The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-12
EoeningStory
Bird Talk.
BY r. RAY BAKER.

| BY X. RAY BAKER
| ''Chirrup. chirrup," remarked the
canary in the living room.
! "Chirrup, chirrup," responded the
canary in the dining room.
'Chirrup, chirrup," observed the
canary in the kitchen.
! 'Chirrup. chirrup, chirrup, chirrup."
echoed chorus of canaries from the
three bedrooms. the bathroom and the
library.
There was yellow bird for every
room in Miss liberia Bronsons big
old house. They had possession
"Auntie's canary crazy" Phoebe
Hewitt, her niece. was wont to re-
mark. You can't turn around with
out running into cage. Still, rather
like them myself"
Aunt liberia raised the birds be-
| cause she loved them. Frequently
there were additions to her family of
lsongsters, but she never parted with
one of them
Phoebe was sitting at the kitchen
window, looking into the green forest
which fringed the house at one side
and the back. She was waiting for
the water to heat so she could wash
the dinner dishes. The telephone had
called her aunt to town, half-mile
distant. on business matters, and
Phoebe who spent the summers with
her relative, had offered to put the
house to rights.
AS she sat there she fell into a
reverie, and little smile played about
her full red lips, and something like
a blush showed thru the tan of her
face. A shaft of sunlight, finding its
way thru the window, blended with
her hair, which was of a soft yellow
hue.
The blush was occasioned by her
thoughts, which had to do with Philip
Weldon, whom she expected to marry.
Philip had asked her and she had
half consented. She had not fully
promised, because-weli, she was not
besides. 1t had been somewhat sudden.
She had not suspected that Philips af-
lection went quite that deep.
There was no good reason why
Phoebe should not marry Philip. He
came of the wealthiest family in
saying such a great deal, for Sparks
burg was small place. but the We'll
dons were the best family, socially and
financially speaking, in the COM
munity. Besides, Philip had real Gull
ture; he was a college man and was
only spending the summer at his
home.
AS Phoebe watched from the win
dow she saw something that brought
her out of her abstraction. The some
thing was a young man, unusually big
of build, CARRIED in rather rough gar
menLS, VINO was SdunleIlnS dliOuS LIE
nearby path, camera dangling from
a strap around his shoulder. n
Jeff Cummings" she said. and just
then he looked toward the house.
raised his hat to her and walked on,
his pace Quickening slightly. Phoebe
nodded, but that was ALL
Jeff was the only man besides
Philip who had ever played a very i'm
portant part in her life. She had be-
come acquainted with him the pre-
viouS summer and they had spent
many hours 5bgether roaming the
greatly.
Jeff also was college man, but his
alma mater was an agricultural school
instead of a university. like Philips.
His parents lived on a big farm and
were fairly well to do
The only objection Phoebe had had
to Jeff was his uncouth ways. She
more than half suspected that they
were put on-that he delighted in old
clothes and rough speech. On several
occasions, in fact, he had surprised
her with E. flow of perfect language,
but this always was when he was dis
cussing nature, which seemed to be
strong hobby with him.
When the present summer had be-
gun Philip had been the first of the
two to come home FROM school, and
he took q fancy to Phoebe at the start.
occurred the event that caused the
rupture of relations between him and
Phoebe. The event was a fistic en-
counter between Jeff and Philip, in
which the latter was badly worsted.
Phoebe detested displays of brute vio-
lence, and when she learned that the
fight had been in some way connected
with her she promptly notified jeff
that his attentions were no longer
desira Bile.
:
after Jeff disappeared into the woods.
but the singing of the tea kettle told
her the water was sufficiently warm
for the dishes and she went to. work !
She had only got nicely started. how
ever, when there came a knock at the
kitchen door. and when she opened 1t
Philip Weldon, smiling and immacu-
late. carrying a rifle. stood there
Going into the woods-hunting,"
he announced. Want to come
along?"
She pointed to the stack of dishes
Cant" she told him. What are
you going to hunt?"
'Oh, anything probably nothing. I
just carry this little weapon for COM |
partnership. See you on the way back. |
maybe"
He left and Phoebe ratified thel
dishes, somewhat piqued. Jeff had /
aided in washing the dishes more than |
once; but, then, Jeff was uncouth- |
and he was a fighter, a ruffian. |
Phillips culture had no place in dish |
water.
AS Phoebe finished the dishes her |
aunt came back, sputtering something
about Outrageous fees charged by |
lawyers" She forgot about business |
worries. however. and began a tour |
of inspection OF her pets.
''You poor Gears," she told the |
canaries. you've been shut up in
those stuffy little cages all day. You're |
going TO have a little freedom"
Kindness was Miss Bronson's out |
standing virtue. Every day the cana- !
ries were given the liberty of the house |
for an hour, so they could stretch /
their wings, as she phrased it.
While her aunt was freeing the !,
birds Phoebe went to her room to /
change her dress. She had just COM
pieted the change when Miss Bronson |
burst into the room, shaking with ex- |
citement.
atLIr,rr,, PhnahaI,s she. cried ssrrhe |