The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-12
EVENING STORY
Patricia's Patriotism.
BY OSBORN JAMES

| Copyright, 1918, by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate-)
When Miss Lola belle Perry made
up her mind that it was higher duty
for her to give her services as house
mother to a camp of young w.men
volunteer farmers for the summer
than to stay, home and keep house
for her brother, Taylor Perry, she had
felt no small feeling of pity for that
same brother of hers.
| Il know it will be hard for YOU" she
said, but you must remember that in
letting me go you are doing sust
much of a patriotic act as 1 am in
going. Dinah will be here, of course
and you know she never goes cut eX-
! cept to come back to get dinner. You
poor lamb" added the sister, standing
| behind her brother as he sat in his
| favorite chair in the living room of
their suburban home, you poor old
dear-I just hate to go ava and
leave you. 1 know how forlorn you
| will be-
Taylor sighed deeply and eradicated
| the usual smile from his genial face.
/ 1T will be tough, Lollabelle, but if it
| is your duty, then I suppose you must
| CO.. and as his sister hustled out of
| the room to go about the work of
| packing her trunks for the great
event-for Lollabelle had never be-
| fore in the five years that she had
kbeen keeping house for her bachelor
brother, gone away from home for
more than a weekend at a time
| Taylor's smile returned and, laying
down the paper which he had been
| reading, he fell INTO a pleasant train
| of thought. He was planning sew
eral little stag parties. Dinah's south
ern cooking was worth asking a few
| of his friends out into the suburbs to
enjoy. With Lollabelle home these
stag parties were out of the question
| for the good elder sister could not con-
| ceive of young men-for her thirty
five-year-oid brother was to her still a
| lad-having good time without girls
! to dance with, and whenever he had in
the past attempted to have his friends
! out for weekend or a holtda she
always managed to gather together
| some of the girls of the neighbCrhood
| to giggle and dance and sing and in
vite mild filtration from his guests.
| Now he would be able to be in a
| bachelors paradise. He could also
| come to dinner warm evenings in his
shirt sleeves and smoke his pipe all
over the house. He was really quite
resigned to Lollabelle's decision
| So Lollabelle went and Taylor and
| nice brown-skinned old Dinah were
left in command, and Dinah used to
| stand and chuckle at the side of the
| table as. Taylor ate thick porterhouse
steaks, luscious roast pork and rich
cream pies such only Dinah could
make. The fact that the butchers
bills were considerably higher than
when Lollabelle was home and that
Dinah managed to consume twice as
much cream and eggs in her cookery
now as when Lollabelle was home did
not distress Taylor. For the sake of
such freedom he was willing to pay
large bills.
success as far as the refreshments
went. There was juicy roast pork for
Saturday dinner, with some of Dinah S
light, white rolls and a cream pie, and
for Sunday there was an enormous
ham such as only Dinah knew how to
cook. Monday morning there were
more of Dinah's rolls, and on Tuesday
for the guests all persuaded them
selves they could stay till Wednesday
there were broiled ham for break
fast, lamb chops for luncheon and a
wonderful roast beef for dinner.
None of your poor folks make
believe meat-all stopped together out
of nuts and beans and things" COM
mented Dinah to herself, as she sur
veyed the larder with satisfaction, for
indeed the menus that she had been
permitted to plan were to her what a
gentleman's menus ought to be. And
Mr.. Taylor Perry and his guests en-
: tirely agreed with her. However, as
, such things sometimes happen, the
two guests were, not so entirely con-
tent to be in a bachelor paradise as
he had thought they would be. One
of them had become Unexpectedly en-
, gagged and hence his mind seemed tc
: | wander and his heart was absent al
times, and the other guest had recent
ly gone in for dancing and actually
asked Taylor whether he couldn't rake
up some pretty girls. So Taylor reluc-
, family telephoned to his neighbcr. Pa
2 tricia Keen, whom Lollabelle usually
asked to attend such weekend parties
? and asked her if her mother would
chaperone her and two other young
; women for the evening at his house
And bring some fox trot records with
, | you," he asked. -One of the men here
! is a dance fan. Thanks awfully"
: That night was Monday night
+ Dinah had ready flaky, snowwhite
!, cocoanut cake which she served a:
refreshments in the evening with 6
, luted cream.
, Taylor first knew that something
: was wrong when he observed that
Patric.a's mother was examining the
5 texture of the cake gingerly with hel
= fork She tasted an infinitisima
: piece critically, put on her lorgnett,
: and examined it. Tayolr tasted his
! piece to see what was wrong but il
melted like ambrosia in his mouth
Anything wrong with Dinah':
: cake?'' he asked, eager to know the
: worst.
It's delicious" she said cautiously
, l"but-but isn't there wheat flour il
: it? You know, it's Monday and Mon
. day is wheatless day. I didn't know
when we've had cake like this. We
don't use a1l-wheat desserts ever. My
Mr. PERI I'm surprised that yol
can afford SO much cream-thiS il
q solid cream L m sure, she said, tast
r ing of the frozen dainty. Even i
Y you could afford it. I'm surprised tina
4 you use it. knowing how active Lola
! belle was in food conservation
A gloom spread over the party will
, these words, and altho Mrs. Keen die
+ | manage to eat all of the refreshments
+ | and apparently with relish. she sait
4 she did so because it was just a.
4 wicked to waste them as it was t,
: violate any of the other regulation
@ of the food administration, and then