The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-27
Eoening Story
Rose Terry's Scholarship.

those among the citizens of Tatum
who figured it out that the women had
adopted a roundabout way of raising
two hundred dollars. Old 81 Bradley
actually went to figuring about il. and
the afternoon before the performance
in the new theater he gave out as his
opinion that it had cost the folk of
Tatum some thousand dollars in cold
cash to raise that two hundred.
Just in the Bradley family alone it
had cost nearly twenty-five dollars on
d conservative estimate. Jenny. Sis
daughter, was taking minor part.
She had had to get her own costumes.
Not counting the things that she had
had to make but could use later these
costumes had cost her eight dollars
had had to give up two evening music
lessons for evening rehearsals and
Jenny got a dollar a lesson. That
came to over ten dollars.
Then there were tickets for all the
Bradley Family and a taxi to take
Jenny to the dress rehearsal the night
before, as it had rained, and Jenny
had been so busy over the rehearsals
that she hadn't been able to help her
mother, so they had had to get in a
sewing woman three days to help with
the spring sewing. And so it had
come altogether by careful figuring to
$22.75. This was barring the possible
necessity of a taxi to take Jenny to
the play that night, and it looked like
rain, as we'll as the probability that
Jenny would be all played out after
ward and would need a doctor and
medicine.
What 81 Bradley was arguing was
that it wasn't worth while If the
folks of Tatum wanted to give a
scholarship. thru the Browning So
ciety, they should be assessed just so
much. Then tAere wouldn't have to
be any play and he wouldn't have to
go thru the order of sitting thru it.
Roger Maplewood, Mr.. Bradley's
companion in arms. added his quota
of argument against such perform
ances. It would cost even more than
Mr.. Bradley had figured. For he knew
1t for a fact that the Wentworths
were going to be quite bit out of
pocket. Jim Wentworth was going to
take a part and at the last minute he
had been called away on business. He
couldn't throw the thing over the last
minute that way. So he had to tele-
graph to some fellow he knew taught
English in some college somewhere
and knew Browning from A to q, and
get him on to take his place. This had
meant Jim Wentworth had to pay this
professors carfare, and that the Went
worths would have to have company
dinners. No, it wasn't worth while.
According to Roger Maplewood there
W dol1 dItE 1SdSO4I WHY IAAS ClliZCAAo VI
Tatum should give scholarships any
way. If girl hadn't enough money
to get an education she could go to
work in Il factory of somebody's kit
chen. College educations were for
children of the. well-to-do, not for
poor folk.
This discussion took place aboard
the local trolley car of Tatum. and it
was audible to the few passengers
because Roger Maplewood and ST
Bradley always sat on opposite sides
of the car and threw their remarks
back and forth.
Rose Terry, going from high school
to the farm house where she worked,
was one of the passengers. This was
dnfortunate. For Rose Terry was the
one out of the seventeen or eighteen
who had applied for the scholarship
who had been selected by the Brown
ing club-as the beneficiary. She was
twenty-six and settled. That was what
finally decided the matter. In other
words she wouldn't do what unappre-
ciative beneficiaries of the clubs
bounty had done before-just go thru
waste her education. The club wanted
to be sure that IL they helped a girl
to go thru college she was going to
spend her life teaching afterwards. If
she was the kind that would get mar
ried, why waste the education?
EtOS6 46IIy was twenty-five LI1G
year before when she went to work
with a farmer in return for her board
and then started in at the high school.
She had been able in one year to make
up for the neglected education of her
girlhood and prepare herself for COL
lege. She had not applied for the
She had expected to go
on working with the farmers family.
But the committee had heard of her
and had persuaded her to make her
She had boen selected
and now the committee had asked her
to sit in the front seat along with the
officers of the Browning club. No,
they didn't want to make a spectacle
Of her. only if any one should want to
point her out they could do so easily.
This overheard conversation be-
tween 81 Bradley and Roger Maple
wood had not lightened her spirits es-
pecially. She was leaving school at
that afternoon. Then there would
be a room or SO to sweep, the cake to |
make, table to set, supper to serve. |
dishes to wash and then she must
dress in her best cotton wolfe and
catch the O'Clock trolley back to Ia |
tum..
She was tired and pale when she
met Mrs. Gray. the president of the |
club, that evening, and somehow Mrs |
Gray took something of satisfaction. |
The paleness and tiredness made her |
look all the more settled. Secretly |
Mrs. Gray would have enjoyed leading |
Rose up on the stage between the acts
and presenting her to the audience as
the one they had selected as their |
beneficiary.
All eyes were focused on the stage
when the curtain rose. 1t was Profess |
sor Moore who received immediate at
tention. He was the substitute who
had been imported at the last minute. |
Not only was he a stranger but the |
tones of his voice and the obvious
sureness of his action were new to the |
inhabitants of Tatum. The general |
comment was that he seemed like a |
regular actor. The attention was so
thoroly focused on this imported per-
former that few of the audience no.
dced a little furry in the front row
when Rose Terry slid from her seat a |
supine heap on the floor or later, |
when half conscious and supported by |
Mrs. Gray's strong arm. she made |
her exit before the performance had |
more than begun.