The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-08
Eoening Story
A Successful Failure.
BY FREDERICK HART

l4AS 0A0S AN0oC Ca ANOOAAA oAAC A4AA
no premonition of failure. The neigh
borhcod where she had rented her
two small rooms was quiet but popu-
lous; there seemed to her to be a
good chance for a place that adver-
tised home cooking and dainty sur
roundings. She had little money
enough, she was sure, to keep going
until the credit side of her very new
ledger should show balance in her
favor. Her cooking she was sure of;
her home training had made her
waffles famous. There would be no
difficulty in training any one she
might obtain as assistant. 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 inn
agined; her helper demanded pay
Hent in advance, and large payment
at that; the furniture she bought at
secondhand stores. her good taste
standing her in good stead; silver,
china, ETC.; kitchen suppltes-she had
a very slender 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 Mar
fame of her waffles carried her thru
the breakers triumphantly. II the
attendance went on like this she was
assured of success. Her eyes were
she balanced her books at the end of
the first month.
Among the customers whom she
had begun to designate as regulars"
was a young man who appeared for
two meals-breakfas and dinner
- -
minutes o'clock sharp for break
fast; 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 subconsciously 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 eat
ing; he would draw diagrams on
slip of paper which he invariably
carried in his pocket, eating mechani-
cally the while; Margaret even expe-
rienced a feeling of pique as he once
allowed her waffles to get cold. SO alb
sorbed was he in his strange hero
glyphics. She laughed at herself for
this interest in him, which came to
her against her will, for she had de-
termined never to step over the line
established by convention between the
proprietor of a tea room and one of
it's guests; but she excused herself on
the ground that he was the most
regular of the regulars, ana that she
could always count on him. mo one
could blame me for being interested
in my best customer" she said to her
self.
one morning, well on in the third
month OF Margaret's venture, he ap-
peared as usual for breakfast; the day
passed; z O'Clock arrived. and the ia
20 Il nd Nh rat
found herself looking at the door, ex-
pecting her ''star boarder," as she
called him in her mind. But he did
not appear. Seven-thirty; still no star
boarder. At o'clock she gave hinn
up, supposing that he had gone else
where-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;
night" This last aloud to q depart
ing customer.
But he was not there the next
morning. nor all that day in fact, and
when two days had passed without his
temperance Margaret gave him UP
for lost and attended to her other Gus
toners.
His departure seemed to have q bad
effect on her fortune, however, for
when she balanced her books at the
end of the month she found herself
facing a deficit. Her success during
the earlier days of her venture had
been in large degree the result of
the curiosity which leads people to try
new places; and even the excellence
of her waffles had not been able to
hold many of the palate-weary pass
ers-by who had come as an expert
90
had opened only block AWAY tea
room with mattresses in smocks ana
aprons, with shaded lights and even
the attraction of a three-piece erehes-
ira on Saturday afternoons. and many
of her customers had fled thitheRs. AS
Margaret sat alone at Q o'clock en-
the night of the 31st she reflected Bit
terly 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!
The lights in the "Blue Rose' were
extinguisfled, all but one over her
desk. Before her was the ledger, once
the repository of her hopes, now the
record OF her failure. Outside the
street was silent save for an OCCASION
clock on the mantel struck $3.50. Mar
garet let her head fall on the pages
of the open book-and gave way to the
relief of tears.
A knock on the door startled her.
| Hastily she sat up, dabbing her eyes
with her handkerchief. Who could 1t
| be at this late hour? She thought
with a thrill of horror of collectors
who might have learned of her mis-
| fortune and descended vulture-like to
pick the bones. But the thought was
foolish, and she put it out of her head.
Courageeusly she went to the door
and opened 1t. I'VE don't serve after
s." she was beginning, when she
stopped with a little gasp. "Oh--its
you!" she exclaimed.
I Into the small circle eff light cast by
the desk lamp stepped the young man
/ her erstwhile star boarder. Eyes, u
he replied ungrammatieally, its me-
| Then he looked at her sharply, and