The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-08
EVENING STORY
How Mary Made Good.
(By Louise Oliver.)

vote Wnen the pOdru met IN MS iiHI11S {
room in May of the previous year for
election
She looked all right to me-" said
Jonathan Mills. Il thought she was
kinda perty''
Me tool" agreed Mr.. Dixie. expec-
torating emphatically into the cuspi-
dor Philip always unearthed some
somewhere on these occasions
The opinion went around the table
until it came to Philip again, presid-
ing al thu head: You don't seem to
understand that it takes more than
pretty face to cope with the diff culties
of a place like this
WELL said Jonathan in his delib
crate fashion, women seem to be do
in most everything nowadays that |
men do Besides we've had 'em here
before Five years ago we had a
But this is different protested |
Philip She's a city girl born and |
bred, and so were her forefathers. You |
don't know the kind as well as 1 do.
They are regular dollhouse products, |
die in the first rough weather. Be |
sides she-she looks so inadequate. |
Imagine her standing up and dictaling |
TO those big boys from the mines. Why
they nearly got away from Slrapper
last year. If he couldn't stand 1t and
| had to quit, what do you think about
her?''
| Well, spat Mr.. Dixie. I'm for Civ
in her ohanst- If she don't make
good it amt our fault. And she in
sisted, so kinda promised
All right. Have it your way" said
Phlllp. But if she gets pneumonia
tramping around in two feet OF Snow
oon ask me to sing at her funeral"
mary came in September and Philip
waited developments. OF course things
were in her favor then, for the coun-
try was still beautiful and the roads
splendid The mile walk from the sta
t1on every morning was a thing of
beauty and joy forever. and Philip
saw her every day swinging lithely by
with her lace full of purpose and hap
Ipiness-and wondered-and waited.
She must be getting along all right
with the Miners he unused. My
goodness, she's little bit of a thing!
They could pick her up and throw her
out of the window-any one of them.
I wonder how long the charm will
Hast? Just wait till the snow comes!"
| Mary had heard of Philips disap-
| prevail In fact, he had not promised,
Jas had the others when she was cleo
pioneering, so she was hardly sur
prised. But it hurt her to think that
a fellow citizen had refused to indorse
her.
There were mornings, many morn
ings, that Philip happened to be leav-
ing the house in his car for the mines
as she passed. 1t would have been the
easiest thing in the world to have said
lsomething friendly-about the wealth
or or the wonderful bed of scarlet
sage in front of his house, or anything.
But she always hurried by with a curt
good morning which precluded all
conversation.
One day he stopped at the school
He had left the office early and de-
cided to have a look for himself.
| Behold, order and peace prevailed,
land as it was Friday afternoon, Miss
Hilldale was reading. And what do
YOU think it wasi "Pollyannai" Read
ing the story of a little girl to those
big, hulking miner boys! And they
disturbance of a visitor, the placing OF
a chair and the short explanation
Then Miss Hilldale went on with her
story of the little girl who surmount-
ed all difficulties by a wonderful phil
osophy of looking on the bright side.
Philip stayed awhile, as interested
as the pupils, but finally he left re-
luctantly, feeling that his visit had
made no impression.
The DAYS shortened and cooled.
Frost brought down the nuts, and
, Philip heard tales of nutting parties
and picnics on beautiful October Sat
urdays.
You never saw anything like it.
declared Mr.. Dixie confldentially after
church one Sunday. She's just got
EN- mesmerized Those kids d do
! anything for her. You were all wrong,
! Mr. Fleming, I'm glad to say, all
wrong"
The spirit may be willing, but the
flesh is weak, you'll find" quoted
Philip. I'll grant that she's a good
: teacher, but so far everything has
been in her favor. Just wait
Winter came about Thanksgiving.
with a heavy storm of snow. The
5 road between the station and the
school was knee deep, and in other
places conditions were worse
Now thought Philip, looking out
, of his dining room window, well see
! if the little teacher can look at the
: bright side of this blizzard. L doubt
if the train got out at all today. BY
Jovei There she ISL Sure enough,
Mary, in high rubber boots. was
: tramping thru the drifts and enjoy
S ing it. Philip watched her with a
curious expression in his eyes. If
there was anything in the world he
: admired it was pluck.
It's a novelty now, he declared
finally, the expression dying. Wait
until we've had two or three months
of it. It's bound to get her in the
end
. But there were more storms-and
! worse And they didn't get" Mary.
: She learned to use snowshoes when
! the snow packed and took a short cut
! across fields.
One morning Philip heard voices in
the kitchen. but, thinking it was the
cnOIeWOIldn VINO came 10 nelp his
f housekeeper. he paid no attention.
. Later, Mrs. Clark came in.
She can't get that wheelbarrow
down the road herself. I'm sure she
can't"
What do you mean -
It's the teacher. Somebody broke in
5 and carted away all the coal from the
= schoolhouse last night and she says
S the place is like ice. Little Suzie
f Lampswich has had pneumonia and
D she's coming back today for the first
). time, and the teacher SAYS she's got
to have the schoolhouse warm when
she gets there. So she borrowed our
! wheelbarrow and some coal. and there
| ! she goes"