The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-30
Eoening Story

BY WILL T. .AMES.

feeble grin over that joke-the one
about the way to mans heart being
thru his stomach. Ten million times
have persons trotted out that hack
neyed old saw, spit on it. given it a rub
with their sleeve and handed it out as
bright and shining specimen of wit
They don't stop to think that they're
sweepfngly reducing the whole male
sex to the levc1 of Jones's pig. which
adores Mrs. Jones not at all because
she is adorable in herself but because
she is stuffing it for its November
tragedy and subsequent usefulness.
ct it is not to be denied that many
romance has terminated in a meal;
that a hungry mans heart has been
mellowed and made fertile of love by a
beefsteak many time. = The point 1
make, however: is that it is finer,
more psychic thing than mere stom-
achic emptiness and piggy greed that
underlies this association of food and
affection in the soul of mere man.
Ask the Salvation Army lassies who
fried doughnuts for the boys "over
there" whether it was the doughruts
themselves or the honey intimacy of
their flavor that brought joy to the
soldiers nostalgia hearts and a film of
tears to their dauntless eyes.
Jackie Follet sat on a tall stool ct
the lunch counter in the Cornwall sta-
ton, eating bacon and eggs and GUS
tard pie. You might make a guess
that Jackie was a good looking boy
you could do no more than guess; for
he was black with the dust and SCOT
of the locomotive tender, and to have
cleansed his fireman's CRIME would
have taken more time than Jackie had
for his meal.
But there was a iaunty rakishness
to the cock of his long-peaked rail-
readers cap and a laughing light in his
big frank eyes that went far in sup
port of the guess. The eyes just now
were dancing with the bantering OF
Tillie Birch, for Tillie was a never
ending joy to the fireman, and his
MONDAY stop at Cornwall sone of the
salient features of his strenuous ex-
istence.
What you going to swear off to-
morrow, Tillie-chaw-gum or holding.
hands with fat drummers over the
counter?"
Neither one. I'm going to quit
mopping up after dirty engine crews
and save the coal dust; fuels going
up
Huh. If was to come in here
washed II you'd get stuck on me. and
then that goog1e-eyed butcher friend
of yours would go get club and spoil
Il perfectly good fireman"
MY. goodness, but don't you hate
yourself! And wish you'd quit Jolly
ing about that butcher. He amt any
friend of mine. I don't even know
his name"
Y a
this? Say. Tillie." Jackie's face lost
it's bantering grin under the SCOT, II
live in one of these hick towns when
I'm home. and there amt a soul in it
1 don't know, even down to the dogs
and cats. Friendly kind of a place.
too-the greatest little family town
I've ever run across. specially at this
time of year. They make a lot of New
Years in my burg; everybody keeps
open house, and everybody goes
around to see everybody else in the
old style. And the New Years dinners
-oll, boy! with a roast goose in the
middle of the tablet"
Going TO be homer inquired Tillie.
"Going to be home. Say. kid"
(Tillie might have been junior to
Jackie by as much as three months),
its nearly 700 miles from here to
the old town. And besi6es"-aH the
banter was gone out of the boys eyes
now-'there isn't any home there any
more. It's three years tomorrow since
there was an old-tin1e New Years din
ner at our house. Last year 1 was in
France, waiting for ship to bring me
home. The year before 1 was in
camp. The first year my mother. died
and the next one poor old dad r-.ck-
cred out. This year-oh. WELL" the
boy shook his head and tried to bring
back the reckless fun into his voice,
'if you can't eat goose with the old
folks. you can eat slum at the hash
counter; what's the odds?"
But Tillie, who was a woman to the
tips of her fingers, knew that the
odds were great. And a great mother
feeling came and brooded in her bos--
ON along with the quite different feel
ing that the presence of this cheery,
handsome boy always set to stirring
there. Her eyes were softly tender as
they followed the agile figure of the
young fireman Fastening trainward.
On New Years day as Jackie Follet
climbed upon the accustomed stool
and nodded friendlily to Tillie, there
was change from the accustomed
routine. Tillie did not ask what her
customer would have. Instead she
leaned over the counter and sald:
Keep it mum, Jackie. I've got your
dinner all ready for you in the not
closet" --s-.. 49,.
Two great slices from the breast OF
a wonderful corn-fed goose and one OF
the Fat birds stumpy legs. and thick
luscious gravy. redolent of celery and
chestnuts and mushrooms. and
huge spat of bread crumb dressing
aromatic with spices and unctuous
with the waddling fatness oL slne eie
ture, and creamy, fluffy masnea po-
Etatoes. and little onions boiled TO eA-
ouisite tenderness, and bit or yeiloW
turnip, and half dozen sprigs OF
dwarf celery. crisp as zero SNOW,
tonDed with a giant slab of such mlnce
ME- as the Cornwall station restaurant
ha d, never dreamed of before That
the kind of dinner that the little wait
ress set before her guest.
And because he was heeriesss
homeless boy starving for tne hotae
Tssbnots Jackie had reveied half way
thru it before he began to think. But
because he was a man he did begin 10
think at last. And presently, whens ne
could get Titles ear privately. ne saia
to her: "Tiilie, how did you DO II
Vou haven't any more home than L
have. have you?" And he kept at her
until she had to admit;
That she had bought the goose allu
made a deal with Mrs Jaynes, with
whom she roomed, to cook the dinner'
TilIie to have one full portion sent 10
tbe station by the Jaynes boy promptly
at noon.
Jackie, with an odd, intent look IN
his eyes.