The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-18
THE EVENING STORY
The Prodigal Butterfly.
eBy Marie Densmore.l


1oolishly believed would last forauar
was gone. with the exception of a few
hundred dollars.
one nad had a good time with IL.
and considered how she had ene,. -
she mad to admit that she had had a
very good time with it. First. she had
nad -FOUR years in the best college in
sne country; she had had a year of
foreign travel; she had been rnucb
about in her own country. she bsd
mao seasons IN the mountains seasons
at the seashore, seasons in the CITY.
she mad heard the best music seen
.iie pest plays and studied the best
clothes, she had worn right and left
me finest productions of the shons
and experienced modistes.
NOW All of this was at an end. sud-
uenIy She mad had last interview
with her fathers old attorney and he
had told her the truth. She had used
up her means The past summer had
written 1inls to the story of her prod
lgahfy Only few hundreds remain
co. what was she to do?
Of course, there was Aunt Ress for
whom she had been named-aunt
besS, under whose wing she had gayly
squandered her substance in riotous
living. soe
She knew very we'll why Aunt Bess
had allowed her to go on as she had
she had expected her to make a no
table match. But fate would have it
otherw1se. There had been men enough.
put only one for whom she had
cared, and he would have none of her.
And so she had come to twenty-nine
and at the end of her fortune without
the slightest claim upon her freedom.
She could live with Aunt Bess. but
Aunt Bess had girls of her own, who
We're just coming out, one after the
other, an enormous expense. And
uncle Ed wasn't the richest man in
| the world.
can't live on them the girl
thought. They'd take me in and do
their best by me, but I'd be a burden.
Alas and alack! If only 1 had learned
some useful craft And only $500 re-
| manning. 1t appears the only thing
left for me is to be a vender of old
clothes. I've got enough of them.
=, goodness knows!"
She laughed a little TREMENDOUSLY.
| But, dear me, I can't sell my
! clothes. I shall have to wear them.
Well, it stands just like this: I can't
She checked off one finger. ST can't
I teach; can't sew; can't can't do
anything
: She dropped her head in her hands
an instant, then raised 1t resolutely.
"Bess Pryor. you're a chicken-heart-
| ed thing, Put on your things and take
a walk You will be crying next thing
/ you know"
/ She sprang up. donned hat and furs
and a few moments later was leaving
the house Of the elderly friend with
whom she was stopping during this
urgent business quest of her to the
city.
/ AT the very first corner, as she was
walking briskly along, trying to get
the better of her feelings. she met a
| plainly dressed girl, who was walking
| just as briskiy.
"Why. Madge white!" Bess excIaim-
] ed. holding out her hand eagerly. 1T
/ haven't seen you in years. Where in
the world do you come from?''
| The other girl laughed.
| why, don't you know? I'm here
| taking a course in the business col
lege. I'm learning shorthand and
typewriting. You see." her voice drop
! ped, there's been hard times at home
f, and I'm getting out by myself to ease
the burden If I can. I always did love
to tinker with a typewriter, even when
I didn't have to, and I hope I shan't
| like it any the less now that I shall
have to look to it as a means of sup
! port"
| '"Typewriting and shorthand Bess
unused. "Madge," she spoke earnest
| ly, do you suppose I know enough
| to manipulate the keys and make
| those pothook things with a pencil"
| do you? And you a college girl!
You certainly know enough, Bess The
| trouble is you don't have to learn"
"Ah, but do Bess said, soberly.
| 'Tet me walk with you and tell you
| all about it,
And as they~~went slowly up the
| street together she told her story. She
| had not cared much for Madge in col
| lege, for Madge was in a different set
from her own but she saw now that
| she had missed a good deal by not
making friends with this very sensible,
| capable, warm-hearted girl.
When at last they parted Madge
| had helped her to make a plan for
the present. She was to enter the busi
ness school. board where Madge did
| and share her room. And she was to
| tell the friend with whom she was
staying and Aunt Bess and her faith
| er's old attorney that she had started
| out to earn living for herself.
| At the end of six months of the
/ hardest mental work she had ever I'M
/ dertaken Bess was declared finished
i pupil of more than ordinary excel
/ lence and position was obtained for
| her at fair salary at place where
| many other girls were at the same
/ work as herself.
! Six months more passed. She and
| Madge White still chung together.
4 Madge was her closest, almost her
| only friend, for the rest seemed to
| have forgotten her, or at least to
| overlook her. e.
| Even Aunt Bess seemed to have no
1 time for her. She wrote that she was
i worn to a fragile between Marjorie's
/ debut and Elfnor's engagement Wen,
! id did not matter, of course, but had
it not been for Madge Bess could
/ hardly have endured her life some
| times.
At the end of six months Homer
/ Baird. her fathers old attorney,
i sought her out and asked her to ae-
I cent a position as his secretary.
4 miss Page is going to be married"
/ he said. "She leaves the first of the
/ month She is an expert and give
i her SIS week, but you may have
\ the same If you come"
4 "Oh. Mr.. Baird, how good you are."
4 Ress cried Fifteen dollars a week! 1t
/ meant as much to her as $500 had
1 once upon a time.