The Topeka state journal., 1919-12-10
Eoening Story
Seyenty-Fiye and Board.l

Myriad dust particles fIoated along
the slanting sun paths that slid abb
ruptly into shadow at the tables edge.
The assistant professor of biology sat
bumped over a book that lay upon
the table before him, but he was not
concentrating. at least not upon the
text. With a thump of his fist that
set the book jumping he raised his
head and looked about the big, quiet
room.
The assistant professor took off his
glasses and rubbed his eyes and
stretched. Then he showed his hands
into his pockets, tilted back in his
chair and surveyed the shelves of dog
cared volumes opposite him. 1t gave
him an immense satisfaction, this
bare, low-vauited room with its brown
walls and solid, brown tables and its
rows and rows of books.
The assistant professor pulled out
a crumpled bit of paper from his
pocket and smoothed it out upon the
book, after which he continued to re-
gard it with an expression of ironical
amusement. 1t was a check made out
to him for the amount of twelve dol
lars and fifty cents; a sum he had re-
ceivcd in payment of scientific ar
ticle which it had taken him two
months to write. 1t was good article
too but according to more than one
editor not sufficiently popular in
tone"
He had been trying to make a de-
cision. This last contemplation of the
scrap of paper in his hands had served
to topple the scales. He closed the
book with a bang, uncrossed his long
legs, rose from the table and ambled
down the aisle to the door. Outside
he stood for an instant blinking in the,
strong light When he closed his eyes
they still registered printed book
pages With something of the feeling
of a stranger he turned and scuffed
along the leaf strewn path to the lake.
Now that there was no longer any
doubt about his departure the intimate
landscape seemed all at once unfamil-
lar and different. He felt already de-
tached from it-and sorry.
The moment the tip of her canoe
y-eered round a bend in the shore line
he recognized it and whtstled- The
assistant professor of English whistled
her answer and waved an undigni11ed
paddle in greeting as her small craft
want to Gomez" she called invit-
ingly.
'.Surei"
"All right, Climb in.'
The canoe nosed landward and
slushed into the sand. With lunge
which shot the boat into deeper water
and himself miraculously, into the
boat, the new passenger embarked
and took charge of the paddle.
where to?" he asked.
"Oh, anywhere" she replied and
smiled at him
He selected the most distant spot on
the lake, laid the paddle across the
canoe and rested his elbows on it.
Takes longer this way he ex-
planned.
She laughed and leaned sideways to
watch a swirl of red and yellow leaves
that went scudding along the surface
of the water like a fleet of toy sail
boats. The red of her tam O. shanter,
however, held more fascination for
him. At length the leaves whirIed out
of sight and she settled back in her
seat to feast her eyes upon lake and
trees and sky.
I'm so sorry for all the folks who
live in cities" she said.
She looked up inquiringly at the
question. He had snapped 1t out So
abruptly 1t puzzled her little. He
had begun padding, too. furiously.
''Why?" she repeated. why. be-
cause they miss all this.' She waved
a brown arm toward the rustling
woods that shadowed them. Wouldn't
you hate to miss ?" she queriea The
blades in his hand cut long swatf
before he answered.
II expect to miss it-after next
Sunday" he said.
"You-you mean-?" Her question
hung unfinished.
Yes. I'm going away-to the city,"
he said. dryly, with a pucker of his
mouth as If even the taste of the words
was bitter to him.
oh She bit her lips and tried
to go on speaking naturally. but her
brain appeared to be turning a somer-
sault-and no words came.
Yes" he went on duly, I'm going
away Decker has a fellow here now
VINO can take my place. They've given
me these last two days till college
opens to decide. Well, I've made up
my mind. I'm going to the city to
live in a hall bedroom and work in an
office-and sell rubber I'll Ioathe
selling rubber but I've got to stick to
living to ask a decent girl to marry
me. I'd rather stay here and go on
with my work than anything else on
earth, but III be damned If I'll ask
my wife to wear secondhand clothes
all her life or wear 'em myself. This
digging along forever on seventy-five
a month and board is getting my goat
Today this came. 1t was the last
straw" He drew the offending check
from his pocket and flipped it into her
! lap. She read it and met his eyes
when she had finished. TT don't
hHoW tudt DidIue you nucns Sne
said.
They SKINNED along for time
each waiting for the other to speak
When she had made up hef mind that
he never. expected to open his mouth
again. she gave in. "And-and how
! does-the girl-feel about it," she In
quired. THAT would make-sonle diff
ference-of course" Hours passed for
! her before he replied.
II haven't-asked her-yet," he
said hesitatingiy.
With a little shiver OF relief she
sank back in her seat and caught back
the smile in her eyes so that he might
not see. He went on clustering, man
fashion.
TT isn't unreasonable, is it. to want
enough to live on decently? I'm not
aspiring to plumbers wages, you
know, or anything like that; but hang
it, even teachers got to live"