The Topeka state journal., 1919-10-22
EVENING STORY
A Ten-Cent Romance.
BY DORA NOLAN.

A lensCGnC romance.
BY DORA NOLAN.
Horace Burdetf might have had a
dozen affairs OF the heart-if. 1t was
no lack of time that was Responsible,
for Hora ce was crowding forty-five
very closely and he had reasonable
amount of leisure; nsr yet that he was
a mysogynist, for he was far from it.
1t was because he was that sort of
Nman.s--Horace was not. an heroic
figure.
He was under the medium height;
he was slender; his shoulders had
early acquired a scholastic stoop; he
wass snearrsighfed and had to wear
spectacles at all times from youth he
had nsta ken1y festered a mustaehe
that never grew up, and nature had
decreed that thru life he should wear
like baby who watches another baby
suclSSa caramel. And. he was fright
fully afraid of women.
| = Now Horace had his being in
large city. Ha gained his livelihood
in an office where his services were
appreciated and his hours short. He
had oceupied the same large alcoye
bedroom in a house presided over by
the same landlady for many years.
Thithers he repaired every afternoon,
with almost unfailing regularity. as
soon as his business duties were over,
for freshening and a change of raj
ment before his walk and shis dinner
at the same old restaurant. And he
always rode home on surface car
because he liked LIS" little and sub
ways less.
He never sat while a lady stood
albeit, he never got over the habit
of blushing as he surrendered his
place.
Came time when the great war
took away so many of the men that
the street car people put on women
Horace found some difficulty in ad-
justing> himself to this new order OF
things Women should Lead more
sheltered lives than making change
for souses and freshies and Jingllng
the starting bell and levering open
the rear door of a pay-as-you-enter
car But with a sigh he mentally adj
poitted that General Sherman was
probably right and that it couldn't be
helped.
4 There were a. great many cars on
that line. and from day to day horace
encountered a variety of conduetresses'
He did not greatly cotton to them.
Mostly they looked as tho they asked
hut the shadow OF an excuse to biff
Horace or any other passenger of
either sex in the eye
There was one, however. whose car
he frequently caught, on whom Hora ce
permitted his thoughts to dwell more
! than a little. She was a serious-faced
young woman with faraway 'eyes ana
probably good figure under her
shapeless uniform coat and puttees.
Horace noticed that somehow she
managed to keep her hands clean, and
he observed, with a tiny elation inside
| him, that none of the souses or
freshies ever got familiar with her.
Tho she was not moro than foot 3,
eI, n
way of looking clean over the heads
of the passengers. Horace finally fig
ured it out that she was the wife of
a soldier. away off overseas fighting
for his country.
Horace was one of those people who
always have the right change ready
as they embark on a enter.
, It's a poor rule that has no excep-
| ton, One day Horace found himself,
as he stepped. into the vestibulq of a
hemesgaing car, without single
nickel.
There was. dime, however. in his
| change pocket, and as he -fshed it out
and handed it to the conductress he
found himself ia cling a gray-eyed
| out even looking at Horace, took his
dime and handed him two nickels. Z
- One of these he dropped in the cars
rapacleusf glass NAV, and Fvas pro-
ceeding to a nearby seat, when he was
arrested by the commanding VOICE of
the conductress. Here, your she
called after him. Come back here."
Horace turned, to behold the young
weman's hand held out to him with
the ten-cent piece between thumb and
| forefinger and her eyes bent on him
| in blasting scorn. Here" she said
and the whole carload might have
heard-'take this thing back to the
ttnfoil factory. The company's quit
collecting to educate an erphan!"
In utter confusion, Horace auto
matieally ebeyed the peremptory sum
! MONS, He took the dime from the ex-
! tended hand and was eenfounded to
see that 1t was most palpable coun-
terfeit.
! Why eF-er-I-that is, assure
/ you, madam-''
Never mind about the assurances:
Just hand over regular United States
dime" The gray-eyed young woman
| was staring with Cynical unsympathy
into the embarrassed eyes of Mr. Bur-
dett.
Somehow Horace managed to find a
| quarter, and after critical look at it.
the conductress gave Horace fifteen
cents and turned to pull the door lever
for; a departing passenger.
Horace Burdett was profoundly
| mortified. Never before in all his life
had he been accused of dishonesty
| But as he sat ruefully contemplatine
| his own feelings he suddenly realized
tthat he didn't care a hoot what the
4 passengers thought of him.
What huft was that this gray-eyed
young woman, with a splendid hus-
/ hand overseas fighting-for his ceun-
1 try, should deem Horace an un-
worthy creature who passed counter.
1 felt dimes.
I Suddenly. as he covertly glanced al
his accuser and caught sight of the
| metal number on her cocky little milf
tary cap, Horace remembered that he
was well acquainted with the paymas-
ter of the street ear company, and a
trosqlve came upon him.
Next day Horace found from