The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-26
FROM old KANSAS
William Allen White Finds Girl
in England.
She Was Delivering a Lecture
ON the Yukon.
MARTHA MUNGER, GREENWOOD
Once Walked to Eureka to Pink
Ice Cream Social.
Now She Is One of First Ladies
of Dawson.
MARTHA MUNGER, GREENWOOD

London, June-The effort TO return
to peace and pre-war occupations is
made in London by the hundreds Of
lectures and conferences and seances
that are being given right in the mid
die OF the season. In former years
London devoted itself wholly to social
pursuits during May, June and July,
and lectures and study courses had
10 be got over during Lent if they
wanted any attendance.
But now it's all different. And the
audiences are the most different of
all. Women no longer make the ma
jority. While there are endless 'in-
innate afternoons" when young men
with interesting profiles expound some
newly explored religion or art of
psychic sense to exclusive groups of
smart women in West End drawing
rooms, the meetings which have the
biggest attendance are those which
tell about different parts of the world.
how they live and what chances a
young fellow has for getting on there.
william Allen White and 1 wriggled
thru a bunch Of young officers packed
in the dark end Of a big club ball
room In st. James Square the other
afternoon. The lecture had already
begun and the lantern slides were
showing views Of the Yukon territory
and the gold rush Of the nineties.
Gradually we were brought down to
modern conditions to the new rail-
road which now makes its way over
rocky pass and mountain side, bring
ing wealth and comfort and civiliza-
tion to the rough mining outpost Of
the Empire.
she's From West
We stood listening for a bit and
then we began to prick up our ears.
A woman's voice was speaking, low
and n little husky. and before she had
got a dozen words out we simultane-
ously leaned toward each other and
whispered, shes from the West" In
a minute she was telling about how
she happened to be one of the first
women to get over the White Horse
Pass, and laughingly alluded to her
upbringing. You see I had been
raised to so after what I wanted. In
Kansas on my fathers ranch we
wanted a whole lot of things and we
went after them. We didn't always
get EN- but We went after them as
We went after that Pass"
That's George Munger's girl" whis-
pered Mr.. White. and so it was-Mar-
tina Munger Of Greenwood county rs
years ago. A lot of things have hap
pened to her since one summer morn
ing when she asked her father to let
fer have his favorite team. John and
Austin, to drive to Eureka. 8 miles
70 as1bbE social the gregationaI
ladies' we're giving in the court house
yard. Papa George said no. and fur
thermore that she couldn't go, that
she had been in town a great deal too
much Of late, was wearing every horse
on the place to a. bag Of bones "All
right papa" said Martha, and when
her father had gone into the library
and slammed the door she packed
the angel food cake she had baked and
the chicken she had fried for the So
c!ai in a paper box, and without say
Ing anything to anybody, started off
on foot
Sold Pink Ice Cream.
But she didn't get to the social
until almost noon and she was pretty
dusty and her cheeks were very pink
indeed, but her angel food cake was
perfect; we all had grown to expect
perfection from that big kitchen at
Catalpa Knob, and Martha was the
heroine Of the social. She insisted
on waiting on her table and she sold
more dishes OF pink Ice cream than
any other girl there. of course.
We'll, It's a long time ago now. A
lot has happened to us all since
then. Martha is now the first lady of
Dawson and lives in government
house when she's at home; but she
came over here with her husband
ana nef sons, VINO are all IN the cana
dian army corps. and she was at the
head Of the Yukon Red Cross comfort
fund during the war. Pretty soon they
viii all go back to Alaska and those
notices on lonely cabin doors which
read, Gone for Duration" will be
taken down. some OF them. But more
will rot in place. for the men who
nailed them there in those first au-
tumn days Of 1914 have made their
last journey or they have come out
Of IL all so broken that the life they
loved and lived so intensely with heads
and arms and legs, will never know
them more.