The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-06-04
EVENING STORY
Fair Exchange.
(By Jane Osborn.)

the ladder looked down when, for the
fourth time that day, she heard an
alarm clock-one of the large. insist
ent, brazen-voiced sort-ringing in the
| next cottage.
1t was IL o'clock, and it seemed to
| the girl she welded a brush satu-
| rated and dripping with verdant green
paint, that it was about time the lat
| est sleeper had arisen. And, besides,
| as aMrgot Of the paint brush knew,
there was nobody in the cottage next
| door but a certain very diverting two
| year-old lassie named Peggy and her
mother. Why the alarm clock? The
girl had been welding the paint brush
| since 8. She was very, very tired of
| the smell of turpentine, and she was
| aware of the fact that she was smudg-
| ed with green from head to foot. She
wore one of the new pairs of women's
work overalls; first, because they
| seemed to her youthful mind very
| much more interesting than the ordin-
airy Bingham apron; secondly, because
| her brother had told her she would
be less likely to break her neck If she
climbed a ladder in such attire than
in petticoats and thirdly, because she
believed there was no one to see but
the two-year-old Peggy and her moth
er next door. For the Gregory cot
tage and the Kenyon cottage, located
in the middle of a coy little pine
wood not far from the lake, were the
only habitations for a mile or so.
There it was that Margot and her
brother spent their vacation and week.
ends, and because Margots brother
had merely grunted vague promises
every time she suggested that he put
a much-needed coat of paint on the
little dollhouse cottage she had fin
ally made up her mind to paint it her
self
Hence the gallon or so of very green
paint that the brother had brought
from the city, and hence the green
spotted girl on the ladder. She mad
!, painted her zigzag way up to the roof
4 on one side of the house, and to gain
her poise she shifted her weight from
the ladder to the ledge of the roof.
AS she turned to climb down from
her dizzy height she stepped on the
ladder and then slid back to the roof,
which she gripped in terror. 1t WASH
half bad after she got up, but gong
up and down was difficult. Suddenly,
| without any warning, the ladder slip
ped and Margot was left sitting on the
ledge of the sloping roof. She worked
| her way along until she reached one
of the windows. Her feet dangled just
above it. 1t seemed at first a simple
matter to lower herself, to gain the
| sill and from there to open the win
| dow and so make her way into the
| house But Margot was no acrobat
| For a minute or so she sat there look
| ing dejected1y down at the ladder that
! lay on the ground strewn with pine
needles She tried to persuade her
self that she enjoyed sitting there
i looking through the pine trees.
'I wonder if 1 shall have to sit here
all day till Tom gets home? How
: hungry shall bel" she was rejecting
' And then she heard the two-year-olo
Peggy's shrill voice of rebellion in the
? next cottage, and she thought of hei
neighbor. She did not know her well
+ for they were newcomers; still she
: could depend on her to raise the light
i ladder and rescue her from the per-
' ilous height.
ooh, I say, Mrs. Kenyon!" she call
: ed Mrs Kenyon, Mrs. Kenyon,
won't you come and help me-?
l There was an echo of the baby wall
then sounds under the trees through
the brush and then tall young man
stood below her. His sleeves were
rolled up to his elbows and over his
white flannel trousers was firmly TIED
: blue and white Bingham apron
> Tucked under one arm was a teddy
> bear and a baby's white stocking dan
gled from one pocket. Otherwise he
f was very Misunderstanding young
man.
/ She looked down and laughed al
I him and he looked up and laughed at
her.
ssWould you awfully mind setting
that ladder up against the house?
she said I'm housepainting and it
slipped and I'm hungry and L want to
get down..
The man dropped the teddy bear
and with facility leaned the ladder UP
against the house.
II wish you would go away while
come down." she said. You see, am
so very panty and 1 didn't know any
one was around but Mrs. Kenyon. Still,
I don't want to come down without
having you there, either. l am very
timid about climbing"
r cit is great to be able to do things
I like that" commented the aproned
; Young man. II like painting"
' Il don't mind the part you can
, reach from the ground" replied Mar
t got. I'm going to spend the rest
of the afternoon doing the porch and
the things that 1 can reach. 1 have
t had enough of ladders for today I'll
go up again tomorrow, tho
Margot' stopped at the shill call
of the alarm clock next door.
: There it goes" said the young man,
r impatiently, and Selling the teddy bear
l and making hasty apologies he darted
thru the underbrush toward the other
cottage.
J Half an hour later the girl, her
; overalls covered by n bungalow apron,
the green paint washed from her
hands and her face. walked rather
timidly to the end of her pine clear
, ing.
Mr. Kenyon" she called "Mr.
Kenyon, if that is your name
And when the young man. this time
. with Peggy wailing rebelliously under
> his arm, came to meet her she asked
, him whether he was alone. He told
, her he was
! Then you are hungry, I am sure.
have made som cinnamon toast and
I know you would like some. Shall
4 1 bring it to you or will you come over
1 and have it in our house?"
s They compromised nv decidipp RI
1 eat it under a pine tree midway be-
tween the two cottages.
why do you have alarm clocks
sounding all the timer" asked the
s girl. pouring out dainty cup of iced
chocolate for her new-found friend
She Ia d hrnIight fillI caf