The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-02-04
The EDening Story
DEVILS Food and an Angel.
(By Louise OliVer.)

Down the steep incline came the
toboggan with the speed of a comet
its solitary occupant bent forward to
escape the lash of the cutting wind.
At the foot of the hill, a young man
trudged laboriously through ruts and
drifts carefully carrying with both
hands tissue wrapped parcel on a
level with his chin.
Downward sped the maiden-up-
ward trudged the man; and they met!
The man went one way, his package
another. and the girl and sled, skidding
sideways, upset beside the track ten
yards down.
The man got up first. MY cake!"
he cried. you've done it now, by
George! And as sure as Moses FL
have 10 leave the country.
lost his hat and that his eyeglasses in
their descent had scraped cash
across his nose, he made a wild dash
across the road to sinister-looking
spot in the snow that proved to be a
ruin of paper and pastry
The girl then arrived upon the scene
limping. She was holding knee with
one hand and trying to replace loosen
ed hairpins with the other.
Thanks aWfully for helping me-"
she said Your gallantry is certainly
/ overwhelming" Her voice was a rich
contralto. and what with that and
/ most perfect nose and mouth and chin,
I the man must have been both deaf
.
swered as he did:
"I didn't knock you down. You ran
into me and spoiled Aunt Martha's
/ cake"
Aunt Martha's cake had no bust
ness walking up my toboggan slide.
I'll tell her so myself"
"Oh, but you don't know Aunt Mar
tha.'
Anyway she had no business send
ing a cake by a man. She might have
] known he'd upset ii"
Il But I didn't do it. 1t was you,
had it on the back seat of the car, but
the road was so rough and it was
jouncing up and down so much I was
afraid it would be scrambled if I kept
on, and so 1 decided to walk and car
ry it. I left the car back there around
the corner
''An right, Mr.. Adam. blame it on a
/ woman. I'll have an auto horn put
on my sled. I'm sorry 1 spoiled your
cake"
Il I'm sorry about your knee-awfully
sorry. really. Does it hurt very much !?
After all, it was my fault for being so
blind and stupid, and 1 apologize sin
cerely.''
The girl stamped across the raod
and Indti back 80, II think its a GO, compound
denly, Honest to goodness, will Aunt
Martha be mad?"
Mad! Oh, heavens, Why, she was
all morning and part of the afternoon
mony when she bakes a cake, let me
tell you. She nurses it and pets it
and coddles it and when it's all done
She
''Sings to it, I suppose. and rocks
it to Sleep
I'm telling you the gospel truth
really, and this was a special one and
extra large. She was sending it over
to Aunt Elizabeth Sommers, who is
giving a party tonight for that set
Element woman, whatever her name
is.v
Who"
"Oh, L don't know her name. Find
it out soon enough, as I'm going to
the blow-out-that is, if there is
enough left of me to navigate after
Aunt Martha gets through with me.
i Heavens. she must be a tartar
Look here. I'll tell you what I'll do.
1 baked a cake today. too. only it isn't
devils food. It's whIue. Lady Balti-
more. with the best filling you ever
ate, full of raisins and nuts and figs
and stuff. and away ahead of that
nodding toward the dark mass al their
feet. And if you'll pull me home on
my sled I'll give you the cake for
your Aunt Elizabeth Sommers and
she'll never know the difference"
!. That's generosity for youI Thanks