The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1921-08-10
A Successful
Failure
By FREDERICK HART

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60 1891. by Mcclure Newspaper syndcats.)
When Margaret Anderson started
the Blue Rose" tea room she had no
premoniuon Of failure. The neighbOr-
hood where she had rented her two
small rooms was quiet but pOpulOus;
there seemed to her to be good
chance for a place that advertised
home cooking and dainty surroundings.
She had a little money-enough, she
was sure, to keep going until the cred
It side Of her very new ledger should
show a balance In her favor. Her cook
ing she was sure Of her home train
ing had made her wafiies famous.
There would be no diniculty in train
ing any one she might obtain as as
. distant. Her heart beat high with
hope and when she had paid the hrst
months rent to the agent and taken
possession Of the little place with her
shiny new key she experienced a thrill
Of pride.
The expenses Of the first installa-
ton were heavier than she had imag-
ined; her helper demanded payment
In advance, and large payment at that;
the furniture she bought at second
hand stores. her good taste standing
her in good stead; silver, china, etc.
kitchen supplies-she had a very slen-
der balance left in the bank when she
had finished writing the checks. But
| for the first two weeks Of her month
| people came in streams to the little tea
room, as they always do to a new
place, and Margaret's unvarying serv-
Ice and the fame Of her waffles car
ried her through the breakers trium-
phantly II the attendance of success.
went on like this she was assured Of
Her eyes were brighter and her heart
very happy as she balanced her books
at the end of the first month.
Among the customers whom she had
begun to designate as regulars" was
young man who appeared for two
meals-breakfast and dinner-every
day. He was punctual to the minute
8 o'clock sharp for breakfast; 7:15 In
the evening for dinner. He was quiet
and polite, and never joked with her
or with Hilda, the maid, as some Of
the others did this fact Margaret sub
consciously noted In his favor. He
spent his breakfast time looking over
the morning paper. and his evening
meal seemed to be devoted as much to
figuring as eating; he would draw
diagrams on a slip Of paper which he
invariably carried in his pocket, eat
ing mechanically the while; Margaret
even experienced a feeling Of piQue
as he once allowed her wafies to get
cold. so absorbed was he in his strange
hieroglyphics. She laughed at herself
for this interest in him, which came
to her against her will. for she had
determined never to step over the line
established by convention between the
proprietor of tea room and one Of its
guests but she excused herself on tbs
ground that he was the most regular
of the regulars. and that she could al
ways count of him. mo one could
blame me for being interested in my
best customer" she said to herself
One morning, we'll on in the third
month of Margaret's venture, he ap
peared as usual for breakfast; the day
passed; o'clock arrived, and the
tables began to fill: 7:15-and Mar
garet found herself looking at the
door, expecting her "star boarder.' a!
she called him in her mind. But he die
not appear. Seven-thirty; still NJ
star boarder. At she gave him up
supposing that he had gone elsewher'
gave him up with pang at he
! heart which surprised her and dit
, not please her.
"You silly thing!" she said. address
ing herself. Hes nothing to you
What do you care whether or not b
comes here again? He's-yes, sir
eighty, ninety. one dollar-goo'
night" This last aloud to a depart
ing customer.
But he was not there the next morn
Ing nor all that day in fact, and whe
two days had passed without his real
pearance Margaret gave him up 70
lost and attended to her other Gu:
toners.
His departure seemed to have a ba
effect on her fortune, however, 70
Z when she balanced her books at tn
end of the month she found hersel
facing a deficit. Her success durin
I the earlier days Of her venture ha
3 been in a large degree the result Q
the curiosity which leads people t
e try new places; and even the exec
Y lence of her waffles had not been abb
e 20 hold many Of the palate-weary pas
/. srs-by who had come as an exper
9 ment. A new and flasher tearOOl
n had opened only q block away-a tel
}. room with Mattresses In smOcks an
4 aprons, with shaded lights and eve
!. the attraction Of q three-piece Orche
:. tra on Saturday afternoons. and man
O Of her customers had fed thither. A
!. Margaret sat alone at O'Clock on II
!. night of the S1st she reflected bitterl
}. that when she had written the la
check on the morrow there would
nothing left with which to carry on tt