The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-07-22
THE EVENING STORY
A Painted Lady.
(Rv Marion Gordon

pass him with friendly warmth and
affection, and now he found them here
/ in this fine old mansion purchased
from the impoverished members OF
an almost extinct family. Samuel
Gladwin had made himself rich and
successful at AZ.
| Samuel, my boy" he said to him
| self. this is better than bachelor
| apartments or splendid hotels-this is
homei 1t only lacks one thing.
must get me a wife,"
| He looked a little wistfully through
/ the vista of untenanted rooms. His
own money and cultivated taste had
perfected the shabby interior, which
still retained it's fine old mahogany
| and china. In the library, which was
| his own especial den, hung several
family portraits that had passed into
his hands.
Over the fireplace hung the por-
| trait of a K ly-a sweet. fair, brown
haired girl. with dreamy gray-blue
eyes and rose-tinted cheeks. Her
hair framed her face mistily, and her
white throat and arms were yelled
with some sheer black gauzy stuff. At
her bosom nestled a pale pink rose
Gladwin threw himself into a low
chair and blew cloud of smoke up
ward. Through the blue haze the
painted lady smiled tenderly down at
him. So he would have his wife look
at hin-so would he have her gaze
Presently black Martha brought
some fresh logs for the fire, and her
keen old eyes caught the expression
on his face as he stared up at the pic
ture.
kin I do anything more, Marse
Gladwin?'' she asked, lingering near
the door.
mo thank you. Martha-that is,
unless you can tell me something more
about the picture over the mantel-
piece
He colored slightly, fearing that he
had betrayed the real interest that he
felt.
A film seemed to cover Martha's
eyes-she looked like a wise old tor
toise as she drew her lean neck
back into the folds of her kerchief.
Excuse me, Marse Gladwin," she
all about dat pictur. It's de pictur of
Miss Rosamond Dilly-she's daid and
buried this 20 years like all de DiIlys
'cept old Miss and young Miss
''Who is old Miss 2 -
''Missis Jedge Dilly-her as sold you
de house, sah," returned Martha crisp
ly.
"Oh. 1 never met her; I transacted
all the business through her lawyers.
And who is young Miss %
Miss Rosamond Mallory-grand-1
daughter to Misses Jedge Dilly-that's
Miss Rosamonds ma befor' she was
married" Martha pointed to the por-
trait above the mantel. Beneath her
respectful manner there was a yelled
resentment that this newcomer should
have had the power not only to pur-
chase the home of her old master,
but that his money could buy the fam
lily heirlooms as well.
"'Tain't considered lucky to hev
dat pictur' around, sah," said Martha
as she opened the door.
''Why?" he asked, quickly seeming
a story.
Its ha'nted."
Nonsense" he laughed.
Martha tossed her white turban
scornfully. 81 guess ole Marse knew!
He was sot aginst her marryin young
Mallory-he was handsome but he was
pore-and when de baby was born
Miss Rosamond died and her pa never
forgive himself and he useter say she
cum down outer de pictur and talk to
him when he sat smokin' heah! dun
no de truf, sab, but old Jedge died in
dat belief, and SO did Marse mallory
and dey amt nobody left 'cept OLD
Miss and Miss Rosamond-wearin her
purity eyes out teachin dat Whlte trash |
in Fairlawni"
Martha swung out of the room, and
the door closed behind her with
bang that Gladwin did not notice.
So his home was filled with memo |
ries of other people! 1t was still alive
with old tragedies-old heartaches
All there were left of the fine old fam
lily were the grandmother and the |
young girl who taught school in Fair
lawn.
How they must hate him for oc-
cupying their home. He felt like an
as he sat there bordering
the story Martha had told him. From
the fragments she had related he p1ec-
ed together romance and tragedy and
pathos until the room seemed peopled
with these ghosts of other days.
The clock, striking the half hour
eleven aroused him to the fact that
the lamp was burning low, and he ex-
it, sitting there by the glow
from the embers the fireplace.
Now he could no longer see the por-
trait over the mantel. 1t was blur
red shadow like the dark corners of
the room. The house was very quiet
Martha and her assistants We're asleep
in the east wing, and he had the
empty rooms to himself.
ct is home, but it is very lonely, |
he murmured respectfully.
Then something strange happened.
When he opened his eyes again he
was conscious of presence IN the
room beside him.
He stared up at the black space
where the portrait had been, and then
ut the dim corner of the room Wnere
the freight flickered over tne pan
eIed wall, making an unsubstantial
background for the slender form OF a
girl gowned in gauzy black A pink
rose nestled in her bosom and her
fair face set in its frame of misty dark
hair looked like another rose.
So Martha's story was true! The
fair Rosamond of the picture had
stepped down from her frame and
come to reproach him-for what2 For
buying her old home, of course, he
told himself as he stared at her with
fascinated eyes ii
All at once he realized that she was
staring back at him in a heightened :
way Her hand moved! 1t flew up to
her white throat with gesture of
great fear! Ii
His picture was alive! II
Don't be frightened, Miss Rosa-tt