The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-04-27
E0cning Story
Bertha Goes to the Dance.
BY JANE OSBORN


On the spare room" bed in the DENLY
= farmhouse lay the pink chiffon frock
| that Bertha had bought for the great
: event. Silver slippers and stockings
, lay beside it and the band of pink
rose buds that was to hold her fair
curls low on her forehead
The whole house was in an air of
expectancy and even the cows and
chickens in the barnyard and pasture
must have suspected that something
was in the air from the happy, pre-
occupied air of Bill DENLY. gruff and
his daily chores Bill DENLY was
Bertha's brother, her elder by ten
years, who, tho he avoided society
himself, never seemed more content
THAN when his pretty sister was in
cluded in the festivities at nearby Til
ton college.
Then George Fulton came with the
news that changed all this air of pleas
urable expectation to one of gloom
and detection. George found Bertha
in the kitchen of the farm house mix
ing a cake ~batter. He sat down
morosely on a stool beside her and
kept his eyes upon the mixing spoon
rather than on Bertha's face.
| 1--WE, done the thing that seems most
honorable" he announced. 1T means
that L can't take you TO the ball" And
with much faltering and many hesita-
lions he proceeded
| Last summer met a girl who lives
out in wyoming She was a little
except as a good pal We played
tennis together and went swimming
and sailing and-Well. before We
lparted asked her to go to my junior
ball with me. That was before had
met YOU. L Just said it that way
You must go TO my Junior ball with
me- and she said All right Well,
we wrote once or twice and nothing
more was said about the ball, and then
we didn't write any more had met
you and she didn't seem to care
whether I wrote or not. This morn
| ing 1 had a letter from her-you may
read it if you will. 1t just says; 1 m
coming for the ball viii arrive at
5 Friday. Arrange somewhere for me
to STAY for two or three days and
meet me at the station. I know you
haven't forgotten your invitation
ITS too late to prevent her coming
she is almost here 1 didn't know
what to do. OF course, want to take
you more than anything else. b ,li.
made up my mind that the right thing
for a fellow to do in the circumstances
was to go to the girl he really careo
for, the one who-wel, the one VINO
trusted him and understood hlnn-aho
tell her There will be a lot more
dances for us to go to, and as I'm
chairman of the ball committee we
couldn't have a very good time any
way-III be so busy thinking ABOUT
the musicians and caterers ana every
thing"
Bertha had not quite come up to the
mart George had given her to play so
well as he expected her to do she
had assured him that he had done the
right thing and that she didn't care
about the dance. But there was an
air of defiance in her tone, and when
she snapped her fingers to snow MN
how little she, did care, George, saw
only the fire that lighted in her eyes
and not the tears that were READY 10
burst forth behind the fire.
1t was not till George had gone ana
Bertha had gone to nurse her grle1 IN
sight of the pink frock laid out so
neatly that she really did permit those
looked in vain for his sister down. |
stairs. found her there in the spare
room. Bertha explained.
ITS lucky wasn't there" said Bill |
I'D have broken his neck for him.
The coward, the dog
Bertha clapped her hand over Bills
mouth and would hear no more.
II don't care so much about going |
with him." she fibbed, but wanted /
to wear the dress. I never had such /
a pretty dress before" She raised the /
filet of pink rosebuds to her hair.
Aren't they pretty2" she asked. And |
then Bill was ready to shed tears him
self.
GO with some one else he said.
There were other fellows that would /,
have taken you"
YES. but they all have girls of their
own now. There isn't a junior or
senior who hasn't got some sort of
girl. and the underclassmen aren't al
lowed to co.
'Can outsiders go?" asked Bill.
mot unless they are graduates of
only there isn't room enough for
everybody-but I don't know any one
to go with, anyway. Men are so scarce
I'm a man." aunounced Bill. and
it was all Bertha could do not to eX-
press her dismay at the thought that
this big heavily booted, callous-fin-
gered brother of hers, who had never
gone to college. and who avoided all
society. should think of himself as a
possible dance escort.
"PlI take you he said firmly.
But they don't let you in-you're
an outsider
See, here" said Bill, shaking a de-
fiant finger in her face. you said this
G George is the boss of TIE dance. I'll
show him I'm no outsider this time.
I'm going and he's going to let me in.
That's the least he can do
In the thirty hours that were to
elapse before the dance Bill found
only a few for sleep. There was a
hasty trip by motor to Tilton in quest
Of evening clothes 1t was eight years
since Bill had worn evening clothes.
and he would not listen to Bertha's
suggestion that the old ones would do.
But Bill, in spite of his hard labor,
possessed body that seemed to have
been made for ready-made evening
clothes
He came back with numerous bun
dies Here's everything from soup
to nuts" he announced, dancing
pumps. silk socks and everything.
Now start in and show me the steps :
left off the year they were dancing
the barn dances and the Spanish fan ]
dango- 1 guess things have changed Z
a little since them
The next evening at half-past s, :
when Bertha, dressed in her pink chif- !