The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-20
Eoening Story
Consequently.
By DORA NOLAN.

land. Caused by a word of three let
ters-though a certain often quoted
general Of the civil war fame pre-
ferred to spell it with four-its conse-
quences could not be enumerated were
all the letters of the alphabet utilized
in every possible combination.
But to quote just two.
John Smith, who, with the help of
a friendly pull, had climbed into a
snug little seventy-five dollar berth in
that fairyland called FINLAND soon
after his discharge from the service,
found himself gently but none the less
firmly kicked out with the cushion of
an extra weeks pay to ease the jolt.
Deciding that sixty a week might have
to do while the depression lasted, John
ended by accepting forty-and being
mighty glad to get 1t.
Mary Brown was the other victim
in whom we are interested. Mary
found herself unceremoniously showed
off the thirty-five dollar rung of the
salary ladder and with difficulty
caught on to the one numbered twenty
five. But Mary was a sunny-souled
person with a liking for budgets. She
set aside little sums for this and for
that and kept track of them after her
own fashion.
So It did not take on Mary's part
weeks of trying to make twenty-five
dollars do the work of thirty-five-in
vain. She moved at once to a cheaper
neighborhood and a cheaper room.
Mary could no more resist making a
home of any place where she happened
to hang her hat than a bird can with
stand building nest in the spring. So
it was a Tight housekeeping room,
of course, and it cost Mary a sum
which her budget instinct told her was
out of all proportion to her income,
but If one must have a home in these
days OF profiteering pirates, why one
must pay the price.
John Smith, on the other hand,
came down by stages. Being in incli-
nation stranger to personal accounts
and by nature an optimist he gave up
his two rooms at SIS month for one
at $50 and considered his organ
ization on smaller capital completed.
OF course John had it to do over
again; and finding himself one Thurs
day with a 5o-cent piece to last till
Saturday convinced him Of that. So
it happened that he took the Sc non
housekeeping room next to Mary's
some three weeks after she had
moved in.
They had been a busy three weeks
for Mary. For after business hours
she had arranged and rearranged her
few lares and penates, made over her
curtains to fit the windows and de-
signed and carried out various cam
oflagues which transformed her own
room into four with imaginary chalk
marks in lieu OF walls.
Mary arose promptly every morning
at 6, prepared herself a dainty break
fast, a neatly wrapped-in-the-wa
paper lunch for the midday repast
and set her home in order for the
day. At night she fastened back
carrying bags of various sizes. From
their contents she concocted meals on
which no hundred-a-week chef could
Improve upon were he given the same
materials to work with. If Mary
sometimes wished that she might ex-
pertinent with twice the quantity of
ffoodstuffs and perhaps receive a COM
I<pf1ment, verbal or otherwise, upon her
culinary skill from some one. who
might just naturally belong ON the
opposite side of the little table-well,
it would only go to show that she was
the very human, normal sort of girl
she looked to DO.
As for John Smith. he ate in res
taurants. Twenty per week. John had
And, at that, he>was indifferently well
fed. There was a door between Mary's
room and Johns, a typical between.
occupied-rooms, rooming house door,
locked on both sides and all the crew
ices stuffed with denim or something.
Whatever it was it did not keep out
delicious doors of boiling coffee and
broiling chops. To John these aromas
seemed sort of intangible and in the
end disappointing cocktail. creating
an appetite which restaurant meals
could not satisfy.
OF course John and Mary met &C.
casionally as they passed in and out,
and or course they took a healthy in
terest in each other, for they were
young. I'D like that girl; she's the
confided to his pipe. He allowed him
self to dream a bit before his sober
Judgment made an answer, ION forty
per? You poor nutt"
Then came a day when 1t rained,
rained, rained. John came home
rather wet, and after changing de-
cided that he would not go out again
in ST CHI a downpour, even if he starved.
So he sat down with magazine,
thinking, perhaps to substitute food
for thought for the more material va
riety.
By chance he opened to the adver-
tisements. So it happened that the
firse thing his eyes lit upon was a
triumph of realism in art. a steaming.
juicy steak, over which a white
ing somebody's sauce. Simultaneous
", thru the invisible chfnks in the
connecting door, stole palate-tickling
aroma. 1t might have emanated from
jerking his still dripping raincoat
from the hook where he had hung it
to dry. The wind blew against the
window with increased violence. AS
he hesitated there came a short, sharp
scream from the other side of the
door. Something had gone wrong in
there, that was surei
John ran from his room and out
thru the hall. With his hand on the
knob of the girls door he called.
! Anything the matter? Can't be of
any heIp?"
"Ohi" came a distressed voice, my
lovely steak It's on firel"
John pushed open the door and in
a second took in the situation. Mary
Brown stood gazing he1plessly at a
miniature gas stove, whose internal
regions, like a latent volcano, sizzled
and Missed. Black smoke poured from
an opening. did you turn off the
gas ?" John asked, and in the same