The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-03-12
The
Apathy of
Cupid
By Claire Wesson
TVHE warm Indian Summer ha,

late crickets made Alice
dreamy as she lay back on the ham,
mock pillows and closed the novel
she had just finished.
Looking up at the red and gold
maple leaves dancing in the sunshine
of the late afternoon, she lived over
in fancy the thrilling romance she
had been following in the pages just
closed, and then though of her own
affair with Ted Hadley
Like Topsy, their love had "iust
growed." Being neighbors in the
village, they had always been play
mates and school-day sweethearts,
then in the years following, while she
was away at normal school and he at
business college, every one had sup
posed they were engaged, and finally
ring appeared on her finger.
For three years now Ted, working
in the village, had been laying aside
good part of his earnings for a
home and asking Alice, who taught
in the village. to name the day; but
while she added, from time to time.
some dainty garments to her "hope
chest" she kept finding one excuse
after another for postponing her
marriage.
There was no one else she liked
better than Ted, and there was moth
ing about him she did not like, but
deep down in her heart she wished
their courtship was different; more
romantic or-something.
Now they went to church and
dances together and walked in the
moonlight, or they sped over the
hills in Teds car; but it wasn't ex-
citing or thrilling like the romance
she read. Today she wished she
knew the excitement of meeting
stranger, Of growing to like him and
wondering If he cared for her; and
then to experience the wonderful
thrills often described in her fa-
vorite novels, when some sudden in
cident or adventure revealed the low
ers' true feelings for each other in
an overwhelming wave!
AS she went over it today in her
mind, she thought something must be
wrong; perhaps she did not love Ted
after all.
A clock in the house struck and
Alice went in to get supper for her.
self and her father. 81 guess little
Dan Cupid is on strike, too" she
sighed; and perhaps he would have
remained on strike if Alices father.
who had been working very hard.
not had that sudden attack Of cold
and indigestion the very evening Ted
was calling and when her mother
was away for the night.
After the doctor left Ted sat up
all night with the sick man to as.
sure him continuously that he was
not dying.
Early in the morning when Mr..
Graham found himself, much to his
surprise, still present with the living,
Alice got Ted some breakfast and
made him some coffee Now, no one
in the Graham family drank coffee,
and she hated above all things to
clean out coffee pot. She could
never scrape out all tie grounds and
she had to rinse them into the sink
and chase them round and round.
Coffee was mess. Why did any
one want to drink it!
After breakfast as she cleansed
the last speck of coffee grounds out
of the sink the morning sun shone
on her ring, and, noticing it, she
said to herself: "If / marry Ted I'll
have to chase coffee grounds out OF
the sink every morning and tea
grounds at night-but love to do 1t
for Ted! Yes, would love to do it
every morning for him" And
warm tingle ran through her fingers
and toes and her heart beat a little
faster.
A longing to sit opposite him ev-
cry morning, serving him his steam
ing cup and then chasing the
grounds around their sink QJ wouiG
be nice new white one), OYER
whelmed her. She couldn't enjoy
doing it for anyone else. Oh, no!
For Ted it would be different.
And his socks, yes, she would love
to mend those. She wondered why
she had never thought of that be-
forel His mother was nearly blind!
what work she must make of the
darning! What Jumps for poor
Ted's feet!
Just then the sound of his car,
coming under the naples around the
corner of the house. reached Alice's
ear. He had said good-by to her in
the house and he would be gone in
a minute. Out she ran, threw her
arms around Ted's neck and whis-
pered in his ear: ooh, Ted! Is that
little house you liked still for sale?"