proved of Billy, or rather resented him.
but she in turn thought that it was
shame that such splendid broad shout
ders were wasted on school principal.
81 wish" growled Billy that night as
he unlocked his own door and switched
on the light. that the people 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 I rented this place l was
told no children were allowed I'll go
out and have cigar on the back porch
and look at the, stars awhile. Maybe
they will get settled before turn in
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 compelled to postpone
his plan: how his chum. Jack Emery,
had gone on and finished. and Of the
time Jacks sister had visited him. Mar
garet 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
and compelled me to trump and break
up my heart suit we'd have taken the
extra trick. Another thing, I forgot the
leads when Alexis wife came In that
time. She has mouth like Margaret
Baker. Talks like her, too. little" In
fact all roads in his brain seemed to
lead to Margaret. His cigar went out
He tossed it impatiently into the
bricked ward 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 sister and Mrs. Alexis
mouth.
There was sudden crash.
A dish of china or glass wrizzed past
his head and sma shed on the bricks be-
low Rut the contents. something warm
and gluev was clnging like besetting
sin to Bllvs 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. l think
this is pretty good time to tell them
what think Of them. I'll go right up as
am and make them help me clean it
off"
Dripping gelatine he knocked imper-
ativel von the door above through which
infantile walls were coming. and almost
instantly it opened.
"a would like you to see the damage
YOUR" He got no further. "Mar-Miss
Baker," he exclaimed Il didn't know
YOU lived here. ] came up to tell you
that something fell off your back porch
and"
MY gelatine!" cried Margaret in dis
may. 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 1t have fallen?"
Billy was puzzled but indignation was
uppermost Put my clothes, Miss
Baker, 1t was careless Of your maid to
leave il where IT could fall.
my maid: that's good. Hush. honey.
There, that's better" cuddling the baby
close to her neck. II made that gelatin
myself and put it there to harden. And
I'm not half as sorry about your clothes
as | 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
ouiet a little while now for it's bottle
tire. I'll be right back"
In few minutes the crying stopped
and Margaret came in with basin Of
I