The Monte Vista journal., 1910-03-19

love the night before had. presumably.
oeen the eye-opener to her position;
In reality 1t was the climax OF grad.
ual establishment.
She had been living in a fictitious at
mosphere that daily was growing
more fiat and intolerable to her sensi.
lively constructed temperament. At
hrst the open prominence and success
she had achieved in her work had ex.
hiiarated her: now she was beginning
to suffer the inevitable depression Of
the aftermath.
Yes. she would leave New York
land her career) that night. To be
exact. she would take the seven
o'clock train that would put her in
her home town at nve in the morning
At first she thought of telegraphing:
then she decided to surprise them all
How would they receive her? She
had deliberately gone against her
family's wishes In this move. and re-
fused stubbornly. during the months
that followed. to listen to their persua.
sions to return home.
And Billy? Had she ceased alto
sether to occupy a place in his
thoughts? For time he had written
to her regularly. until only an occa-
sional line found its way to her ad.
dress, 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 n restless night and reached
her destination more nervous and de-
pressed than she cared to admit. even
to herself. But as she quilted the
stufiy car and walked swiftly down
the avenue toward her old home. she
felt the heaviness lift magically from
her feet. and the buoyant 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. a
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.
She ran quickly up to the door. and
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 give back her image as she
glanced down: there lay the Identical
rich old rugs Of oriental patterns. scat.
tered about among the antique chairs:
the self.same masterpieces hung sus-
pended from the frescoed walls: the
statuary stood Just where It had
stood on tho night she went away.
With o dsep-drawn breath that
sounded surprisingly like . sigh Of
relief In her own cars. she threw her.
self into a chair to collect her tumultu.
Gus thoughts before proceeding to her
own room.
After all. she reflected. II was .
whole lot better to be at home-home.
with her own people-than to be
sticking II out" alone among stranE.
ers. whatever the glory and profit.
She was one of the few who had made
the venture . winning one: yet had
she been repaid for all she had missed
In tho intervening time? Strange she
had been so utterly unconscious Of the
"achinG void" until now In the flush
Of 10y over her Homecoming. And
again she began to torment herself
with wondering whether the trium.
plant results she was bringing home
to her parents would In any measure
compensate for her obstinacy.
Suddenly whole regiment Of
clocks from here. there and every.
where began to strike six. and innum.
cradle whistles shrieked the hour In
various notes OF warning.
Maiinda started up In alarm. and.
quietly crossing the length Of the
hallway. moved with haif.hesitRnt
steps up the deep. carved and carpet.
Cd stairway. The door Of her sitting
room stood ajar. and she entered
noisslessly. depositing her bag and
parasol on tho familiar. spider legged
table that held tho student lamp.
For the moment rush OF feeling
dimmed her eyes no that she could
not see. but she pulled herself togeth.
er quietly and glanced critically about
the room. noting. with q little heart
throb. that nothing. apparently. had