The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-12

having meat every day-somet1mes
twice and three times a day and there
had been bacon every day.
1t was the day after his guests had.
gone and he was hurrrying to his
commuters train, thru the short back
cut, when he beheld Mrs. Keen hoy
ering in his back yard. He paused
ana shielding. himself behind a lilac
gins crly up to the large covered pals
in which Dinah deposited refuse from
the kitchen. Mrs. Keen removed the
cover and. with a stick, poked about
witt critical gaze. Presently she
brought up the stick with a piece OF
bread-almost a quarter of a loaf
jabbed on the end. She examined
this infinitely and for five minutes
more examined various trophies that
she brought to light in this way with
lively in the dark" thought Taylor
as he took a jog trot so as to be able
to catch his accustomed train. AS he
was hurrying on he met Patricia.
Patricia seemed to blush as he spoke
to her and, for some reason that Tay-
lor did not wish to analyze, he felt
the color rise to his own cheeks just
little, and he went to town that day
with an annoying recurrence of the
image of the pretty Patricia as she
had locked when she passed him.
Before another week had passed
gagged friend could not spend another
weekend, as he had to visit his
fiancee and the dancing friend had
announced his engagement. He actu-
ally thought of seeking Patricias So
ciety for consolation, but Patricia was
unaccountably cool to him. Mrs.
Keen had called one day and deiiv-
cred a long lecture to old Din.lh,
which Dinah did not understand, and
had left little card which she want
ed Dinah to read and then put up IA
her kitchen window. But ,Dinah only
mIttered to herself after she had tod
Tayolr of the proceedings and said
something about reckoning she'd
never skimp for no one-least wise
not when she was cooking for Mr..
Perry"
Once or twice after that Mr.. Perry
have suddenly become exceedingly
eccentric-was poking around in the
refuse pals in his backyard. once
he met Mrs. Keen and some other
women of her following on the sta
ton platform and he felt that they
all looked uuon him with something
like GOODNESS.
For two or three evenings in sue
cession he telephoned to Patricia to
ask whether he could not cone to see
her, for he was lonely, but always
Mrs Keen answered the phone and
made some excuse for Patricia. Then
one warm right as Taylor was sitting
dejectedly smoking in little summer
! house in Lollabelle's garden. Patricia
stole thru the hedge and came and
sat down by him. Il just had to ex-
! plain she told him. "Mother hasn't
let me see you. She's so unrea sonable.
| And-now-now she says she'll report
| you to the fUod administration officer
and she would-only she found thai
Lollabelle is the food administration
| officer of this district. But she says
you let Dinah throw away lots oil
bread and things, and she got the
| butcher boy to tell her that you have
| meat every day-and you know the
cake. But 1 know you can't help it
| You don't Inean to be unpatriotic, dc
you, Mr.. Perry?"
And then after Mr.. Perry had with
| almost unnecessary fervor assured hel
of his perfect loyalty and thanked hel
for coming to explain to him. she
asked: How much longer will Miss
| Lollabelle be gomez"
Two months" sighed Perry. "Yot
| don't mean to tell me I've co. to keel
track of all those meatless and pork.
less and wheatless days all the rest o.
the summer, do you?''
81 don't believe Dinah could-st
there isn't anything else to do. il
there"
mot unless you took pity on me ant
married me. Patty-Patty, il is you
patriotic duty-put it to your mothei
| that way and maybe she'll consent S
What a perfectly wonderful idea,
sighed Patricia. II suppose it woult
have toto happen pretty soon"