The Topeka state journal., 1916-04-17
The Euening Story
The Raspberry sundae Hat.
(By Olive Kennset.)


unquestionably had been thoroughly
finished Of course, she got over
her affected. citified ways-gills from
finishing schools usually do-but that
first winter she felt herself quite su-
perior to the inhabitants and customs
of the little college town of Truxdale,
in which she had been brought up.
Maud had always been content to
wear hats that came from Mrs. Grin
dies, but since she had brought home
two hats from Madame Roses in New
York she hadn't any use for Crindle
style.
Isn't that the most impossible hat
YOU ever saw" she said one day when
she was passing Mrs. Crindle's with
that big, good-hearted brother of hers,
who was now in the graduating class
at Truxdale, captain of the football
team and one of the most popular
men in college. The hat in question
truly had little in the way of style to
recommend it. 1t was made of some
sort of flimsy white braid with many
neat bows of cerise-colored ribbon,
topped by a few artificial roses that
far outstripped natures own produc-
tions in brilliance of tone.
LOOKS JUST Inc a ldSPOCAAS
dae and it is quite as insipid and alb
surd." That was one of the signs of
Maud Tuttle's finishing process. Every
one in Truxdale ate sundaes and
Maud had done so until she left home.
Now she scorned them and thought
of nothing but tea and toasted muf-
fins at o'clock in the afternoon.
"It is rather a punk hat, 1 should
say" agreed Blair, secretly a little
pleased with his sisters evidence of
taste.
Rather punk" emphasized Maud.
"Blair, it is positively atrocious. 1t
ought to be in a museum. 1t is pa
thetic absolutely. 1t is the embodi-
ment of all that is provincial and
rustic
Blair was more attentive to Maud's
little TRADE than she had expected.
You ought to know, I suppose,
agreed Blair. 'Now, I'll tell you why
am interested. You know our senior
play OF course, no one is supposed
to know what it is about, but L have
got to get your help. For some rea-
son, / am in charge of the costumes.
1 have got to see that the fellows get
the right sort of thing to wear for
their parts. Now, one of the charac-
ters is a young gawk of a country girl,
and her part calls for just the kind
of thing that you seem to think that
raspberry -sundae hat stands for.
was thinking maybe I'd get you to
trim up something for me, but 1 guess
you couldn't do any better than that
hat"
"Oh, Blair, it would be the hit of
the show Please get it. 1t is so pa
thetically impossible. If the boy who
takes the part isn't tall 1 think I can
fix up just the dress to go with it.
Something I had here before 1 went
to boarding school-of course I could
never wear it,
Maud agreed to buy the hat for her
brother. 1t would have been a little
too embarrassing for Blair to go into
the millinery shop, and the big box
containing it was later slowed away in
his room with the other costume ac-
cessories that he was getting together
for the great play.
Caste lines were but loosely drawn
in Truxda1e. The minister's daughter
had felt no hestitancy in marrying the
son of the grocer on the corner, the
young doctor felt it an honor to know
the daughter of old Dobbs, who drove
the station wagon. Things had to be
that way, for, aside from the college
contingent, there were only four or
five hundred inhabitants in the VIII
lage, and to the boys who went
through the gristmill of education
there pretty girl was a pretty girl
whether she was the daughter of the
woman who did their laundry work or
the daughter of the college president.
So Clarice higgins came in for her
share of the college fun-little bright
eyed, slender Clarice, who had been
known to every sweet-toothed boy in
college as the dispenser of his favor
ite brand of soda water or sundae.
Clarice had all the intense self-re-
Spect and independence of the true
farmers daughter that she was And
it was quite as necessary for her to
receive formal introduction from the
boys who wished to converse with her
over the straws and glasses as it would
have been for the daughter of the col
lege president.
But Clarice had cherished ambition.
There was not enough scope for her
imagination in the task of soda dis
penser. There were limitations in the
artistic possibilities even of a raspber-
ry dream or a peach delight So when
an apprentice was needed at Crindle's
millinery shop she left the fountain on
a days notice and told her plans of
changing career only to two or three
of her most loyal admirers at the foun-
tain.
Most loyal of these was Blair Tuttle.
and he could but feel a satisfaction in
knowing that hereafter those bright
eyes of hers would. shine only for
naughty Mrs. Crindle and her other
assistants or the occasional women
shoppers who came in to try on the
new millinery.
Il am so perfectly happy tonight, -
Clarice told Blair that night when he
called at her boarding house to take
her to the movies, that single source
of evening diversion in Truxdale. The
most wonderful thing has happened.
My hat-my very own hat-that l
worked on so hard has been sold. And
it is the only one that brought the
price marked. The women in Trux-
dale always bargain so that Mrs.
Crindle marks them much higher than
she expects to sell them. Mrs. Crindle
didn't think that hat 1 made was so
very wonderful, but she let me put it
in the window with some others she
had made and mine was the first one
bought. didn't Sc the young lady that
her said she looked like a fashion
plate, with a hat that must have come
from New York Isn't that wonder
full? Do YOU suppose I am going to