The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-15
E0ening Story
An Easter Egg.
BY FREDERICK H.

thirtieth floor and looks down one will
probably not see more than a lighted
slit, with no suggestion of the=depth
below. Aforetime, however, when
people were not so cramped in their
building-or in their souls-stair-wells
were generous. In the oId-fashioned
four-story mansion, now a rooming
house, where Florence EIdgride lived,
| the stairs wound in a stately fashion
around a space a good 6 feet square,
reaching from ground floor to roof.
Florence, who lived on the third floor.
could peek over the banisterS and see
the second and first floors go about
stair-well; it spoke to her of ample
days gone by, of large hospitality and
easy-going lives, remote from the rush
and roar of modern times.
Florence lived alone in a little room
on the third floor, as we have said.
On the second floor lived a nice young
man. His name was Arthur Hayden,
and he worked in an engineers office
and got a perfectly amazing salary.
He and Florence had met over the
mail-table in the lower hall, and had
passed by ceremonious degrees from
a simple "Good-morning'' to There's
a letter for you. Aren't you the
lucky one! or some such polite
badinage.
The stair-well remained irnpassive
to any budding romance that might or
might not De DuTSeOnlnS on Il. 1t naQ
seen too many brides in its time to
grow excited over two young people
of opposite sexes who were getting
acquainted in its shadow. 1t seemed
to say to itself: IF those young folks
don't arrive at the point it isn't my
fault. They are emineEtly well suited,
and must say that the young lady is
by all means as lovely as any of the
brides who have wendell their way
over me in days gone by; but why
ch II int m F~IG
cratic stair-weIl, and it's none of my
business" Thus did the stair-weu
commune with itself in the night
hours, as stair-wells do, with little con-
Meanwhile Florence and the nice
young man continued to call each
other Miss Eldridge" ana "Mr. Hay
den" and to joke politely when they
saw each other, or make ~ remark
about the weather, or something like
that.
This went on for some months.
Winter showed signs of relaxing into
spring The cold was less intense.
The streets were slushy. The shops
displayed new hats. Everything point
ed to the coming of the benign season.
And Easter was at hand.
Florence bought herself a new hat
in celebration of the annual festival.
She also noted with some concern that
Mr.. Hayden showed no sign of any
springlike reaction. He remained as
lmpassiYe as ever His calmness be-
fore the advent of the goddess Easter
irritated Florence .subconsciously, and
she took to hanging over the stair
well when he went out or came in to
see if he had bought himself a bright
necktie, for instance, or had flower
in his buttonhole, or showed any of
the signs by which the male of the
species responds to the call of the
spring. The stair-well, wise in its
generation, allowed Florence to look
without hindrance, and even warned
her. by sundry creakings, when the
nice Mr.. Hayden was coming
Mr.. Hayden, in fact, should have
bought a new hat. His winter head
piece was several seasons old, and
showed it. 1t wasn't as tho he
couldn't afford it; he got, as we have
already said, a perfectly amazing sal
airy; but he just didn't. Some men
are that way. He continued to wear
his old felt, that looked like a coal
scuttle, Florence thought. She
watched him anxiously now. She
really took an interest in that hat,
and waited to see whether or not he
would get a new one. The stair-well
waited too 1t seemed to say to it
self: THAT young thing is falling in
love with that engineer and doesn't
know it. She thinks she is interested
in his hat. Ha, ha! Wait and seei"
Came the Saturday before Easter,
Florence returned at noon. In her
were six eggs. raw. She was going to
boil them that evening and give them,
next day, to some young friends of
hers. She mounted the stairs-they
seemed unusually creaky that day, as
tho they had something to say to her
and was just turning into her room
when she heard footsteps below her
and knew that Mr.. Hayden was COM
ing in.
he bought a new hat for Easter or is
he still wearing that awful old
thing?" She rushed to the banisters
and leaned far over to look at the
ascending Mr.. Hayden.
Eggs are : unstable things They
have no corners. and slip very easily. |
Anyway, the string on that paper bag
was not very tightly tied Florence, |
leaning over the stair-well, suddenly |
saw, with gasp of horror, something |
white and oval slide into view under |
her very eyes and descend in rapidly |
perspective. She opened
her mouth to scream, when Mr. Hay
apparently to look at the mail table. |
The egg and his hat arrived at the |
same point at the same time.
If the crash had been loud enough |
to wake seven cities it could not have |
stunned Florence more. She stared |
over the railing, unable to flee una Bile |
to cry out, held by a horrible fas- |
cination at the sight of the wreck that |
had been made of Mr.. Hayden's hat. |
He, on his part, after recovering from |
the blow-an egg falling two stories |
hits hard-took off his hat, held it SO /
It would not drip. and looked to see
who had ASA ulted him. His gaze met /
t1orence's. and for moment neither
spoke Then some demon of fire.
prompted her tongue
Happy EASTER" she called.
He was UP the stairs in it seemed
10 her. three steps. He stood con-
her, and the omelet that had
been his hat dripped sullenly in his
hand.
Did you do that?" he asked stern
y.