The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-10-07
EVENING STORY
Just Pie.
BY AIdCE PIERCE.

ton of q city daily contains in one
column such a startling item as the
successful flight of an airplane across
the ocean and IN the next records the
safe delivery of a deceased aunt's re-
mains to Mr.. Blank, of Bfanktown, via
parcel post, at the trifling cost of AZ
cents, we are compelled to describe
| Phoebe Huriburt as an anachronisIn
Long ago, when the wha1ers set sail
from the little port, Phoebe's grand
mother made most wonderful pies.
Phoebe makes them just as deiecta-
| ble-and by the same recipe. Not the
most noted man of science can sug-
| gest one improvement in the pies the
| old New England housewives con-
cocted. Phoebe didn't try, and there
| in lay her success.
Phoebe Hurlburt occupied a place in
| the sun not too close to forty at the
time her romance began. Cousin Jane
| was close behind. Jane had all along
| intended 1t to be her own romance;
| but, somehow, in the last act the cues
got twisted and John Beliayre walked
| into the Hurlburt kitchen where
Phoebe, in an immaculate calico
house dress, was in the act of remov--
| ing from the oven two crispy, fragrant
/ apple pies. instead of into the orchard
where Jane had staged herself in an
act worthy of Belasco himself. John
| stayed in the kitchen to have a sam
| pie, served with clotted cream. and
| unassisted, climbed down from the
| tree in which she was precariously
| seated
| 1t had been along about Christmas
| time when Jane met John Bellayre.
| He had been the guest of honor at a
| so-calIed Sunday morning breakfast
| party. As a matter of fact both
| morning" and breakfast" were mis-
| nomers, for the guests assembled at l
| O'Clock, and what they had to eat was
| a rather elaborate luncheon. Jane
{ had written her country cousin all
about 1t and had kept her informed
| of the progress of the friendship Jane
| liked to be called clever" and 1t Was
| with that adjective that the other
| women present at the breakfast de-
/ scribed her manipulation of John Bel
| layre But to do Jane justice she was
an attractive woman, and Bellayre
didn't need much managing to drift
| into a close friendship.
/ Things were at this stage when Jane
wrote to Phoebe asking If she might
bring Mr.. Bellayre down for week.
1 Jane usually exercised the privilege of
! inviting a friend or two to her cousin $
| two or three times during the year
! Mrs. Hulburt, who was something of
| an invalid. enjoyed the diversion. And
| nothing delighted Phoebe more than
1
/ the results. Tho James friends were
| varied as TO station in life and in
! tastes, when it came to the primitive
| enjoyment of good food well cooked
| they were just human beings and very
| much alike.
Phoebe usually listened in on the
| conversations, now and then surpris-
| ing everybody by putting In a brightly
| intelligent comment in exactly the
right place. She presided over the
house-cool, competent, immaculate.
4 But to all invitations to visit in the
| city returned polite but final decli-
j nation. She, didn't like cities. "a,
| 1t was here In the charming old
| New England village that Jane had
! planned that the crowning event of
| her, life should take place. John
Bellayre was dramatic critic of the
| city dailies. He knew many sirable
people and he. was himself an ex-
I tremely likable man. Jane calculated
! that her oft-repeated statement that
| she would not give up her freedom be-
1 fore she reached the age of thirty-fiye
would help. rather than hinder. Men
preferred to have some obstacle to
| overcome-it tickled their ma sculine
| vanity.
| 1t, didn't suggest itself to Jane to
| take into consideration the fine sense
| of values which dramatic critic must
possess to take him high in his pro-
| fession- 1t never occurred to her that
she looked as much out of place in
| Phoebe's home as an orchid would
were it used in the stage setting of the
| "Old Homestead" She merely noted
| casually that John seemed to enjoy
sitting on the veranda where Phoebe
was always to be found in the after
noon with her crochetinG. He would
sit there lazily by the hour. hardly
speaking at all. Jane usually spent
those hours in rest, that she might be
more vivacious, physically and men,
| tally fresher later on. OF course John
was merely killing the time when she
| was absent.
i On the last evening of her guests
stay some restless impulse. foreign tt
her placid nature. drove Phoebe to the
/ Kitchen. She explained to her mother
that it promised to be hot tomorrow
and SO she guessed she would do some
baking before she went to bed. She
had heard James words to John Bell
ayre as her cousin went upstairs di
rectly after the early supper. II have
! some notes to write. John: / will NEE
you in the orchard at half past seven.
4 Then. at seven. she had seen her cou
sin steal out of the side door arrayet
In pale mauve gown. one Phoebe hat
never seen before and which struci
her as almost indecent in its daring
simplicity.
- John Bellayre caught a whiff of tn.
fragrant odor of stear1ing apple pie a.
he started down the path toward tn,
| Orcnard. without IN the leaSL anaiyZ
ing his own motives he retraced hi.
steps. opened the kitchen door and
walked in.
| If Ii Is true that the way to man:
heart Is thru his stomach. it is equal
~ true that every woman Is at hear
a-born flirt-even the most placid
Anyway, when Jane returned to thu
Observation-Disclosures
! 6T>H@~~~4 n,