The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-04
EVENING STORY
The War Gardeners.
(By Louise Oliver.)

z, |
but he knew that it came from his
own kitchen as surely as he knew
that the sun was Coming up next
morning As he came nearer he was
able to distinguish it more clearly
tomatoes in some process of preserva-
ton!
How weary he was of this canning.
Every night and every night it seemed
for weeks and months past it had been
the same thing. he had come nome
to find Laura overheated, overturned
not dressed. and her temper at the
swapping point. Moreover, the mousse |
was uegInnlng TO show neglect ana ne |
was beginning TO feel it. he had not |
had square meal at home in dear |
knows how long.
1he bungalow as he approached ii |
looked 30 bare and cherries that he |
was almost tempted to turn back 10 |
the station and take the first tram |
away from trouble. The porch boxes |
that last year had been a varicolored |
mass Of foliage and trailing vines were
now innocent of SO much as a coat OF
paint; the awnings, SO bravely ana |
| rheerfully striped a year before, hung
stained and respondent from dry,
4 dusty caves; the flower beds formerly
gorged with peonies, big orange pop
| pies, roses and thousand varieties
| of everything, and the close-clipped
emerald lawn, had given way TO a
vegetable garuen, in turn desert of
| furrowed brown loan, then a hetero-
| geneous collection of cornstalks, pos
tato vines and bean poles, and now
at the end of summer oesolate
| waste.
But Fred's thoughts were bitter, not
| so much on account of the war dress
| of the house as with conditions within
| He thought of Mary Ann, that pre-
cious family jewel who had come to
live with them after the honeymoon,
| and of the three delectable meals he
and Laura had sat down to every day.
Mary Ann had left at Christmas, and
with war in sight, flour at IS a sack,
potatoes at more than that a bushel,
! and eggs to be mentioned only in the
same breath with the seven-billion-
dollar appropriation, they had decided
not to replace her, just as they de-
cided not to have new awnings and
flower boxes. The same spirit of
economy had induced them to spade
up the perennials to make room for
turnips.
| was Laura's insatia BILE penchant for
canning. The summer before efficient
Mary Ann had given her lessons, and
from the time the first pale, timtd
straw berry had appeared in market
Laura had been at it. The cellar was
full to grooming. but still she kept on.
"Foor goodness sake, can't you ever
get through % Fred had asked despon-
IDENTIFY the day before when Laura. up
to her neck in pear butter, had set him
down to a fried egg and potato on the
corner of the kitchen table.
Goodness, no! There are the toma-
toes yet and picalilli and catsup!'
Then why can't we eat some of
them? 2"
Because they're for winter"
Fred did not argue. But he smelled
the tomatoes now and predicted an.
other triangular meal in the kitchen.
He was right-almost- except that
| tonight'S meal had but one dimension
Ia baked potato.
Il was just too tired to cook, Fred"
| declared Laura YEARLY.
And then Fred said things he'd new
er meant to say about coming home
to mussed-up house and dickens of
looking wife, and flung out of the
kitchen and out of the house. Once
out in the street, he wanted to go back
but he didn't seem to know how. He
felt foolish but knew that he would
look decidedly more SO if he returned
home. He'd go down toward the sta
ton, ask for an lexpress box and by
that time he could go back with dig
nifty and make it up at home
But just as he got to the station the
6.10 express to town came thunder
ing in. After all he was hungry, and
had a right to his dinner. He fig
ured that he could get something and
be back home in an hour. 1t would
be just as easy to fix things up then
/ with Laura, perhaps easier, than if
he'd return right away.
So he climbed on the train, got
seat on the river side, and settled
back for his twenty minute ride.
Suddenly some one leaned forward
and said in his ear You're getting
back early. my boy"
Fred turned in surprise. 1t was old
Mr.. Prompter. the senior partner and
by long odds the hardest worker in
u cT1tsn Of hi IL
very rich and lived in a fashiona BILE
section two stations beyond Fred.
Fred said something about his din
ner, but the old man was deaf, some
what; moreover, he was changing his
seat to talk to Fred
| I was just thinking" the old man
was saying, that our young men in
the office weren't taking the interest
seems I'm wrong. I'm glad to see,
my boy. that you are willing to do
your bit in this sudden extra pres
sure of work.
Little by little it was soaking in
Old Mr.. Prompter took il for granted
that Fred was going back to the office
to work like himself. And Fred was
too paralyzed to enlghten him.
After all" thought Fred, lit
tie tin angel I've been after a raise
and this may help some I'll go get
a bite somewhere. telephone to Laura
and humor the old chap by working
like a sailor all evening""
That night Fred came tiptoeing in
at 2 o'clock fearful OF waking his
rwife, but she was sitting up sewing
beside the living room lamp and look
ing like his honeymoon wife of last
year. She was dressed in a gown ne
liked and her hair, always lovely,
| looked prettier than it had for months.
Someway the whole room had the old
honey look. There were flowers in
a big bowl on the table and plate of
sandwiches. dainty and appetiz-ng. &C.
side it There was smell of coffee,
too, from the kitchen.
Before Fred could say word
! I