The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-05-10
Eoening Story
Among Eight Hundred.
BY DORA MOLLAN.


Sam Johnson opened the door of the
room which he shared with his class
mate, Tom Fitch, to find the latter
| still at loggerheads with their mutual
chum, Chris Hatch, over those verita-
BILE Wandering Jew topics of discus
sion, the tariff and taxes. So had Sam
left them three hours before, when he
departed the university precincts to
pay a much dreaded call upon cousin
of his mother. The cousin, Sam had
| lucidly explained, taught something
or other in the neighboring city, and
lived at Hampstead House, -some sort
of an endowed hostelry for girl stu
dents"
"Whew!" Sam threw his six feet
of stature-onto the couch and elabor-
ately mopped his forehead with a
purple bordered handkerchief. "Whewi
| Eight hundred of them under one
roof Whew,"
Eight hundred WHAT" inquired
Tom. irritable at being interrupted in
the midst of an involved argument
"Girlsi" came the reply from the
couch. Girls, Short girls, tall girls,
| blonde girls, brunette girls. thin girls,
| fat girls, girls with short hair and long
| skirts, girls with long hair and short
skirts, young girls. old girls. girls by
! courtesy, blue eyed, black eyed, knock
kneed. bowlegged, ross-eyed-every-
thing but tongue-tied! Girls. Girlsi
| GIRLS!"
| 81 wonder now" commented Tom.
switched into his favorite thought
| track-for he aimed at becoming a
! government tatistician-''what the
percentage of fat ones would be
! among that number-and thin ones!
And as to names, how many Marys
| and
Speaking of Marys," interrupted
Sam johnson. sitting up and looking
at Chris Hatch curiously, 1 met one
| tonight, Mary Brown She said she
knows you, Chris, and wanted me to
ask you to come and see her.
Christopher Hatch said nothing; he
never did have anything to say con-
corning girls. Because he never men
toned knowing one or ever having
| known one he was dubbed "girl-shy.
| Now he gazed straight before him at
| something which the room did not
contain, then abruptly attempted to
| take up the argument where Sans en-
| trance had disturbed it.
! But Sam. impelled by some perverse
! impulse, blocked him. You haven t
the nerve to go there and call on that
girl, Chris. Why not be a sport and
autographed copy of oliver Twist
you haven't the courage to enter that
apartment lair of the deadly sex and
drag forth said Mary Brown to our
next informal dance!"
That Chris was intense in his ad-
| things, Sam well knew; and he knew
what delight it would be to him to
own that autographed volume. But
| he couldn't know what was going on
right then in Chris's mind regarding
a girl named Mary Brown-how he
came to the decision that, as that girl
had helped take from him the person
| he loved most in the world. as he be-
| ieved she had, he had a right to use
her to acquire something he coveted.
'-Fl take you up on that" Chris
said.
Sam" said Tom Fitch after Chris
had departed, IT wish you hadn't
egged Chris into calling on that girl.
! Brown was the name of the woman
his father married, and there was a
| daughter. Chris hates them; hasn't
had anything to do with his old man
| since'
"whew.' said Sam. But it can't
be the same one, Tom. She was big
chemical blonde!'
| When Chris Hatch stepped into the
lobby of Hampstead House it was
! o'clock and the time of the evening
mail distribution. The place was full
| of fluttering feminity- Yes, Miss
! Mary Brown was in and would see
him. Chris subsidized into the nearest
! chair, and, placing his soft hat upon
| his stick, solemnly twirled it around
! and around, intently watching it the
while. Then a voice said:
why, Mr.. Hatch. This is q pleas
| ant surprise!'
girl whose flaxen hair was brushed
straight back into q soft bob at the
| back of her neck and whose blue eyes
did not quite voice the pleasure her
words had expressed.
/ The opening speech Chris had so
carefully prepared crawled into some
hidden corner of his brain and Knocked
him. On all sides bright eyes ap-
| praised him; ears, from their coverts
of hair, listened.
There's a good picture at che En-
pre- he blurted. would you like to
go?"
I'll be ready in a jiffy." The girls
voice betrayed amusement. All al
once and for the first time she under
stood this tall solemn young mamie
was bashful, woman-shy-and that
was what caused all the misapprehen-
sionsl
Chris emotions that evening were
mixed pickles. sweet and sour. After
all, she was such a little thing, this
girl, and so pretty-he hadn't remem-
| bered how pretty she vast would
only be the decent thing if he took a
protective interest in her. Then again
mo he'd be dinged if he would He'd
use her to win that bet and that would
be the end of it. 1t was what she de-
served
1t happened on the day following
the making of the bet that Sam John
son contracted a cold which grew
worse and developed into pneumonia
Meantime Chris brought Mary Brown
to the semi-weekly dance at the frat
house where the three friends lived
Chris did not dance, but the girl did
and made quite a hit. Immediately
upon his return from seeing her safe
ly back to the city, Chris went to Sans
bookcase and took therefrom the
autographed copy of "O1iver Tyist."
The story of the wager had gotter
about, but the real interest came wher
Chris appeared at the next Informal
with the girl, and it was reported thai
they had been seen together severa
times in the city. Chris beauing a CIR