The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-21
EDening Story
A Question of Furniture.
~BY II. IRVING KING


Charles and Marian had been get
ting along beautifully Furniture was
the rock on which they split. Or
rather-ato improve the metaphor
furniture was the rock which divided
the stream of their tranquil love and
split it into two angry torrents. 1t is
always sad when loves young dream
gets sundered in this way. They were
humble people, Charles Corbin and
Marian Clay. He was a bookkeeper,
working in the city ten miles away,
and she assisted" at the soda water
fountain at the village pharmacy.
It was-over the great marble coun-
ter in front of the fizzing fountain that
Charles fell in love with her. To see
Marian draw a raspberry plain or
concoct a chocolate sundae was to see
Hebe herself dispensing the nectar OF
the gods. At least that was the way
it seemed to Charles. Their courtship
had been a long one, for they had both
been saving up tor start Housekeeping.
And now Charles father, had given
him pretty cottage Both Charles
and Marian had each a nice little nest
egg laid aside, so they fixed the day
and began to buy furniture-for their
nest with their nesteggs. Marlans
parents approved and SO did the par
ents of Charles. Charles received a
raise of salary and Marian gave up
her place at the soda water fountain.
The buying of the furniture for the
new home was a perfect plenishing
orgy with the lovers. They spent car
fare recklessly-and wandered from one
city furniture shop to another until
they had examined and discussed
enough SOFAS chairs, tables, ETC., etc,
to have furnished the city hall. They
agreed wonderfully well upon their
selections, and when there happened
to be a little difference of opinion,
upon the ACCESSIBILITY of buying any
certain piece they had a charming way
of giving in to each other Onth ~
came to question of one corner OF
the living room, then there came
iangling chord in the harmony; the
music of their lives was tazzed:
Marian wanted to buy for that fatal
corner a little three-cornered taole
they had seen in one of the city SHOPS,
while Charles decidedly fancieo hol
Imitation mahogany pedestals with GIT
trimmings In a vision ne saw him.
self able at some future time to place
"a marble bust upon it-possiply one
that resembled Marian.
but that1 such a cheap looking
thing" said Marian, referring TO the
but it isn't cheap, my dear re-
piled Charles; sit is marked
"I don't care what it costs, retcre"
ed Marian, -"it looks cheap. and be-
sides, it 10 in wretched taste
And that was the beginning OF IT.
Each thought the other was unrea-
soma bleAand both were. nave
Charles" said Marian when the dis
cuss:on had lasted over several days
and showed no signs of coming nearer
to a conclusion. 81 have given way
to YOU in everything before, but this
tino I must insist that you pay soma
regard to nay wishes"
"Given way to me?" exclaimed he.
''Why, have let you choose whatever
you Hked-always. Am L TO nave
nothing to say?"
And so it went until Marian wrote
Charles a letter saying that "all was
over between them She was of the
opinion that they could never be
happy together after marriage if be-
fore marriage such vast difference
of taste and character was apparent
between them. She returned his en-
gagement ring and hoped he would
be happy with some one more suited
to him than herself" She would keep
her key (they were both provided
with keys of the cottage and had been
accustomed to visit 1t separately. or
together whenever the fancy seized
them to gloat over their future para
disc and reVel in little touches of re-
arrangement)- she would keep her
key until they could arrange some d.
vision of the furniture; upon that
matter she would take proper advice"
Charles wrote back stiffly begging
that she would consider the furniture
as hers entirely. 1t might come in
handy when she was married to some
one more worthy of her. than himself.
To this she replied that after that she
would have nothing whatever to do
with the +old furniture But some
how she forgot to send him her key
for the cottage.
Charles's father said: well, well,
marry. the girl or not, just as you
please-but it's always best to let the
woman run the house. They will do
it anyway" Marian's mother said:
MY dear, it's always best to humor
men in little things-it makes them
much easier to MANAGE"
The cottage was all ready for oc-
cupancy-alI ready except that fatal
corner which, bare and blank, seemed
to be casting a blight over the unin-
habited house. One evening Marian