The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-03-04
THE EVENING STORY
aIadeIine's Last Moving Day.
(By Harriet Norton. }

| L
apartments will be ready for occu-
pancy April 1. 1 wish you'd stop off
there on your way home tomorrow"
Mr.. Stanhope lowered his paper
and glanced first despairingly at Mad
cline, then half-supplicatingly at his
wife.
My dear. I don't believe we can i'm
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
Wen, that is not the landlords
iauit. Inc servant upstairs admits she
left the water running-Tll have the
ceiling kalsomined-''
| you'll do nothing of the sorti This
1anltor is perfectly overbearing any
now, and when l complained about
Mrs. Brants dog running up and down
the hall he said there was nothing in
the leases against keeping a dog. Just
as II there wasn't a law against main
| tanning a nuisance. Anyhow, 1 think
| Fred ought to have larger room, and
we can fit it up as den. And Made
| line ought to have north light for her
work.
Madeline broke in earnestly:
| "Oh, mother, dear, 1 do SO little here
at nome now that my room does very
we'll indeed"
| well, 1 heard that those Bulgravia
| apartments had a buffers pantry, and
ANYHOW, you stop off and see 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
mat needed re-varnishing, pictures
that had to be reglazed.
| Madeline on her part focused her
mental vision on a succession of days
lost, illustrations unfinished while she
| restored order in the new home, long
| hours devoted to packing and un-
| packing her fragile personal belong
ings. AS for Fred he tiptoed out of the
| library and down the hall to where
patient Norah was singing over her
dishwashing.
| Say, Norah, mothers got the NOV
| ing 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 a sunshinier kitchen /
niver worked in. Olive good moind
| to give me notice.
| Madeline's girlhood had been spent
/ In pretty suburb half an hours ride
from the busting 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 If they had no maid, they
| could at least eat at a nearby restaur-
! ant. Besides, she wanted Madeline to
| be something more than a household
| drudge. There were business open
| ings in town for a bright girl, but
Madeline was not strong enough to
commute.
After all, it was Madeline who not
| only secured a position in a 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 possessed by
| the desire to occupy new and more de-
sirable quarters Each spring they
had moved, until the pretty new fur
niture with which Mrs. Stanhope had
looked far less presentable than the
old fashioned stuff they had sold at the
auction before leaving Grafton
Heights. All her ambitions seemed to
center on showing off the new apart
ments to her women friends, and as
surfing them she had secured bar
gain which should make them green
with envy.
The next morning Madeline and her
father left the house together.
DO you think it is becoming a ma
nia?" he asked anxiously.
mo; she has nothing else to do. 1
wish SOmetim eS-'
Madeline stopped and looked down
the long stretch of asphalt pavement.
Her father supplied the words:
THAT we were back in Grafton
and the neighbours chickens to shoe off
our lawn. Seems as if all city women
are restless"
yes, I guess it's in the air. I felt
as though 1 must be doing something
big, getting somewhere. for a while
after we moved to town-but now"
They separated al the corner.
t'I hope those Bulgravia apartments
will all be on court. with no closets
and an exorbitant rent"
mo such luck" responded Made |
line, with a forced smile. They'll be
very modern and all desirable, and if
IL Fa% 49,
have a business call to Chicago about !
April 1. 1t will be over when you |
come back
Brave as were her words, Madeline's |
er turned away. And all day the |
thought of her mothers restless spirit. |
the Inevitable moving. the noise, the |
discomfort. 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 it over with, so
she boarded the car which passed the
Bulgravia. The new apartments were
considerably farther out than she had
anticipated, and as one passenger after
another dropped off and the soft
spring air crept into the car, a sudden
desire to see Grafton Heights with it's
suburban restfuiness took possession
of her.
''B and A. depot" bawled the con-
ductor.
Madeline sprang to her feet. The
Bulgravia apartments were half mile
beyond, but this was the last station of
the B. and A. inside the city limits
And the B. and A. led to Grafton
Heights!
She left the train. and gazed around
in surprise. The depot building was
entirely new, a pretty brick and tile
affair with trim flower beds all laid
out for spring planting. She crossed
the tracks and followed the street
leading to their old home, but was
amazed to find that the tress, mere
when they left, now inter-
twined their branches over the side
N n r of and