Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-09-20
MadeIine'S Last
Moving Day.
BY HARRIET NORTON.
,pyright. 1907, by M. NJ. Cunningham.

n
Madeline, 1 see those Bulgravia
apartments will be ready for occnpan-
cy April l. 1 wish you'd stop of there
on your way home tomorrow"
Mr.. stanhope lowered his paper and
glanced first despairingly at Madeline.
then half supplicatingly at his wife.
my dear. 1 don't believe we can Inn
prove on this apartment. I'm sure we
have room enough"
but the landlord was here today
and said he would not repaper. and
that horrid stain In Fred's ROOM
"Well, that is not the landlords fault.
The servant upstairs admits she left
the water running. I'll have the cell
ing calcimined."
you'll do nothing Of the sortl This
janitor is perfectly overbearipg any
how, and when complained about
Mrs Brant's dog running up and down
the hall he said there was nothing In
the leases against keeping dog. Just
as IL there wasn't law against main
tanning q nuisancel Anyhow. think
Fred ought to have larger room, and
we can At It up as den. and Madeline
ought to have the north light for her
work."
Madeline broke in earnestly:
"Oh, mother. dear. 1 do SO little here
at home now that my room does very
well indeed"
"well, 1 heard that those Bulgravia
apartments had buffers pantry and
Anyhow, you stop on and sec them"
No one answered Mr.. Stanhope sat
staring with his unseeing eyes at an
article in the evening paper on the
proper preparation Of food for infants.
but, before his mental vision passed a
succession of moving vans, furniture
that needed revarnishing, pictures that
had to be reglazed.
Madeline, on her part, focused her
mental vision on succession Of days
lost illustrations unfinished, while she
restored order in the new home. long
hours devoted to packing and unpack-
ing her fragile personal belongings.
AS for Fred he tiptoed out of the IL
brary and down the hall to where pa
tient Norah was singing over her dish
washing.
"Say, Norah, mothers got the moving
bee In her bonnet again. Bet we're out
of this house by April l."
Norah dropped her tea towel in wide
eyed dismay
"Sure, an q sunshinier kitchen !
niver worked in. Owe good moind
70 clua mo nntinAU
Madeline's glrlhood had been spent in
pretty suburb half an hours ride
from tho bustling city. but Mrs. Stan
hope had wearied Of the ubiquitous
servant girl question that stalks at the
heels Of every suburban housewife. In
town even II they had no maid they
could at least eat at nearby restau-
rant Besides, she wanted Madeline to
be something more than household
drudge. There were business openings
In town for bright girl. but Madeline
was not strong enough to commute.
After all, 1t was Madeline who not
only secured position in fashion
design studio, but who went to intel
ligence offices for help and haunted
real estate Offices for desirable apart
ments. For four years Mrs. Stanhope
had seemed absolutely obsessed by the
desire to occupy new and more desir-
able. quarters. Each spring they had
moved until the pretty new furniture
with which Mrs. Stanhope had started
her city career as housewife looked
far less presentable than the old fash
Toned stuff they had sold at the auction
before leaving Grafton Heights. All
her ambitions seemed to center ON
showing Off the new apartments to her
women friends and assuring them she
had secured bargain which should
make them turn green with envy.
The next morning Madeline and her
father left the house together
! "Do you think 1t Is becoming a ma
MIA 2" he asked anxiOusly.
mo; she has nothing else to do.
wish somet1mes"-
Madeline stopped and looked down
the long stretch Of asphalt pavement.
Her father supplied the words.
THAT we were back in Grafton
Heights, where she had roses to train
and the neighbors' chickens to shoe OF
OuE ihWu. OeeLlo us IL uH CITY WOAOh
are restless"
"Yes; I guess it's In the air. 1 felt
as though must be doing something
big, getting somewhere, for awhile aft
or we moved to town, but now
They separated at the corner.
II hope those Bulgravia apartments
will all be on a court, with no closets
and an exorbitant rent"
mo such luck" responded Madeline,
with forced smile. They'll be very
modern and all desirable. and II yo6
are dear, sensible father you'll have
a business call to Chicago about April
q. It will be over when you como
back"
Brave as were her words, Madeline's
eyes turned grave as soon as her father
turned away. And all day the thought
of her mothers restless spirit, the IN
evitable moving, the noise, the dkscom-
fort, burned in on her heart and soul
until she could hardly work. Finally
she flung aside her pen and asked TO
be excused for the afternoon. She
might as well get 1t over with so she
boarded the car which passed tho Bull
gravia. The new apartments were con
siderably farther out than she had an
ticipated, and as one passenger after
another dropped of and the soft spring
air crept into the car sudden desire
to see Grafton Heights with It's subur-
bap restfplpess took possession Of her.
"B. and A. depotf' bawied the con
ductor.