The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-21
TIE EVENING STORY
Transformations.
(By George Rayne.)

when he persuaded Miss Malone that,
by wearing it. she would look at least
fifteen years younger.
Miss Malone was slim creature
slightly past the forties, with hair
which, though gray, was still soft and
| WaVy. Moreover, she was possessed
| of that gift of the gods, an air of dis
| tinctiOn which the wardrobe of a
| queen and the beauty of angels are
| alike powerless to supply. Hers was
! the habit of the high held head and
eyes that looked out straight and fear
| less. Men and women all instinctiyely
| trusted Miss Malone.
She had been very eXacting with
| Susan, her maid, that evening. The
| set of her gown, the choice of Jewels
| and other details of a woman's toilet
| had assumed an unusual Importance.
| Most curious of ALL it appeared to
| Susan, was the fact that her mistress,
| who abhorred everything artificial,
| should choose to wear a TRANSFORMED
! ton.
Susan, old and tried servant, was at
| a loss She had never before met
! with any trouble in the exercise of her
! duties. Some extraordinary event
must be taking place in Miss Malone's
| life.
The previous day a note in a mans
handwriting had been delivered at the
door. From that moment up to the
present Miss Malone's behavior had
been most peculiar. Everything which
should have been done had been left
undone. The outside world was for
gotten. Miss Malone had arisen early
in the morning, only to shut herself
in the library, where she sat before
the fire for hours reading and reread-
ing a packet of letters, stopping occa-
sionally to glance at a number of
photos as old in appearance as the let
tiers. None of these circumstances
had passed unobserved by the maid,
Susan. They were in her mind now as
she skillfully adjusted the TRANSFORMED
ton on her mistress's head and fas-
tened a coquettish black velvet bow
among the golden puffs.
Miss Malone gazed into the mirror
without seeing her reflection. A whole
lifetime can be lived in less time than
1t takes to dress for dinner, and the
woman before the glass saw in her
minds eye the events of the past flash
by, leaving but one thing standing outt
prominent and alone. Vane Adair was
coming to see her again after 20 years
of separation. How ridiculous it wasl
to have wasted the years. And how
worse than stupid to have let Vane
go.7abroad7 without clearing up 4 so
slight misunderstanding.
Often, since the day they parted, she
had seen some man who reminded |
her. of Vane; glimpse of a fair
mustache, a head well set back, a |
square, determined chin. Once in the |
street she had encountered a man so |
Startlingly like Vane that she. had al |
most held out her hand to him. And |
after such encounters would come a |
term of intense loneliness, gnawing !
desire to hear Vane's voice, to touch |
his hand.
of the past that the sound of a ring |
at the front door caused her to start |
to her feet. Yes, she was sure of it. |
Turning to Susan she gave an order
to be taken downstairs. Colonel Adair
would stay to dinner. He was to be
shown into the library at once.
She would see him in the same
room in which they had parted 20
been in! How her eyes had flashed
anger; how her small foot had
stamped it's goodbye.
Not until the maid had left the
room did Miss Malone consider her re-
Fiction in the mirror. Certainly the
Transformation made a wonderful diff
ference to her appearance. She was
looking beautiful, really beautiful. No
one would believe her to be day over
20. Then, with a sudden revulsion of
feeling she put up her hand to tear
the thing Indignantly from her head.
II hate the deception she said to
herself hotly; but her arm dropped to
her side as she remembered how in
the; old days, Vane had adored her
beauty, how he had once said that tod
be mated to a plain, elderly. woman
was incompatible with his idea of COM
p1ete happiness.
She went downstairs at last out
ward1y calm inwardly fighting a ter
rified reluctance to enter the room
where Vane waited for her. A mo-
ment she stood hesitating on the
threshold, then pulled back the por-
there and walked forward. The light
was soft and subdued. The atmos-
phere was filed with the scent of vio-
lets, violets which Vane had sent as
of old.
Col Adair stood by the fire with his
back to the door. At the sound of foot
steps he looked up quickly to see slim,
stately figure closely draped in soft
gray. At her throat sparkled sin
gle jewel. Her hair was a mass of
dull gold. Beyond the fact that her
breathing was a shade other than nat
uraI she appeared absolutely self-pos-
sessed in the soft lamp-glow.
He faced her with hand extended, a
well set up man. with gray mustache,
a high forehead and a bald spot which
was beginning to spread like the plague
spot of Egypt just where his thin hair
divided for a wide parting.
Their hands were clasped and I'M ,
clasped An expression of astonish-
ment appeared on the mans face Both
stood motionless during what seemed
to them an eternity.
Undoubtedly it is f7e,'' she thought
Though his face had altered, likeness
enough remained to assure her that it
was the same Vane.
Undoubtedly it is She he thought.
She had scarcely changed at all, the
same red lips, the same golden hair.
"Why-why Mary he stammered
There was no ring of joy, no warmth
of greeting in his tone He had given
himself away and she understood all
too clearly. .
Quickly withdrawn her hand from
his, she spoke. II should have known, s
Vane; I should have known"
You should have known what?" he !