The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-05-03
Euening Story
A Tip From the Waitress
BY HAYDEN ]. PRICE.

|
people whose betrothaI was fastened
by the departure of the young man in
the case for France.
They had become engaged in May
| of 1918, two weeks before Jimmy left
to take out a years membership in
| the A. Z. F. In fact, it was June,
1919. when Jimmy got out of the
army and rediscovered the function of
taste as a means of enjoying ones
meals. 1t wG3 July when he went
back to the office
| Elsie also worked in an office in
New York. But Elsie was essentially
a me-builder; hers was the domes-
tic temperament. OF course, she be-
lieved in suffrage and was eager for
the vote, but temperamentally she
was not suited Nor forum or soapboX
really the same thing. She looked
I forward to building home. As she
committed from Long Island her ride
home at evening was spent in antici-
pating the day when she'd be able to
say to herself as she rode to work:
The last day of this"
| But Elsie Jimmy, like thou
sands of other young couples turnout
| the land, had to face the inevitable
economic readjustment following the
war. When Jimmy had gone into
service he had been only a year out
| of college and as he had begun at
! the bottom with a large corporation,
MS salary was SuCn lndL ne Was HOh
rated high in Bradstreet's. The year
and more that he spent in the army
| hadn't exactly helped matters in this
! regard, either. Jimmys pay in France
had gone to buy omelets in order TO
supplement the MESSIAH fare.
When he got back to civil life Jim
my went back to the corporation. His
salary was higher, but it was still far
from impressive. So Jimmy and Elsie
found themselves in rather com
pick psychological situation. They
| had been engaged nearly two years,
| for two to live on, even if he bought
their clothes at fire sales and had
eggs but once a week.
| There comes, in the psychological
! development of love, a tide in the at
fairs of men (snd women) which
| must be taken at its flood in order to
avoid a reaction and stalemate; time
when progressive action must be taken
| in order to avoid retrogression. Such
a time had come in the love of Jimmy
and Elsie. With the glorious courage
of youth they decided to marry. Elsie's
decision to continue at work made this
| possible. Jimmy realized what it
meant for Elsie to postpone that
anticipated exclamation, the last day
of this
The young lovers met at noon every
! day and had lunch together at a mod
crate priced little restaurant conven-
| iently close to their respective offices.
| They took the same table daily and
daily they left the same modest 10-cent
! tip. Across from them a gruff but
prosperous man sat daily. He could
afford a more pretentious restaurant
! but patronized the Mayflower because
of its convenience to his brokerage OF
| flee. His gruffness was in sharp con-
| trast to the pleasant attitude Of Jimmy
and Elsie, and no one realized this
I l,N 1wu-fwr
from the snatches of conversation that
| the young lovers were none too pros
porous, and also that the long-delayed
| marriage was at last to take place
about four months hence. the waitress,
| an incurable romantic, resented the
gruff old mans prosperity. If she
| had had the power she would have
transferred his prosperity to the young
lovers.
Now the waitress knew that every
penny counted with them. Her SYM
pathetic interest in their romance led
to a curious reaction against the gruff
man who sat opposite. She decided to
save each day the quarter tip the gruff
Mr. Barker left her and also save the
| 10-cent tip that Jimmy left her.
Twenty-Five cents from Mr.. Barker
was no pinch at all, at all. Jimmy
and Elsie, by comparison of incomes,
were far more generous, she figured.
Mary Hogan then decided to save
Jimmy's dime and Mr.. Barker's quar-
ter each day until the end of June.
| The months went by, as months in
| variably do. The end of June was
| only week away and Jimmy and
Elsie became more eDgrossed in each
| other every day. Mary Hogan felt
justified in catching phrase of their
| conversation to know on just what day
the wedding was going to take place.
! She eventually heard the date. 1t was
to be June ga week away. That
| night, in her little room Mary Hogan
counted the silver in a little metal
| box. Jimmys dimes for ninety-five
days and Mr.. Barker's quarters for
| ninety days came to the neat sum of
| $3.50. Mary smiled to herself in
anticipation of the surprise that she
would see on the faces of the young
pair.
On June 81. two days before the
big event, Mary took the little metal
| box to the restaurant with her. When
Jimmy and Elsie came in they greet
ed her more pleasantly than ever.
when MI. Barker came in he was
| gruffer than eyer. Mary herself was
almost happier than ever Jimmy and
| Elsie finished their lunch sooner than
Mr.. Barker.
Just as Jimmy reached for his straw
hat Mary placed the little box in
front of him.
open it" she said to Jimmy
What is it's it for me?" asked
Jimmy, puzzled.
mo" said Mary. with trace of
brogue. tits for both of you. Open
It" Jimmy lifted the lid In the box
he and Elsie saw dimes and quarters,
lseveral handfuls of them.
What on earth is this?" asked
Jimmy.
Read the paper and see," answered
Mary.
There was little folded piece of
paper on top of the coins. Jimmy
opened the note and read:
Dear Jimmy and Elsie: / knew
back in February that you were going
to be married in June. And it takes
money to be married. So I've saved
all the dimes you left me as tips and
all the quarters that old crouch across
the way left me. He only left tips so
he'd get quicker service anyway. 49,
stIY7 this hox fho dit,1as nd n,,a