The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-01
The Euening Story
Miss Hannan's Spring Cleaning.

tic. With sleeves rolled up over her
plump elbows, her hair tucked Sc
curely under blue dustcap and her
figure completely hidden by big
apron, she was reveling in houseclean-
ing. Twice a year she INDUCED, and
never was she happier than when
routing imaginery germs and dust
from her always apparently immacu-
late domicile.
The warm, sweet breeze blew in
through the open windows and with it
came the perfume of apple blossoms.
In fact, one of the feathery branches
was waving inside a easement and
Miss Hannah had to hold it tenderly
aside with soapy fingers while she
scrubbed the window sill beneath.
In her line of vision directly across
the street, two figures passed one an
other, and Miss Hannah, letting the
apple branch fly back to it's place,
paused in her scrubbing. To a casual
observer nothing had happened except
that a young man and a young woman
had bowed to each other, but to Miss
Hannah, with her sharp eyes and her
knowledge of things and people,
tragedy had occurred. And. knowing
this, she craned her neck just a little
to get better view of a certain house
on the opposite side of the street.
81 thought SO. Sans outside, the
cranky, misery old sinner. Far be it
from me to pass judgment on my fell
low men, but 1 do certainly hope that
some day he'll get his just deserts for
running the lives of those two chill
dren! It's a shame, that's what is 1t.
They are so dead in love with each
other they'll never be mite o. good
till they get married, and there isn't
any good reason why they shouldn't.
Harley's got a right decent position,
and if Sam Martin wasn't as tight as
a fiddlestring he'd give Betty a nice,
substantial wedding present and say,
God bless you my, children!
Miss Hannah wiped her eyes. MY
heart aches for the poor dears. Dear
old crank of a grandfather. There
isn't another soul this side of heaven
that would have kept house for him.
1 wouldn't for a million dollars, if he
is my very own cousin"
So worked up was Miss Hannah that
housekeeping had lost its charms. She
walked the length of the attic once or
twice, and finally in desperation took
off her cap and apron and pulled down
her sleeves. Then. descending to the
first floor, she went out and across
the street where the enemy was
working in a flower bed by the porch.
Good morning, Sam!"
"Oh, it's you, Hannah! Betty's
gone out"
Eyes, saw her"-arms akimbo and
eyes flashing-"and that's why 1 came
1 want to have a good heart-to-heart
talk with you. S'pose you leave that
spading and come and sit down min
ute SOS you can listen"
ST en- hear. What do you want?
Ar1o Ia1- nj ha1 ,xrv he N
not today"
Just wait till you're asked before
you refuse, please. Heavens buzzin'
this minute with the wings of aid
babies you amt helped, that's surei
came to see about Betty. She and
Harley want to get married and there
isn't reason on this green earth why
you should be so mean as not to let
them. Why, Betty's been
The old mans eyes blazed and he
brought his fist down into his palm
with a force that made Miss Hannah
jump.
You keep quiet, you meddIer. It's
my business and not yours. Bettys
mother married a poor man and had
to keep him when he got sick, and
her, too, and after they both died it
was the girl. And now she wants to
marry a pauper. TIN be the same
thing over againi What do you think
L am, an institution for the down and
out?"
"Betty's made it up to you. She's
worked and made you a good, COM
Portable home. She deserves some
thing! Besides. Harley is strong and
isn't asking you to keep him or Betty
either. She could still keep house for
you if that's what you're afraid of.
Remember, you are getting old, Sam,
and you can't take your money with
you when you die. Who are you going
to leave it to-"
"Well, not to you anyway!" he
snarled as he went into the house.
Miss Hannah went home crestfallen.
She felt that she had only made mat
tiers worse for the two she had been
SO anxious to help. 1.-The worst of
Sans meanness is" she reflected,
that he didn't make a cent of it him.
| self. 1t was merely an accident of law
that gave him that estate when there
was no will. and I never could see why
Brother Tom and 1 hadn't a right to
some of it. WE'LL it's too late to mend
| things now, but I know what I'd do
with money if I had it, She sighed.
This isn't gettin' the cleaning done. is
it, sittin' here mourning for those two
lambs? But the look in Betty's eyes
Just upset me so-therei 1 must fin
ish scrubbing those window frames
and get at those boxes"
| Harley, having delivered a paper to
a client, was on his way back to the
office, and Betty, her errand finished.
was on her way home VIXEN they met
under poisoning peach tree that
spread over the fence of the Collins
yard. Not only had the young mans
fancy lightly turned to thoughts of
love, but every thought in his head,
every wish of his heart, was for
Betty. and when he saw her in her
trim little blue dress and hat under
the exquisite pink of the blossoms,
such rapture and longing possessed
him that it was all he could do to
keep from taking her right into his
arms out there on the street.
1t was impossible to pass such vis-
ion without stopping and whispering
a word that brought the color flying
] to Bettys cheeks. "Oh, Harley" she
protested, you know we promised not
to-not to" She faltered and her
eyes filled.
well, 1 was a fool to promise any
thing SO impossible. and I'm going
right over and tell him so. This is
a free country. and 1 guess can talk