The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-05-05
EUening Story
The Dissolution of ]. and MI.
BY JANE OSBORN.

Jane. Maud and Matilda. and they all
lived together in a little white house
in Hilton and taught school in the
Hilton public schools.
There's nothing to it," said Jean
one evening after the supper dishes
were out of the way, and the four had
gathered round the lamp that stood
on the center table of their living
room.
Nothing to what?'' said Jane, look
ing up from the algebra papers she
was correcting.
Nothing to school teaching" Jean
explained. You work like horse all
day with such big classes that about
all you can do is to keep order and
drive in enough facts to get the bright
children to pass at examination You
come home tired"
And what do you get?' Maud took
up the refrain.
"a bare existence" sighed Matilda.
"And you never meet any one" Jean
resumed. Look at a stenographer.
Doesn't have to know half as much as
a teacher and she meets men. She
gets married or else she starts in bust
ness by herself and makes good
money"
II don't care about getting married. -
said Matilda. But" she hesitated
and took a chocolate from the box of
open on the ldOEE-
Let's start in business. the four of
us" 1t was Jane who made the
proposition.
Then and there it was agreed that
they should go into business with a
capital B. In a few more months the
could start the day after school closed,
see how they made out, and if pros
poets were good they would all hand
in their designations by August That
pf school hoard tim
enough to get other teachers.
Lets make candy" said Jane, who
had followed MStiIda's example, and
was nibbling a chocolate cream. ''Su-
Chocolate is fifteen, and candy, that is
mostly sugar and chocolate, sells for
eighty cents a pound"
So it was agreed that they should
start a candy business. Also it wast
agreed that they should operate under
the name of the ]. & NJ. Company
Then some one suggested that they
must have capital. They must have
their wares They must start from
the first with good equipment. They
would need at least two thousand dol |
lars, and their combined savings made |
only one thousand. Some one must
get the necessary funds. and it was
easy for Jane to persuade the others
that Arthur Hayden, confirmed old
bachelor and shrewd business man, !
should be approached. He was the
towns richest man. He was most |
active in enforcing the latest amend |
ment in Hilton. The fact that pro- !
hibition had created a keen demand |
for candy ought to be a good argu- |
ment with him.
Lots were drawn, and before the |
school teachers retired that night it |
had been settled that Maud should |
undertake this quest of capital. The |
fates had decided wisely Maud was
a. r7d nTafraid She tanRht 1
S-B boys because she had a firm /
command of herself at all times. Her I
eye was dark and steady and shyness |
had been left out of her makeup.
So Maud went to see Arthur Hay /
den. Arthur Hayden did not want to /
see her He avoided her, but she was |
insistent- He was not especially at |
tracted by her brisk manner and did /
not feel that the town of Hilton need |
ed another candy store. Moreover, his |
own business, tho in a prosperous
condition, was in need of every bit of /
capital he could command. But Maud |
came home with her pledge of a thou |
sand dollars.
The next day she called again on |
Mr.. Hayden and that night announced |
herself as out of the compact.
''Mr. Hayden has offered me a sal !
ary that amounts to twice what I am |
making now. He wants me to begin |
as soon as school is over. My first
work will be to sell stock for Hayden |
& Co."
The fact was that Mr.. Hayden had !
been very favorably impressed with |
the selling ability of the young woman
who had actually been able to con- !
vince him to subscribe thousand dol
lars to a business enterprise in spite |
of himself. Mr.. Hayden called several |
times on the teachers and then one /
day he came with good news for Jane l
He was president of the local board |
of education. They were in need of
superintendent OF elementary /
schools and Mr.. Hayden, having !
looked up James record as teacher |
had decided. and convinced the board |
that she was the best candidate for 1
that position. This meant double |
James present salary, it meant an OPP |
portunity to use talent which she knew |
she possessed. So Jean and Matilda |
were sole survivors of the ]. e. NJ. |
company.
One hot day in July after school |
had closed they started to work in the 1
kitchen of the J. & NJ. company, where |
the temperature was ten degrees nigh |
er than it was in the sweltering streets |
OF Hilton. But Matilda stood over /
the kettles of boiling fudge and cara |
mels with undaunted spirit 1t was
she who had bought the equipment, |
she who had taken a~week to work in /
a large candy kitchen in New York, |
she who had bargained with the |
wholesale dealers for sugar, chocolate /
and other supplies. Jean, very limp, /
and with tears near the surface, was
behind the counter selling the products |
of the ]. & NJ. company to the Gus /
toners, who were numerous even /
within the first week of the enter
prise
Mr.. Hayden was a frequent Gus
toner. Sometimes he fingered for an
hour when purchasing a single box of i
candy. Sometimes he walked thru /
the well-equipped kitchen. looking /
with unhidden admiration at Matilda |
with her smooth blonde hair hidden |
beneath her little white cap. On such |
occasions it seemed as if jeans tears
were specially near the surface. tho /
Jean couldn't exactly have told why.
Then one dav HAYDEN had a long