The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-26
EVENING STORY
Thru the Coal Shortage.
BY GEORGE VIx.

|
idea of rooming and preparing her
own meals had appealed to Ethel
Storey, so she rented a tWo-roomeo
apartment and established her little
household. 1t was an airy place ana
all summer she enjoyed it, but Wheh
the cold weather came on she 1ouno
that she had a problem before her.
| The only means of heating the rooms
was from a little coal stove, and when
| one doesn't understand the manage
ment of a coal stove and is dependent
upon it, there is trouble ahead But
| Ethel lea rned to manage 1t at last ana
would have been fairly comfortable all
winter had not the coal shortage come
on. Because there was scarcely room
| for the things she had in her rooms.
she had not been able to buy coal in
| anything but small quantities.
The dealer from whom she had
been getting the coal announced that
| they were sold clean out and there was
none to be procured until shipping
conditions improved, leaving her in a
| quandary.
! For a week she managed to get
| along by burning charcoal, but when
| she came to figure up accounts at the
| end of the week she found that the
charcoal was costing her nearly as
much as she earned. She would have
to try something else, she told herself,
| and then she remembered the old tree
/ in the backyard, that had been blown
| down in the big storm that had caused
| the railways to be tied up and had
mainly been the cause of the inability
of the roads to carry thru coal to sup
ply the consumers. The tree most
likely belonged to the city, but it
would be just as cheap to pay a fine
as to burn charcoal, she reasoned, as
she put on her coat and armed herself
with a hammer to begin work, con-
tverting the maple into firewood.
After nearly five minutes hard Ia
Dor, she decided that hammer
| wasn't very good substitute for an
axe Cant help you?" Ethel heard
someone say and looked up to see
Leo Delaney, who occupied the front
suite on the first floor, smiling down
at her.
''Oh, Mr. Delaney. I'm trying to
chop firewood." she explained with a
laugh as she attempted to straighten
her hair. q haven't a bit of coal
and 1 won't be able to get any for
some time. This tree just simply
refuses to break up
1T is too green to burn, anyway"
he said. as he examined the wood
However, If it would burn you
wouldn't be abb, to chop enough with
that hammer to last ten minutes"
What am 1 going to do?" she asked
in perplexity. 'Tn have to move
SOM place else where the heating is
looked after
1 1T would be pity to have you do
that 1 have plenty of coal and 1
could let you have some until sup
Fly comes to the city,
But it will run you short"
NO. it won't. The firm that I
work for keeps me supplied with coal
1 am specially privileged"
They would not care to have you
give it to me-" she said obviously.
They wouldn't miss a little bit
nd 7 hox- IL
to it,
Ethel did not ask him to explain
Ills right, but she felt that if he said
so it would be all right to accept the
coal. He kept her fire well supplied
AFTER that AMI many a time when he
carried a scuttle up the stairs to her,
ne stayed to chat. He was an inter-
estint: young man she found, and
wondered why she hadn't taken more
MOTTO of him before. Now that she
came to think of it he had always
seemed anxious to become better ac-
quainted with her and often when
they mad ridden in the street car to-
!. gether she had not even smiled at
hiE.. Somehow she had looked upon
him as an ignorant man, but he was
, far from that. The black hands and
face hat she had noticed he general
ly came home with had likely given
her this impression. When he was
dressed up he looked like a real gem
tieman. II wa. not long after he
started bringing her the coal that she
discovered that he had been to col
leg~. Why in the world was a college
man doing mental work. she asked
herself time and again.
The little coal that did come to the
, city was soon distributed and coult
not be sold to consumers in less thar
quarter ton lots SO as the weeks wen
, by Leo was still keeping Ethel SUP
pied: One evening she came hom'
) and found that her scuttle was empt,
and the fire low. She waited for Lei
to appear for nearly half an hour anS
. then went to the first floor in search
of him. There was no response I,
, her rap on the door of his suite ant
, she decided that he had not got in
That was strange, for he had never
been so late before, AS she waite,
in her room listening for the from
door to open and announce his ar
rival, she picked up the evening pape
= which she had brought with her
"Railroadman Arrested for Goa
:, Theft was the first heading she saw
3 As she read the story her excitemen
rose to fever heat An emp1oye of tn
railway had been arrested for takini
coal to his home for consumption. s.
o that was where Leo had got the Goa,
n 1t had not been given him at all, h
e had stolen it, To think that he ha
stolen and had done it for her. Blu
e she could not condemn him. Wha
y would they have done If he had no
t got the coal? The fire was out the
t and it was bitterly cold. What if
r had been like that all the time of tn
: shortage. But to think that he woul
n have to go to Jail for stealing it wa
s the hard part of it. The tears starte
q to Ethels eyes. She wouldn't let hir
;, suffer alone. She would go and Civ
herself up as an accomplice.
She had her hat and coat on whe
= she heard someone coming up tn
e stairs. What if he had confessed an
they were coming to arrest her?
wouldn't give her a chance to sho,
o him that she was willing to sacrific
e her freedom for him. She gave
n gasp of joy when Leo stood in tn
e doorway.
St why, you have been crying an
p look SO excited and worn OUT he Ell