The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-05
EVENING STORY
Teddy.
BY JANE OSBORN.


When Mariana in moments of pa
triotic fervor thought of herself as
Drawing the perils of the ocean ana
doing her bit in France, II was away
as an ambulance driver, than as
trained nurse or an office worker Ihe
reason was not far to seek. Mariana,
ever since she gave up riding side sad
! die and equipped herself for a cross
saddle had been quite taken with her
! own appearance in breeches- Wnen
dressed her prettiest in tilmy ruf1les
and enhancing furbelows for a dance
| Mariana hesitated before her pier
i glasses long enough to see that she nao
| been properly hooked up and that she
| had forgotten no necessary accessory,
but when she was dressed in her rld1ng
! toys she stood long and admiring be-
! fore the mirror, studied witt. infinite
: satisfaction the straight line OF ner
| leather Logging, the neat Juhcture OF
/ that Logging with her tan boot, the I'M
maculate trimness of her white plQue
stock the severity of her plain sailor
hat that hid almost all of her pretty
/ cl1rls and the well tailored severity OF
! the coat that extended from her sight
! shoulders to her knees. She did not
| admire the image because it was the
! reflection of a charming and graceful
young girl, but because it looked TO
| her for all the world like young boy
| For Mariana was at the age where
the greatest compliment any one
| might have PAID ner was u eoii Hoi
| that she was not feminine, that she
| thought like a boy and that she was
free from any of the foibles Of sex
The very first day she met Dixon
! James he had been fortunate enough
! to nav her a compliment of this kind
! He had ridden across the country with
her brother and reached the Burden
house Just as she was mounting her
own horse for a country ride So Dixon
and the brother remounted their
I'D in rIvTf n
.. Mariana.
you know, 1 have never enjoyed
riding with a girl before so much as
1 have with you,' he told her. In
fact, you don't seem like a girl You're
more like some awfully nice kid
brother
s Mariana had treasured that compli-
ment. 1t was worth more than dozen
of the usual sort, and ever since that
day Mariana had grown more and
more addicted to the boyish costume
and more and more rebelliouS against
skirts She had never been convinced
one way or the other on the suffrage
question, but when she learned that
some of the early SuffragistS had re-
belled against skirts, she had declared
herself a decided suffragist and rode
with her fair hair streaming, in a coat
of steel mail, to represent Joan of Arc
at the next suffrage procession.
Then she bought a pair of house.
,
bed room and little sitting room
mornings busting and putting things
to rights in that costume. Her mother
positively forbade her going out of her
domain in the costume. OF course all
, her negligees were cut on pajama
! lines and inconsistent as it was with
her suffrage convictions, she fancied
that she would like to be a Turkish
! woman because of the boomers.
81 can do almost anything" she told
! do L a m n n.
, pered with petticoats. Pm sure if ]
ever make a name for myself it will
be in breeches-riding. breeches or
, homework overalls, or something OF
, that sort
! Then came the war and illustrated
, | newspaper supplements were flooded
! with pictures of dairy girls in breech-
es factory girls in overalls and street
f car Conductors in suits like the sol
. dier's uniform. Mariana felt devout-
f " thankful that she had lived in ar
: age when she might wear trousers and
5 not be hooted like poor Amelia
j Bloomer and those other worthy plo-
neers in petticoat emancipation The
question was, just which line of eman-
, cipated occupation should she pursue
= First she decided to be an ambulance
: driver, but sthe idea struck every one
, as absurd. Particularly did Dixor
: James plead with her to abandon this
+ project
= IN the first place, they wouldn't
have you," he told her. You're only
eighteen and you are too darned
o pretty. What do you know about mix
q ing up with a lot of rowdy soldiers
: They won't want girls like you-they
want some big husky amazons thai
q can give hand to lifting stretcher:
: and one that has nerves like iron
Youssay YOU couldn't stand being q
| nurse Why, my dear child, you'6
e have to go thru more horrors as ar
T | ambulance driver
: Finally she was dissuaded. But
eventually her mind was made up
: She read in some not distant city al
s appeal for street car conductorsEthe
4 kind that wore leggings and knee
= length coats and bloomerS-and moi
. | the petticoat sort-she announced
q firmly that she considered it her duty
to give her services as a conductor