The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-20
The EVENING STORY
AfaIinda,s Homecoming.
(By Nellie Cravey Gillmore.)

MdHudd arrived at the decision
abruptly; she would go home that
night. Jack CottrelI's declaration of
love the night before had. presum-
ably. been the eye-opener to her po-
sition; in reality it was the climax of
gradual disillusionment
She had been living in fictitious
atmosphere that daily was growing
more fiat and intolerable to her sensi-
lively constructed temperament. At
first the open prominence and success
she had achieved in her work had ex-
to suffer the inevitable depression of
the aftermath.
Yes. she would leave New York
(and her career) that night To be
exact. she would take the o'clock
train that would put her in her home
town at in the morning At first she
| thought of telegraphing; then she de-
cided to surprise them all. How
would they receive her? She had de-
| liberately gone against her family's
wishes in this move, and refused stub
| bornly. during the months that fol-
lowed. to listen to their persuasions to
return home.
And Billy? Had she ceased alto
thoughts? For a time he had writ
ten to her regularly cordial little let
ters that cooled gradually, until only
an occasional line found its way to
her address, and by and by did not
come at all. Malinda sighed as she
packed her trunk with trembling
fingers. and every little while paused
to dash the mist from her eyes.
| Promptly at 6:45 she bought her
| ticket and boarded the train She
spent restless night, and reached her
destination more nervous and de-
pressed than she cared to admit even
to herself. But as she quilted the
stuffy car and walked swiftly down
-l,1 foI<
the heaviness lift magically from her
her feet, and the bouyant blood begin
to pulse through her veins.
Avondale was sparkling in the pale,
pink dawn. On every side, the rose
gardens were languid with bloom, and
the verandas hung with curtains of
wistaria. Malinda paused a second
with her hand on the gate latch,
swarm of uncomfortable emotions sud
denly upon her. But she Gained her
self in a moment, and passed through
into the wide, shell path that curled
itself picturesquely among the flower
beds, up to short flight of stone
steps
fumbled in her bag for her latch key.
The high. paneled door yielded in
stantly, swinging back on noiseless
hinges under her light touch.
Inside, everything looked familiar
enough. The same highly polished
floors gave back her image as she
glanced down; there lay the Identical,
rich old rugs of oriental pattern, scat
tered about among the antique chairs;
the se1f-same masterpieces hung sus-
pended from the frescoed walls; the
statuary stood just where it had stood
on the night she went away.
With a deep-drawn breath that
sounded surprisingly like a sigh of
self, into chair to collect her tumul
tuous thoughts before proceeding to
her own room.
After ALL she reflected, 1t was a
whole lot better to be at home-home,
with her own people-than to be
ers, whatever the glory and profit. She
was one of the few who had made
the venture a winning one; yet had
she been repaid for all she had missed
in the intervening time? Strange she
had been so utterly unconscious of the
"aching void until now in the flush of
joy over her homecoming. And again
she began to torment herself with
wondering whether the triumphant re-
suits she was bringing home to her
parents would in any measure COM
lpensate for her obstinacy.
| Suddenly a whole regiment Of clocks
from here. there and everywhere. be-
gan to strike 6. and innumerable
whistles shrieked the hour in various
notes of warning.
/ Malinda started up in alarm, and.
quietly crossing the length of the hall
way. moved with half-hesitant steps
up the deep. carved and carpeted
stairway. The door of her sitting
room stood ajar, and she entered
noiselessly. depositing her bag and
parasol on the familiar. spider legged
table that held the student lamp.
For the moment rush of feeling
dimmed her eyes so that she could
not see, but she pulled herself to-
gether quickly and glanced critically
about the room. noting. with little
heart throb. that nothing. apparently,
had been disturbed. Everything was
just as she had left it-every picture
and book. She bent toward the read
ing table with swift rise and ebb of
color. Her own photograph. the one
she had given Billy Mowbray two
years agoi He had. then. ceased to
take even a friendly interest in her
and gone so far as to send her picture
back home-without line to her
And then It came over her with a
rush-why she had suddenly realized
the emptiness of her life in New York;
why she had come home and broken
Everything up at its very zenith. And
lnowi A quick, mad desire to turn
and slip away, out of the house. back
to her work, took possession of her.
Involuntary she picked up her para
sol and bag and turned toward the
door But the sound of a footstep
in the adjoining room. her bedroom.
caused her to stop short.
The sight of a half smoked cigar
lying on the table caught her atten-
ton transiently. Her father He
must have cared very much indeed
about his hayward girl. she unused to
lbe coming-perhaps living in her own
rooms! A little sob caught in her
Throat, and she sank into a chair. It
was out of the question to think of
going back now after what she had
discovered.
Il A second later the door at her back
was pushed softly open and some one
came in. Ma1inda bit her lips hard
for self mastery. Then voice that
/ sent the blood tingling to her temples
spoke her name.
miss Lassiteri'