The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1917-08-21


Il was a chesp il,tle restaurant OF
the East side The food was mol
bad. neither was the service, bui
there was q sense Of barrenness abouf
Il all
Wafrous went there for bis midday
meal because II was inexpensive-an
attraction FOR Wstrous He didn't
have much money and had scarcely a
hope Of ever having any. He was the
type. that blessed happy-go-lueky. that
finds happiness IN the moon, the few-
ers and In ths very fact that God has
given us llfe.
His position was an Indefinite sort
OF elerkship IN a department store In
The neighhorhood. In the evening nd
wandered over 70 one Of the Bohemian
restaurants. his violin under his Ian
guid arm. and there played while art
lists, actors. futurigs-what nOt-ate
Heterogeneous mixtures OF food
IN the little restaurant he usually
sketched attitudes while he absently
swallowed whatever his waitress had
considered nourishing and had placed
on the polished surface before him.
Had WattOac been observing he
would have known that he was, per-
haps, the best-cared-for patron ln the
place. Molly Carey, who waited on
him. always saw to that while she
waited wistfully for the day when he
would turn his eyes IN her direction.
She had that motherly tender look In
her eyes that an artistic soul needs
In the eyes OF his life partner-and
seldom chooses. II Watrous was con-
scious OF this attention no one knew
II but Watrous. He sketched on the
menu cards whatever came within his
vision and tossed the quaint littM
sketches aside when finished, just as
he came he cast aside his servlette
when the anal mouthful OF coffee had
passe1 his lips.
He always left a dime on the table.
Molly Carey saved all those dimes.
She preserved them no less systemat-
ieally than she saved every sketch
that Watrous made on the menu
cards.
The sketches were far more clever
than she realized-porualts Of patrons
In various Characteristic attitudes. The
very tone, or, perhaps, lack Of tone, Of
the cheap little restaurant was vividly
drawn.
The only sketch he had made which
watrous did not leave In the restau-
rant was one Of Moolly. Something
about her wistfulness, her entire lack
OF circumstances, had dragged a
hasty likeness Of her from his pencil.
He had It IN HE room on his shaving
stand. Dreamy, semiconscious ap-
probation had prompted him to put 1t
there.
Watr0us was mover definite about |
lnnchIng anywhere. There we're days |
when the last quarter had gone "some-
where in the world Of spent money
But because he never quite knew
whether his coat was on or not, nor
remembered having purchased cloth
ing at odd optimistic moments, Molly
Carey supposed him to be desperately
poor and unhappy.
Molly never craved temperament.
She only wanted to be human and
make other people comfortable, but
she had thrill OF the ultra tempera-
mental upon the day when she took the
sketches Watrous had made to an art 1
dealer The artist on lower Fifth ave
nue. offered her SO Wonderful a price
for them that for the moment she float
ed high up in a bubbllng cloud Of emo
tlonallsm.
Acting on her own counsel. Molly
left u with the art dealer and brought
back II tastefully framed to the res
taurant, The manager was delighted.
His round face beamed, and he gave
Molly a good-sized check for the pos
session Of the drawings.
In the evening when the days work
was over Molly stayed at the restau-
rant and helped hang the drawings
An artistic, quaint atmosphere took
hold Of he room. Fascination, that
most mysterious Of all powers, reach
ed out and claimed the mind The
small restaurant became homy, while
at luncheon next day animated groups
Of patrons stood gazing at themselves
vivldly drawn 10 those characteristic
poses. They brought friends, and
friends brought more friends.
Watrous. when he had discovered a
check fitting his plste,
cast q swift glance at the drawings on
the walls and a deep flush rushed over
his brow. He wanted to hide under
the minute serviette. He rammed the
check into his pocket and tried to look
He went home that evening, and his
eyes proclaimed the fact that he was
Dff dreaming again. When he went TO
he place where be was wont TO fiddle
he grouped his friends about him aad
old them 8 tale which dragged them
,ne and all over 10 the other restau-
ant on the East side. When they en-
erred with a babble of laughter and \
lappy with expectation and the joy Of
/ new scene, Molly and the manager
rev apart.
There was something defiant In the
Of his eyes that prompted
folly to seek shelter. Tor he was max
ng straightway through the line Of ta-
les for her