The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-02
EVENING STORY
\ROmance-Bah!
BY GERALD ST. ETIENNF


munehed away at a piece of toast in
one hand and stirred his cup of coffee
furiousy with a spoon in the other
hand, with his eyes glued on the
newspaper before him, she wondered
il he was human. 1t had been the
same every morning since the first
morning at that boarding house, two
weeks before. The landlady had not
thought it necessary to make them
acquainted.
Never cnce had he raised his eyes
at Caroline's entrance to the dining
room, never once had he offered to
pass her anything at the table. She
had only seen him eat, stir coffee.
read a paper. jump from the table
, and leave the room. She had not
heard him speak. He was not even
deoently polite. He was good-looking
and seemed we'll bred, too. What
shame for such good qualities to be
wasted on a bore like him, Carol ne
thought.
"Romance-bah!" The words came
out of the mans lips in disguised
exclamation. Caroline almost cried
out in fright He had spoken-the
shock was almost too much. But that
was all he said.
When he turned the paper over she
| caught sight of what had caused the
outburst. 1t was an advertisement for
| a film play called Romance" E.
| AS Caroline devoted herself to her
grapefruit. she thought it over. This
| man was a woman-hater, that was ap-
parent. To him there was no ro-
2ance-he seemed to hate the" word.
! 1t seemed to her that men like that
should not be allowed at large. All
thru her breakfast Caroline's indig-
nation grew. When he got up and
went out in the same old way she
frowned after him. She was still
frowning when he returned. Another
variation in his daily program. If
/ there were any more shocks her
| breakfast would be spoiled, she felt
Tsure.
But that was nothing to the next
shock. The man sat down in a chair
in the corner and groaned.
Are you ill.," she cried, jumping
hurriedly to her feet. sympathy over
coming all other feelings. %
No" he said grimly. but one of
| tho landlady's- youngsters is, and we
are under quarantine"
oh" Caroline exclaimed. what
shall We do?"
"stay here for ten days at the very
least. Good heavens, and all the work
that is piled up for me at the office!"
And my work. tool" she almost
sobbed. Are you sure we are under
quarantine?'
Before he could answer the land
lady herself appeared and tearfully
confirmed the news Her youngest
child had contracted smallpox and had
been removed to an isolation hospital.
1t would be necessary for the house
hold to remain under quarantine until
the house had been thoroly fumigated.
and even then they might be held
for ten days until the authorities were
sure no more cases would develop. If
the quarantine were broken the break
err would be put under immediate ar
rest.
There was nothing to it but to make
the best of it, The boarding house
was situated in the suburbs. Caroline
had chosen it to be away from the
noise of the city so that she could do
some writing at night. There was a
large garden. inclosed by fence. that
had always appeared inviting. 1t was
beautiful summer weather. so she
could spend her time reading in the
hammock under the shade trees. Aft
err notifying the city editor OF the
Evening Mali why she would not
be able to report for work for a few
days. Caroline sought out the ham,
mock. The woman-hater had arrived
there first. She coughed to attract his
attention, but was really surprised
when he took the hint and Offered
her the hammock. After all. he did
remember some of the laws of So
liability.
Suddenly Caroline threw aside. her
book. A terrible thought had come to
her. The house was to be fumiEated
All papers would probably be de-
lstroyed, and there were two manu-
scripts of stories in her room. She
would have to get them out of the way
somehow. A spade. standing against
the house, gave her an idea. She
hurried to her room and returned with
the manuscripts wrapped in a news
paper, and proceeded to bury them
, When the work was done she looked
up to see the man looking at her. He
pretended he had not seen. but she
knew he had. With toss of her heao
. she went back to the hammock.
Miss Kelso. do you think I have
smallpox" Somehow he had found
out her name. Caroline locked VI
from her book to find him bending
, over her.
Goodness. no! why?" she cried
He pointed to spot en- his fore,
, as she looked more closely at it. L
: is only a freckle," she laughed. "Yol
have two or three of them"
That started a conversation. 1t be
} gan with free &les and ended will
/ books and flowers. His name was Mr.
: Latimer, she learned but by the sec
ond day they were calling each othe
could have thought he was a bore wa
! more than she knew. He was reall,
delightful. When the quarantine wa
lifted at the end of ten. days the!
were genuinely sorry.
They both went back to the grin'1
meeting only at breakfast, but he.
, were different breakfasts AFTER that
and when they caught up with thei
! work they were going to become bet
: ter friends, they assured each other.
= One morning the mail brought Car
' oline a big SURPRISE check from tn
publisher of a magazine. She had no
remembered sending any stories t
him. The magazine WIS published il
| the city too. What stories had sh
sent? Then she remembered buryini
| the two in the garden. They wer
probably destroyed by shat time. !
look at the letter that accompanie,
the check startled her. The checl
was for those very two stories. Thel