The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-06-13
Soft Soap
By JANE HARVEY
G. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
wNU Servtce-

-l4ASs = DC4 VI LAAA41S S4ONCL
with beauty In the morning sun
Karen. scrubbing the front steps
paused q moment TO admire them.
Quite suddenly. the landlady's ample
dgure filed the doorway:
-KarenI Where's your soapr
Bur Of course-in the water"
-Meltin' itself SOFT Take IL out
| never see such soap bills! A body'd
think you eat It'll"
Il am not that hungry-yet," flashed
Karen, red staining her fair cheeks
And IL / leave 1t not in the water.
ger me no suds."
Take il OUT I won't speak to you
sgainI :" Kissed Mrs. Hannigan.
But that would be lovely" sighed
the girl under her breath.
The landlady stepped back into the
house TO greet her guests with her
warm moIherly smile and Karen turned
20 her work Obediently, she took the
bar Of yellow soap from the water and
laid II on the step beside her. She
welded the scrubbing brush with q
ine fervor which was not wholly In
spired by a desire for cleanliness
Some Of il was merely an outlet for
her charged emotions. For Karen YVES
n love and there was no one in Amer
lea in whom she could confde her biz
secret
H@the gloriied hero Of her dreams
was a roomer and boarder ar Mrs.
Hannigan's He was as stalwart as q
Morse god should be and a country
nan of Karen's. Also. he was quite
unaware OF her existence except as
the maid who cleaned his room and
scrubbed the front steps
On this bright morning she was find.
ing life difficult and hard 70 endure.
Great signs weIled up from her heart
and spilled over her red lips. When
she heard the guests pushing back
their chairs in the dining room, she
tipped back upon her heels and care
fully brushed the hair from her fore
head. Soon her hero would appear.
He would pass her on the steps. throw
ing her a careless Good morning ~
This was the high moment Of her day.
Before she had secured the last wisp
Of yellow hair. the door opened and
he stepped out Karen rose quickly 70
her feet. drawing aside 10 let him pass.
He took a single stride out and down.
stepped on Karen's soap and skidded
into her with violence Karen, startled
out of her shyness, caught him in a
warm embrace and held him so until
be could recover his dignity and his
balance.
bod ding the grill" he burst out.
and added: Cant you keep your
soap in the water where II belongs?"
"I am $50 sorry II is so too bad
you have almost fall! But Mrs. Han
nigan she tell me always keep the
soap out OF the water. So / do and
you have almost kill yourself"
Oscar HelTersen-fer such was her
hero's name-met the pleading of her
anchusa-blue eyes with a steely glare.
Il have troubles enough without ny
neck yeti" he barked.
you have troubles?" murmured
Karen, softly. Il am sorry for that,
too"
He turned the full battery Of his at
tention upon her and found her very
easy 10 look al He murmured some
thing about catching a bus and went
on his way.
When Oscar arrived ar the boarding
house that night, his nostrils were
greeted with the odor of mutton. Os-
car hated mutton. He decided on i'm
pulse, 10 go out for dinner. On MS
way I'D TO his room he met Karen She
was altogether lovely in a dark blue
suit with white cuffs and collar. She
wore a small hat and carried a suit
case
Going out?' he asked.
way out" she sighed Mrs. Han
nigan saw you slip this morning and
tell me 10 go"
"But-where"
.The W. z. I'LL I find work"
~But-seeing It was my fault-may-
be We better go out TO dinner some
where and talk IL over"
But / would love that" cried Karen,
her blue eyes shining.
Oscar took her suitcase from her
and they went 70 q nearby cafe
II was delightful supper piled on
trays and carried to secluded table.
They taIked-but not about their
troubles Troubles were postponed or
dissolved or chemically changed into
something magic so that they no longer
existed for Karen and Oscar
Other evenings followed: til Karen
and Oscar decided that two can live
as cheaply as one and much more
happily.
II was several months after the cere-
mony when Oscar digging about in his
wffe's dresser drawer for q bit of
court plaster. came upon a battered
yellow substance with a disagreeable
and familiar odor.
Karen ?" he called KUN haarw
Karen came.
Karen took the yellow thing tenderly
In her hand and beatiic smile curved
her lips
This Is the piece OF soap which
have not-for once-waste and which
has sent you leaping into my arms,
Oscar Mrs Hannigan tel me I musC
leave il ont OF the water-and I did. .
We'll Karen. Mrs. Hannigan-for
once-was rightI"
~YeS-she was right II / leave
the soap in the water, I would GET me
a good suds But l have leave il our
Of the wafer and have get me a good
husband Which is much. much better
Oscar"