The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-15
Eoening Story
Redemption of Doughnuts.
BY Z. RA7 BAKER.

I Gals made many a sage forecast life
| of fame for her in the films.
Wayne was the only young man to
be shown partially in her distribution
! of favors. She treated all her suitors
very sweetly but to Wayne she gave
her love, and it was certain that his
financial or social standing had moth
ing to do with his being honored.
Wayne was an orphan. but his uncle
had adopted him and left him all his
property when death stepped in a few
years back. The property consisted Of
| a piece of scrub land on the village
outskirts and a ramshaclkle house ON
it. Wayne, at 20, dwelt in the shack
land clerked in Hannaford's grocery.
The death of Virginia's father put
her in the orphan class with Wayne.
When probate court got thru Virginia
| had the family roof over her and that
was all. In order to make a living
she opened a bakeshop in the FROM of
the house. And that was where the
trouble started
Wayne objected to the bakeshop.
He had higher ideas for his fiancee.
Why couldn't she teach music or be-
come a gymnasium instructor, or even
go to California and get into the films?
he wanted to know.
because none of those things ap-
! peal to me as a means of support"
I she retorted. II like music and ath-
letics and theatricals as a pastime, but
for making money I prefer mixing
dough-
The Haggard bakeshop did a good
/ business, and the big, brown sugared
doughnuts made there proved its prin-
cipal advertising medium. People
came from all over the country to buy
| Virginia's doughnuts.
| The greater the prosperity OF the
/ bakeshop business the stronger be-
came Wayne's protests
why don't you get into Nsom ethinS
else yourself?" she flared up at him
don't seem to be doing SO much.
Clerking in a grocery isn't much
ahead of mixing dough"
1t was Wayne's turn to flare.
| "All right; all right. Have 1t your
way. I'll show you" he grated, and
he seized his hat and walked to the
door.
Virginia protested, but he opened
the door and strobe out into the night
and out of Virginia's life.
| The next morning an out
bound interurban car carried among
| its passengers one Wayne Wilson with
1 a dismal looking suitcase in his hand
and a fire in his heart. He flung all
| other thoughts but success to the
winds. and in ten years he was owner
of string of prosperous grocery
stores in Portland. He had needed
] just some such taunt the one Vir-
ginia hurled at him to make him get
out and hustle.
Fifteen years after he left Carlton
| Wayne was sordid money maker.
The one romance of his life was all
but forgotten. A hardened bachelor
| of thirty-eight was Wayne WILSON
not a woman hater, because women
J did not play a sufficiently important
part in his life to be hated.
Then he decided 1t was time to take
! a vacation and he travelled along the
coast from Vancouver to Lower Cali
| fornia. On his way back to Portland
he decided to visit Carlton-not for
any particular reason, but just to look
body. If he gave Virginia a thought
it was to vision her indistinctiy, per-
thaps as the wife of Bud Jenkins or
Jimmie Upton.
| At rose City he left the steam train
and transferred to a. decrepit interur
| ban car.
The ancient car ratified and groaned.
| and shook the ambition out of Wayne
and made him sleepy, so h. dosed
| with an elbow on the sill.
| When he awoke from his nap it was
night and he felt a sharp gnawing in
his stomach. He looked at his watch
and saw it was IL o'clock. To his sur
prise the car was not III motion. He
could hear voices outside and saw two
men. whom he remembered as fellow
n.
cigars glowing in their mouths. Wayne
was alone in the car except for
| woman who sat some distance away
with her back toward him.
Wayne reused himself, went outside
and accosted the two men.
Have we gone past Carlton?''
II should say not" one of them an
swered. I'VE aren't half way there
yet. We haven't any power. The third
| rails absolutely dead-has been for
|
a ten-mile hike to the nearest teIe-
phone. Believe me, this is a dismal
place to be dumped. Right out in the
wilderness. fifteen miles from any
road. We're out of luck"
Wayne groaned. Next to grabbing
money he liked eating. and his stoin-
aeh had been out of job eight hours.
I'm starving" he complained.
isn't there a chance for feed?'
The two men smiled.
There's just one way I know Of
said one of them. There's a lady in
the car who has some provisions with
her. and she filled us up. I've seen
her before on this run. She has a
store in Rose City and another at
Carlton. Perhaps if you'd ask her
she'd give you some doughnuts.'
Wayne WINGED and tried to convince
himself he wasn't hungry. Dough-
nutsi Not for sixteen years had he
eaten one.
looked at the lady in front of him. II e
resumed his place at the window and
tried to sleep. hut his stomach would
MT let him. He pictured mentally a
nice. large. brown. sweet doughnUt
with a hole in it. and his mouth
watered.
''I'lI not do it, he said determined
". and shifted his position He closed
his ewes. but the action Ia d no effect
on his stomach.
I'm stcrving." he groaned- shoe
leather would taste good
WAYNE heard a noise at his side and
turned to see the lady passenger hold
ling out a cardboard box in which re-
tposed a half dozen tempting-Iooking
dough nuts.
Have one" she said with q dazzling
smile. she could not have been more
than thirty-fiye.
wavpe SIN tired to resist tempta-