The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-01
THE EVENING STORY
The End of the Feud-

Glendale after generations of residence
in Lexington. When Miss MathiIde
found out that they were there and not
only going to live in the same town
with herself, but as close neighbors,
she began to hustle about and make
hospitabIe preparations for receiving
them in her own home.
Twenty years ago, when Mathilde
Wesley was girl in her teens, she,
too, with her mother father sisters
and the Longwoods and Westleys were
like twin families. But one by one the
parents and sisters had passed away,
leaving Miss Mathilde and her brother
sole survivors. After a few years of
dreary lingering in the old home they
had drifted to Glendale, where Jake
Wesley had built up a hourishing lit
tie mercantile business
A little later had come also the Pea
bodys and pitched their tent just
across the street from the Westleys'
pretty, rose-sheathed cottage. But for
this circumstance Miss Mathilde might
have been contented, even fairly hap
by. Her life was full of congenial,
healthy tasks which she performed
with as much cheerfulness as she did
thoroughness, each day standing forth
as its own bright monument of re-
ward.
If only there had never been a Rus
sell Peabody Every day, for fourteen
years, she had been forced to see him
three times, four--sometimes five. as
he passed in and out Of the gate across
the way going back and forth to his
work.
For just little while, many years
ago, the sun Of happiness had shone
upon Miss Mathilde's life. 1t was In
the days when she was a Vassar girl
and he a student at Harvard. They
had met, fallen desperately in love, ex-
changed VOWS and rings-only to find
on their return from college that a Bit
for Iad vic al hot he
leys and the Peabodys for scores of
years back. That marked the end of
Mathilde Westley's brief love-dream,
and Russell Peabody settled down as
an old bachelor almost before he was
a man. Thus the years drifted.
This morning Miss Mathilde was
busy with her dust-cloth, interrupting
herself every little while in the clean
ing to run back to the kitchen and
glance at the preserves sizzling in
big, copper kettle. The new maid was
tending them and Miss Mathilde, after
stirring them vigorously for moment
and pronouncing them done, pushed
back the little damp ringlet that in
sisted upon escaping from the soft
knot on top of her dainty head while
sudden look of inspiration glowed
in her face. She took a deep, old
fashioned dish out of the cupboard and
filed it with the fragrant, steaming
preserves.
Put on a fresh white apron right
away, Kitty, and take this over to the
little brown house on the other corner
where the LOngwoods live. Tell them
that Miss Mathilde sent it-for Aud
Lang Syne'-can you remember that?'
Then she added to herself:
They've just moved in and know
they haven't got everything fixed up
yet. so the peaches will come in
handy"
Now there were two little brown
houses across the way and each of
Ia a k1ftX
was a new maid and 1T was not I'M
natural that she should have selected
the wrong place. Miss Mathilde was
so deeply engrossed in the bottling pro-
cess that she did not even look up as
the girl went out of the gate
Russell Pea body, by some peculiar
circumstance, sat in his study, looking
over the contents of an old cabinet
years. He held in his hand a faded
knot of pink ribboTl-one that she had
worn that night of their betrothal-
and his face was less rudy than It's
les of their short-lived happiness and
the bitter thoughts of all the drab
years that followed.
The sharp peal of the door-bell
brought him to his feet. All of them
were away for the summer. not even
a servant was In the house, and he
answered the ring himself.
A look of surprise came into his face
at sight of the trim. stranger maid,
but he took the dish from her hands
with a smile of appreciation. Prob
ably some neighborly friend of the
family. plying his bachelorhood. and
sent it over.
thilde, sir--for the sake of Aud Lang
Syne,' she said" A moment later,
Kitty was out of the gate and Russell
Peabody stood staring into the space
which she had disappeared,
rf9lr
in his eyes. For one second he knew
what is termed mad. delirious bliss
What if she had meant that there was
no Past? That she wanted him again
as he used to beat her side? That
she cared even as he had. more and
more through all the lonely years that
had divided theme Was she clearing
the road for hin. at last? The road
for which he longed, but lacked the
to take
After while he closed the door and
went back into his study With
trembling hands. he gathered up all
his treasures and locked them back In
the cabinet-all but the faded knot of
ribbon This he wrapped carefully in
a piece of paper and wrote across the
back of it:
will you wear it this evening
Aud Lang Syne?'"
Afterward, he went out in the street
and stopped boy who was coming
along with some papers He gave him
the package, thrust a half-dollar into
his hand and pointed the way to Miss
cottage
The dav hung heavy on Russell Pea
body's hands. Would she wear the |
pink ribbon? Or was her overture of
the morning simply an act of neighbor- |
Iy kindness? When night came, he |
dressed himself more carefully than |
ne had done for a score of years. He
discarded the usual black tie for one
Of less sober hue and fiicked imagin-
arv sDecks Of dust from his broad |
cloth iaoels at least a dozen times. He |
looked at himself a bit uncertainty in |
the glass. But after all, forty-three |
vas not so very old. and Time had |