The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-06-27
THE EVENING o
Little Brown House.
(By A. Howard Gunter.)

=
pers signed, and Margery Graham and
Henry Wade, whom God nae Joined
together some eight years earlier,
were put asunder by Norton & Norton.
as attorneys for the husband and
young Kelley West, representing Mrs.
Wade. The whole affair, their friends
agreed, a been beautifully managed,
incompatibility was the plea. and the
only disagreeable feature of the ar
rangement was that which necessitat-
ed a final meeting of the parties to the
suit at the Office of Norton & Norton.
Margery had cried before the
meeting, for it seemed absurd to
think of Henry as not belonging to
her any more, as marrying some 9TH
err woman, perhaps. Then n had
dried her eyes, powdered her nose n
put on her most becoming suit, feel
ing that Henry must be made to see
that he was losing something precious,
and ianked by her bosom friend.
Rita Whitmore, and on the arm or
young West, she had come to the ap-
pointment with just that look of re-
signed martyrdom on her face which
the occasion demanded.
Henry came to the meeting by him
self and looked frankly worn and
w~retched, moreover, he made no at
tempt to ease the embarrassment OF
the situation, but was cold, gruff and
unnatural, "a perfect brute" as Rita
said afterward, with a congratulatory
squeeze of Margery's hand.
Margery went back to the mansion
that Henry had built for her when
they moved into town five years be-
fore, and, putting her head down on
Polly Marie's curls, cried so that her
tears ran down Polly's fat neck. hi
tickled Polly Marie and she aughe
such a splendid, hearty gurgle that
Margery had to laugh, too though sne
was very miserable. A urnin sense
of indignation had upheld her during
the ordeal, but now that Henry had
granted all her demands the trans
gressor had in some way las 10
put her in the wrong. h was SICK
of life, she hated this marble palace,
which had been the scene of her trou-
bles, and suddenly she remembered
the little brown house.
She had not been there for years,
because it was ever so far out in an
u~ndeveloped suburb, that small. snug
home where she and Henry mad De-
gun housekeeping when they ran
away from their people and were
married wears ago. Old Martha. her
nurse, lived there now, and kept ev-
erything just as they had left it..
Dress Polly Marie for a walk" she
e ch1tH1 to Things nes into her handbag.
The governess protested, pointing
to the heavy clouds that were gath
ering outside, but her mistress was
obdurate.
There was a long trolley ride and
then a walk across an open field,
with Polly Marie, who had fallen
asleep. hanging Imply over one
shoulder, and the bag humping
against her ankles in a most ncom-
Portable way. But she
wall in the distance h could see
the gables of her haven.
Through the iron gate, up the. long
waIk, and then came disappointment;
for the sitting room shutters We're
closed and Martha was evidently not
at home. A moment she paused in
CONSERVATION, then she recalled the
broken hasp On the shutter of a back
window. It had been so long since
she was there that she had almost
forgotten. All she had to do was to
climb on the garden bench. pull the
open, and-there she was!
But his was not so easy with
Polly Marie and the bag, and only
after two or three futile leaps did
she reach the ledge and scramble to
the floor inside. h sky had dark
ened and great splashes of rain were
falling, but from her vantage ground,
leaned out n called de-
Rain away, rain away, we're
safe in our little brown house."
From room to room she went and
the house was full of memories
nice, domesticated
lowered about the linen closet and
purred from the kettle on the stove
h tiny bedrooms, a dining room,
Il SIllll1S LIN w.
of all, Henry's den. At tina door
she stopped; it would be so dark in
there, for the heavy panels neeoeo a
CHEEKY fire to light them up With
something like a sob, she threw open
the door and caught her breath with
sheer 10y. A bright fire cracked on
the hearth and the reading lamp
brought out warm lights from the
brasses in the room. and in 'front.' OF
the fire, with his head buried in his
--5 go IInnrU |
But of course Henry should be IN
his den. 1t was the most natural
thing in the world. So. Please she
begged, may we come in? We're
dreadfully cold"
peering at her across the cir
Gle of light. Then wonderingly,
Come in, whether you're real or not
out of the darkness, out OF the
her burdens and, dropping down In q
huge leather chair before the ire,
began unpeeling the sleeping Poly
Marie. ut isn't a bag OF chocolate
cellars. nor a poodle" she assured
him proudly, its a baby
Polly Marie emerged like a fat bios
and Margery stripped off the
damp stockings and held the tiny
toes to the fire. Then she snug
eled deep into her chair, cuddled
Polly against her heart, ana signeu
a long, deep sigh.
"Oh' honey little housed" h
II
Henry lit his pipe and settled himself
deep in his arm chair.
Right little, tight little, nest" he an
swered, through clouds of smoke, and
did not even pretend to be ashamed Of
such foolishness.
"Oh, coy, cunning home" cried Mar
gerry. with great content
THEW sat for some time in silence
while, outside, the storm roared and
through the trees. A vivid