The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-24
Eoening Story
Where Men We're Scarce,
By MONA COWLES.


BY MONA COWLES.
Jane Burchard in college had vowed
that she would never teach. She had
been encouraged by the success that
had met some of the girls who had
graduated from Reynolds college in
war days. But the men were back
from the war. and wartime stress
was over. The situation became ap-
| parent to Jane Burchard when. a week
after her graduation from Reynolds,
she discovered the best job that she
could find thru the aid of agencies
and newspaper want advertisements
! was that of a learner in a candy fac
tory at $12 a week or a job selling
ribbons in a department store at SIS.
So Jane decided to teach. But she
knew her friends and classmates
would not forget the derisive remarks
she had expressed anent the teaching
profession.
1T know why you don't want to
| teach" her young brother had ex-
planned. You think teachers never
meet any men, get to be old maids and
never marry. You're afraid you won't
get a husband
Jane Burchard was annoyed. "Pre-
| cious little use I have for men, she
snapped. "And just to show you, I'm
going to start in teaching next au-
| tumn"
But Jane didn't want to face the
| inquiring faces of her friends after she
| had begun her career as a teacher
so she chose to select from the posi-
lions offered to her that of teacher in
a district school in a remote end of
the state. 1t helped little to feel that
| she was filling a job that no one else
wanted. A special appeal had been
made for teachers for these remote
districts where several schools had
actually been closed down because no
one could be induced to take the posi-
tions. Moreover she wanted to show
/ that men didn't count in her career.
Human beings of all descriptions
were scarce in the rocky region
around Berwick district school, but
men-yeung men-were singuiarly
unfrequent "Youll be perfectly safe
goes with your job" the county super
intendent. of schools had told her.
| There isn't man in the district, not
even a tramp, oh, there's the minister
! and the doctor and dozen old farm
ers and old Stebbins that runs the
store, but they aren't likely to annoy
you"
So Jane Zurchard was installed as
district school teacher in Berwick
township, pleased in knowing that,
tho her salary was not large, she qua
not have to spend any of it for shelter
and would be able to save more than
with twice the salary in the city.
For two or three months all went
we'll. 1t was not until after the
Christmas holiday that Jane became
disturbed in her little cottage near the
school.
One day Jane took pains to dismiss
her pupils all on time and overlooked
the fact that several of the other chill
dren had deserved to stay in" Back
in her cottage she donned heavy
| walking boots and neat tho certainly
not very jaunty walking toys.
Then she started out in her search.
AS she walked thru the country
roads and lanes that afternoon she
enumerated to herself the occupants
of. the various farmhouseS= and. COT
8 She was looking for something, and
it.was quite apparent that none of the
houses she passed contained it. So
she walked in the region on the out
SKIRTS of her district, where there was
an occasional house with which she
was not familiar.
Finally she drew up beside a small
but recently renovated two-room cot
tage. A man Of uncertain age. but
surely not aged. was sitting out in the
cold winter sunshine on the front
steps of his diminutive home. He
| was smoking in solitude. Apparently
Jane had found what she had been
seeking.
t'Excuse me. strahgerv she said,
| "but L wonder if you will help me.
I'm the district school teacher. and
I've been out looking for-well, the
truth is, I've been looking for an able
bodied man. They are all rather old
or feeble up by the school. I wonder
If, you would do me a service
The rather unkempt young man
rose with an alacrity and good man
ner that rather surprised Jane. "By
an means-Pd do anything in the
world you asked me-"
well, I'll tell you,~ Jane said. lit
tie embarrassed at the obvious ur-
banity of the young man. 81 live
has been prowling around--it Seems
to be man, and 1 hear him every
evening just about the time Pm get
ting tea, and then as I sit by the ia
bic getting ready the next days les
sons. I don't want any of the neigh
bors to know I'm timid. Besides,
am quite as well able to protect my
self as any of the men down there.
Fancy old Doctor Warren or Parson
Jones trying to stand up against a
nan-sized tramp. So I've been look
ing around trying to find a--weIl, a
regular man. I thought maybe you'd
come down one or two evenings and
when the prowler appears you'd go
out with me and scare him off. I'm
a little afraid to do it alone"
John Dawson. the young man thus
addressed, insisted on coming that,
very evening, and then he introduced
himself. Jane showed her good faith
by asking him to return with her then.
1t would be nearly teatime when they
returned and the prowler usually came
as soon as her lamps were lighted.
Both Jane and John Dawson were
i'll at ease as the meal began, but be-
fore Jane had poured her guests sec
ond cup of tea and had persuaded him
to take a second helping of the light
omelet she had made for their repast
all their embarrassment seemed to
have vanished as if by magic. ut is
funny" Jane was thinking, when one
hasn't seen or talked to a young man
for months how easy conversation
seems to come" And John was think
ing, II thought I'd feel embarrassed
and shy when 1 first had a chance to
look into the ey es and hear the voice
of young and pretty woman again
but I was never less shy in my life"
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