The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-09-12

Il don't see what you said we'd give
them tea for, when you know we
haven't any sugarT''
"What difference does that make?
Some Of our best families don't have
sugar nowadays"
swell, I'll bet the CIarkson girls are
rolling in sugarT"
Elf they are, all we need to do is to
shake them over the cups, and there
you areF
"You needn't joke about it, Anne.
have some pride if you haven't, and
I'm not going to have those rich Clark
sons coming here and thinking we're
not as well able to have things as they
are, even If they do carry fifteen dollar
knitting bags, all covered over with
pin-cushiOn fruit, and tasSels.''
ST don't know how you're going to
get it. I've telephoned to every store
can think of and they all say the
same thing-'nO sugar."
'TeIephOning and asking face to face
are two different things. I'll run out
and see what can do"
weather.
But Josephine had vanished into the
bedroom of the little fiat.
It was the worst day of that 'never-
remembered-such-a' winter. There had
been q heavy snow fall, a thaw and
then a sudden freeze, with thick, black
ice over everything. And in the night
the weather had moderated and rain
had fallen in torrents on the ice. This
morning it was still raining, with a
heavy wind. It was day when sensi-
bic folk wore creepers over their rub
bers, and other people lost their pride
in the good old Biblical way.
Josephine appeared, clad in a very
/ becoming brown raincoat and little tan
| hat She wore brown boots and ridicu-
/ lous low rubbers, and carried brown
umbrella.
| Sister Anne stood at her tower win
dow and watched Josephine slip down
| the hill, using her folded umbrella as
staff. Anne began to chop nutmeats
for sandwiches, wondering what her
cratic sister might be doing. The
reality was this:
In the nearest store, Anne marched
bravely up to the counter.
| 'HTwo pounds of sugar, please she
| SdlU, her sweetest
''No sugar in the store growled the
harassed clerk for the one hundred
and thirty-seventh time that day.
There's. no sugar in the store" the
! next grocer told her, "and more than
that, there's no sugar up to my own
house, and I'm in the grocery business.
What was yours, MADAME to sleek
haired Italian woman in a red shawl.
| Josephine went out on more ice.
For an hour she slipped and slid
from one store to another. and heard
the same story in ffty-seven varieties.
Josephine paused on corner to collect
her forces and decide where to attack
| next. This particular corner was at
the foot of a hiIl-tIlis city was built
| on more than seven hills-and the side
walk s1oped at an unpleasant angle |;
also the building on that lot projected
in such way that pedestrians coming
down the side street were completely
hidden from those on the main thor
Oughfare. Josephine had seen so many
people fall that day that she now ne
chanieaIly watched them all. Perhaps
that was why she noticed the gray
raincoat behind the big market basket.
/ New style coat she thought. and
looked again at the basket. She gasp
ed Not for months had she seen a
sight like that. She looked again. 1t
was absolutely. true. In that basket,
camoufiaged by Tapping paper cover
ing, but with telI-taIe little yellow
sharp corners sticking out. were six
twO-pound cartons of sugar! And the
food commissioner had ruled hat 40
dealer should sell more than ten
pounds to any one person. And she
Josephine Bruce, had net one single
grain
She looked above the basket to see
Tho this pIutocrat might be, and met
a pair Of serious blue eyes staring
straight into her brown ones. She had
only time to realize that this law
breaker was young and very good
looking when his feet appeared where
had been his face-he bounced up and
down. landing on the woman who had
slid down the side street, and vanished
in the midst of arms and legs and
bodies that came faster and faster un-
til they piled up in n slipping. stopping
smart of humanity. And high in the
air, flying merrily toward the blue sky
before descending to the soaking side
walk, went the six packages of sugar
Josephine lodged. She escaped the
pedestrians because hey all slid into
the gutter. but Il couple of pounds OF
sugar landed on her stylish little tar
hat and bounced down into her yawn-
ing knitting bag. Josephine had nc
recollection OF opening her bag. but She
knew exactly when she closed it. And
then, with the most outrageous polite
ness. she stopped and picked up two
of the other packages. She handed
them to the young man in the gray
raIncoat. crawling out from the chaos
'sYOur sugar, sir" she said. smiling
and went on her way, entirely Unre
. pentant.
t Perhaps the precious ballast in hel
: bag preserved her equilibrium She
hurried toward home, and after din
ner Josephine and Anne awaited the
Clarksnn girls. In the little kitchen
cite a teapot waited. with a fat little
red jug of cream and a plate Of nUi
and cheese sandwiches And foul