The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1911-01-21
Honors and Dollars
By DOROTHY BLACKMORE


Virginia. the lovely daughter and
last surviving member Of the ancient
and respected Warrington family.
sighed as she pushed open the heavy
rustic gate that had swung for more
than hundred years before the old
| homestead. Her eyes did not light up
/ as she wound her way up the path
/ toward the house among the trees.
This" she said to herself, sis my
/ inheritance-this drab-colored, wealth
! er-beaten farmhouse. It's as colorless
as-as my life
She walked across the wide veran-
/ da and shook the heavy knocker-
Presently the upper half of the quaint
| white door swung open to disclose the
/ beamtng face of the good Irish ma
for the place until its young mistress
} could take possession.
Good morning. Miss Warrington,
come right in the woman said, open
( ing the lower half of the door.
/ Virginia stepped within and the
! sound of the cracking logs in the big
/ fireplace in the hall dispelled the
+ shadows from her eyes-for mo-
ment
! It's good of you TO have that fire
to welcome me, Mrs. Mackin, the
girl said 'The place looks dreary
without and I'm afraid 1 was not very
/ cheerful at sight of it.
Yeti is my home" Virginia con-
tinued to soliloQuize.
Here's as fine a cup Of tea as
you've had, I'll warrant" announced
! the CHEEKY voice Of Mrs. Mackin,
( breaking in on the girls reverie.
I'm quite sure it's better" Vir-
/ GINA replied. taking the old blue cup
! and saucer. And I have a faint re-
i membrance Of this china. haven't II"
7 she asked, inspecting the ancient pat
/ tern
It's certain you have, my dear. for
! it's a hundred years old If it's a day.
/ It's many a time my own mother
/ washed these teacrps for your gran
/ ME"
q suppose there's history every
( where 1 turn" Virginia said, with
half sigh. and how little I've done
for the family name, myself
You've put it where it has never
been before" remarked Mrs. Mackin;
and Virginia couldn't tell whether
there was pride or pity in her tone.
"On the biIIboards-yes." admitted
Virginia.
Your grandfather never went to
the city for fear he'd see it, I'm told"
the older woman said, not unkindly.
Perhaps it would be well if no one
ever had seen it," the girl went on.
It's a funny notion that put the
stage in your head at all, at all"
sighed Mrs. Mackin.
Perhaps" Virginia admitted
Sometimes notions opposed become
strong desires. I had notion was
opposed and-well, we all had Mar
rington wills, Mrs. Mackin.'
It's that you had-and poor Mr..
Borthwick-he-"
Virginia rose hastily to go, but Just
as she turned there was a knock at
the front door.
Mrs. Mackin hurried to answer.
ooh, yes. Miss Warrington has Just
arrived. I'll see if she can see you
now" she was saying at the door.
Virginia heard heavy footsteps en-
ter the old drawingroom Then Mrs.
Mackin returned to say that the rep
resentative of the Aeroplane club had
come to see her about building pyIon
on the property to mark out a course
for the international aviation meet to
be held in the vicinity the following
month.
Virginia, little interested. went to
meet the stranger
ooh. yes" she said, when she had
dismissed him. 81 gave them permits
sion. Why not? 1t may relieve the
monotony of farm life"
It's a foolhardy business, 1 cali
it." replied Mrs. Mackin, as she de-
parted to attend to her duties You
know better than I do how to make
yourself feel at home, my dear. so
III be after doing my work.
Virginia packed up the brass tongs
and put back a log that had tumbIed
forward. Then she sat down in the
great chair and deliberately put both
feet on the fender as if trying to feel
at home-and at rest.
In the past few years she had taken
no time for introspection; indeed, she
had had little, for much of her work
had been in road companies and her
time had been well occupied. 1t was
not until after her grandfather's will,
leaving her the old homestead. reached
her that she even thought of giving
up the stage. Then it had come to
her: she was the last Of an old fam
fly-her mother and father had died
when she was child and left her in
care Of her grandfather-and she was
a second-rate actressi Her stubborn
ness alone had kept her on the stage
when she never even had felt the
glory Of success.
In the little Quaker academy. where
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