The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-11-30

as sweet and modest as any spring
violet until she caught sight of the Of
ficer's shoulder and recognized him
for what he was, a bona fide captain
Then she strained every point of ETH
quet to make his acquaintance. 1t was
a rather cheap performance. the To-
peka business man thought. Vie not
being the object of pursuit. could, of
course. view the maneuvering in its
true light
The officer was a West Point man.
He had worn a uniform a good many
years, and he knew the ropes. He
adroitly foiled all attempts at a flirta-
ton, and when the chase got uncom-
fortably warm, he retired to the
smoker, where the other men kidded
him about his conquest.
''Say-that was a fright" he an
swered them. IF I happened to be
an Apollo l could understand it, but
I've seen my mug in the glass. and. 1
know it's no shining mark. It's just
this uniform of Uncle Sans. which
hoppens to be a h of a good locker"
X X X
The mad rush for Washington. D.
c., is letting up a little now, altho
the government still calls for clerks.
L know two good looking Topeka
women, both widows and socially
prominent, who took the Civil Service
examination, and they say, are still
waiting for appointments.
Another woman has been thinking
of going to Washington to get a job
at some sort of clerkship. They tell
me that this woman, who has stood
for years as a representative woman,
CT fashion, and who used to have the
prettiest, satiny shoulders ever re-
vealed by an evening gown, first pro-
posed going to Washington in a spirit
of wanting something to do in a town
that was rapidly going dead under the
strain of war and influenza. Her
daughter had said she would like to
do war work. but she had no notion
of going into a stuffy office and filing
dusty cards. Then the mother, to re-
prove the daughter for being so fas-
tidious abOu the work she was willing
to do for her government, declared
that she would go to Washington and
Uncle Sam needed her in that ca
pacity. Whereupon she decided to
take the examinations. The news of
her receiving an appointment has not
yet drifted to this chroniclers waiting
ear.
The woman's committee of the ma
tional council of defense is arranging
a ack-to-the- school, drive. This
work is to be a part of the business of
the children's bureau of the committee
working with the child conservation
SGCllOH OI tie lieiu ulNlSlOii. nc Soiii-
mittee wishes to establish scholarships
for school children, the purpose of
which is to enable children to go to
school, after they have arrived at
working age, their parents not being
able to maintain them i'm educational
institutions.
A letter from the assistant chief of
the news section, to the Ka.-sas branch
of the woman's committee, points out
that the gift of such a scholarship Is
not charity, but an investment which
will increase in value to the state, with
the education and technical training of
the country's young people. the COM
mittee intends to work for the es-
tablishment of scholarships as a part
of the educational system of the state.
that the granting of scholarships may
not be dependent upon the generosity
of a few of its wealthy citizens.
X X \
From all I can hear, some OF our
own Topeka chaps over in France are
not moping around in dugouts ana
ratty trenches to the exclusion of all
frivolities A snappy letter from one
of the set over there informs me that
the young chap who broke down and
married a French woman is afraid to
come home for fear all his old girls
will be dreadfully angry with him. 1t
hasn't percolated to him yet that the
girls are rot sitting around in To-
peka wailing about the tickle beau
who couldn't dodge matrimony until
he got back. Lots of men are COM
ing back, and the girls will be there
to pin a rose on the fancy free ele-
ment, and there will be no wasted
tears on the faithful. This benedict
who fell for the French lass plans on
making his home with her parents
for a while and getting a job with
some French concern.
One of the old Topeka idols in uni
form across the water is a man who
used to be a son of rest. and could
attend matinees and afternoon teas.
He was the man who was usually at
tired for the street in grey worsted
with felt hat to match, and whenever
he went east he carried a cane. The
girls were wild about him, and his
bank account justified doting mothers
in encouraging his attentions to
daughters. Now you know him, don't
you? Yes. He has been on the firing
line, and having no end of fun with
the boys who were troubled with COO
ties. MY lousy friends" he would
say, "how are you going to look Ma
tilda and Samantha in the face at the
next Country club dance, after the way
you have been frisking about with
these cooties?" Then ore bright day
in. September. this fastidious Beau
Brummell began to scratch. No, it
wasn't coolies at ALT was a regular
old fashioned dog flea, and there was
whole regiment marching along
after the first scouting party was dis
covered by the poor victim. The man
hasn't been seen to smile since.
There is another Topeka lad in the
same crowd. 1t used to be his prin-
cipal business in life to fresco himself
against the side of we'll known Kan
sas avenue drug store, and from that
strategic position, watch the girls go
down the street. One night when the
shrapnel was falling thick where there
were no pretty girls to watch, this
lad rushed from his shanty for the
nearest dugout. In his agitation he
ran thru the darkness, carrying his
shoes in one hand and his helmet in