The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-10-05
EDening Story
Putty and Peppermint Candy.
BY MARTHA Nice. VILLA

do you feel in your bones that it's
going to rain?" Anne asked dispas-,
sionately.
why ask me that?" from/young
Bernard in surprise.
"Ohi Because I've noticed colts and
calves and chickens and pigs act up
as you've been doing this last hour
whenever there's a storm coming
Anne flung back.
The youngster-he was little more
than a boy-got very red, saying:
| Really I hadn't noticed it myself
Lucky for you." from Anne imper-
turably. You're the sole placid spot
ST don't in the least understand"
Bernard broke in.
Anne chuckled. "Of course you
don't. You're the same as a cyclone
I'm sure one of them never realizes
what it has been doing when it blows
itself out and decides to be good"
'But-what have done?" Bernard
demanded aggrievedly.
| Anne began to check off, her finger
waving up and down: Let me see.
| First, you must dance to your own
fiddling and break my G string"
You shall have another" from
Bernard
| She nodded. "Of course-but 1
might need it before it comes-unIess
you start for it straightaway"
| so the game is-toget rid of me
|
her holly.
| She went on as tho he had not
spoken: ''Then-you leased Fluff into
scratching-not you righteously, but
me, the-innocent bystander, upset the
| inkstand upon my brand-new table
! cover-and said bad words-many bal
words, simply because-the curate came
| to call"
| iii say more, many more-if ever
| again you try to cram that beast down
| NV hrna oil hit T
he must ask me to join the clroir!'
from Bernard, now at white heat
Bernard snatched Anne upright by
| the shoulders, looked deep into the
| dancing eyes and Missed: you had
| better stop. tell you | won't have
! this! I can stand a rival-provided
| only he's a. man. But not something
made of putty and peppermint candy
with sauce of salm-singing. You
leave him out of our affairs-unless
you want me to murder him.
| What's this? What all this?
Practice for grand opc,a?" Major
| Barnes, Anne's uncle, called from the
door, where he stood in riding clothes.
] Anne NODDED assent, but said, shak-
| ing her head: ST don't quite place the
thlngs-wnether it's the mad scene
| from Lucia or Madame Butterfly or
| Salome'--constant, you know, has
| them all at his fingertips.''
| "Oh, see," the major began, smi1-
ing wickedly. A long keen blast of a
| stentorian whistle made him start and
turn pale, as it was instantly repeated,
| thus signaling deadly danger at the
mine he had left in full swing half
| an hour before.
| Anne underst ood-so did Bernard.
Both rushed with the major to the
west porch whence they had a vista
| of the colliery two miles away. Thru
the glass they saw hurrying figures
1 he =.
"Cave-in at Number drift-men be-
| hind it-don't know yet how many"
But by the time the watchers
reached the plymouth a. check-up had
told the tale. Nine good fellows, stout
| and hearty, family men most of them,
were behind the deadly barrier. 1t
could be dug and blasted thru, but not
| in time to save thefn-the fall had
broken connections of the air fan that
rendered the workings in that gallery
| safe. The major. his face set as for
] battle. was issing rders to long-dis-
| lance telephone men, calling help from
| every city within range, ordering it re-
| gardless of expense.
| Look how a man faces things."
Bernard admonished Anne-she was
white and stony with anguish-all
| these mine folk were close to her
| heart. 1t was thru them the curate
| had won his place in her regard-he
| was SO nalVely OF InefI1, hedrI anu SOul,
| entering into their joys. their sorrows,
hopes, aspirations and bewildermeDts.
To some among them he was fool for
| his pains; to others a playmate; to
still others, a harmless Merry Andrew,
but to the most part comrade,
heaven-sent, to show them the better
| ways rather than tell of them.
Him, too the whistle had called i'm
peratfvely-but he had been hindered.
Iapparently-the major was almost
| thru his relief-ordering before he ap-
peared on the scene.
| What is needed worst ?" he asked,
| his voice shaking.
"Air-which means life," the major
answered thru set teeth he dared not
| unclinch.
| Citrate Lee dropped his eyes, medi-
| tatively for a moment, then darted
| away without a further word A few
cursed his cowardce-more wondered
| at his flight
| Bernard whispered to Anne: "All
yellow, you see" But she did not
hear him, apparently-she gave him
no answer. She was thinking-hard.
Citrate Lee knew the outer face of
the workings as did no one else. He
loved outdoors with passion-and
the coal country was magic land to
his lowland SOUL He had. spent all
his scant leisure ranging tt-what
might he not have found? She asked
herself the question over and over as
she went among the women crouch
| ing here and there with children at
the breast or clinging tight to their
skirts. She soothed, them-but to
those bereft she dared not even
breath a shadowy hope, only pressed
their hands and stroked the heads of
their children-what time she could
spare from making them comfortabl bic
in the shade. 1t was high noon, blaz-
ing hot but somehow she did not feel
| r. 1of% m ri n
fans, ice water, milk and fruit. He
had forgotten himself and his enmi-
ties, letting his fine realities come to
the surface. Anne was dimly con-