The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1921-07-29
A Successful
Failure
By FREDERICK HART


When Margaret Anderson started
the "Blue Rose" tea room she had no
premOnitiOn of failure. The neighbOr-
hood where she had rented her two
small rooms was quiet but populOus;
there seemed to her to be a 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 waff1es famous.
There would be no difficulty in train
ing any one she might obtain as as
sistant, Her heart beat high with
hope; and when she had paid the first
months rent to the agent and taken
possession of the little place with her
shiny new key she experienced thrill
of pride.
The expenses of the first installa-
ton were heavier than she had mag
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 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 Margarets unvarying serv-
ice and the fame of her waff1es car
ried her through the breakers trium-
phantly. If 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; Z 10 in
the evening for dinner. He was quiet
and polite, and never joked with her
or with Hi1da, 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 waffieS to get
cold, so absorbed was he in his strange
She laughed at herself
for this interest in him, which came
to her against her will, for she had
never to step over the line
established by convention between the
proprietor of a tea room and one of its
guests; but she excused herself on the
ground that he was the most regular
of the regulars, and that she could al
ways count of him. "NO one could
blame me for being interested in my
best customer" she said to herself.
One morning, well On, in the third
month of Margaret's venture, he APP
peared as usual for breakfast; the day
passed; z o'clock arrived, and the
tables began to fill; 7:15-and Mar
garet found herself looking at the
door, expecting her "star bOarder," as
she called him in her mind. But he did
not appear. Seven-thirty;: still no
star boarder. At she gave him up,
supposing that he had gone elsewhere
gave him up with pang at her
heart which surprised her and did
not please her.
''You silly thing!' she said, address
ing herself. Hes nothing to you.
What do you care whether or not he
comes here again? He's-yes, sir;
eighty, ninety, one dOllar-good
night" This last aloud to- depart
ing customer.
But he was not there the next morn
ing, nor all that day in fact, and when
two days had passed without his reap
pearance Margaret gave him up for
lost and attended to her other Gus
toners.
His departure seemed to have bad
effect on her fortune, however, for
when she balanced her books at the
end of the month she found herself
facing deficit. Her success during
the earlier days of her venture had
been in a large degree the result of
the curiosity which leads people to
try new places; and even the excel
lence of her waffles had not been able
to hold many of the palate-weary pass
ers-by who had come as an expert
ment. A new and flasher tearoom
had opened only block away-a tea
room with mattresses in smocks and
aprons, with shaded lights and even
the attraction of a three-piece Orches-
ira on Saturday afternoons, and many
OF her customers had fed thither. AS
Margaret sat alone at 9 O'clock on the
night Of the 31st, she reflected bitterly
that when she had written the last
check on the morrow there would be
nothing left with which to carry on the
business. Steadily she had lost money
and hope had gone with the shrinking
balance.
Tho lights IN the "Rlue Rose were