The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-06-16
THE EVENING STORY
Margaret's Flight.
(By Louise Olney.)

| first love and woman rather chooses
a mans last love, they are both right.
Barring exceptions to prove the rule,
| all a mans emotional experiences are
swallowed, up in his latest love. 1t is
paramount. With a woman, the first
| love stands supreme. Which state
meDt argues a story. 1t was Mar
| garets first love.
| Every love affair is battle. There
| is a conquest, a surrender, capitula-
| ton, terms and thereafter peace
! sometimes Margaret Ellis and Dan
| Macy met, looked at each other, and
| in a trice the battle was on. She
recognized his strength and her dan
ger, and, not wishing to marry, she
| fed. She was wise enough to know
there was no safety for her when he
/ looked upon her. There was matri-
mony in his very potent dark eye.
Margaret's flight was a literal one.
She packed her trunks and left home
| for g. long visit with a relative in
Sioux City, crossing a state, and
greatly disgusting the sister with
whom she made her home. The sis
| ter, Mrs. Paxton, was not in the Sc
cret-she did not even know there
was one. Margaret conf1ded in no one.
The relative in Sioux City was a
canny old aunt-in-law, with a grim
understanding of human nature and
fine faculty for silence. She liked
Margaret and received her with open
OOO1S, IL IlOl open di
We'll" was her greeting to the I'M
announced arrival, you did not come
out of sheer love for me. Now tell
me why you did come"
Margaret unpinned her veil, took
her hat from her smooth, dark head,
and sank into the first chair. shaking
out her blue linen skirt as she did so.
It's a man, Auntie. 1 don't mind
telling you. You know I'm 20 and like
my singlcness. I don't want to marry
lid do
not be man like Dan Macy. He's the
sort that swallows you alive. He came
to visit the Trifders, and Della invited
him to dinner with them. Well, he
simply appropriated me. He was per-
fectly well-bre and irreproachable,
but his first glance claimed me, court
ed me, won me, married me, stuck me
in a house and a city of his choosing, |
and put me at his beck and call for |
the rest of my natural life. You never |
saw anything to beat it. L never was |
afraid of man before, but 1 knew |
he would be too much for me. I saw |
him three times after that. Can you |
imagine me dumb, blushing, stricken |
and -afraid?" She made an angry lit
tie gesture and her gray eyes dark
ened and widened. Can you imagine
me at the absolute mercy of a male |
thing? He was so lordly, so conf
dent, so calm, so sure of his irresist- |
ible self! And he had Della and John |
Paxton at MS I66C DIT the l1ISC WISH. |
They all belonged to him. Sol pack
ed my trunks and left
The old aunt grunted. 80 here |
you are! I am glad to have you. What |
are you going to do with yourself? 1 |
suppose you know I don't bother with |
what society there is here. 1t is good, |
but I don't lean that way. You can't |
be idle. What do you care about"
Margaret considered.
Il need to get away from myself"
she said slowly. I'm going to teach
at Hibley again, but school doesn't
open till October. This is June. 1
need action-and outdoors. Do you
suppose you could get otor? You
can afford it. I can drive fairly
well. I should like to learn to do
all about the country. 1t would be
good sport for both Of us. Could
your"
The old lady grimaced. She liked
Margaret's fearlessness-she was not
even afraid to say that she was afraid
of this man, nor to ask for a car.
you can choose your car in the
morning, and I'll pay the bills, Mar
garet There will be that much less
for nv devoted relatives to fight over
when I'm gone. Oh, don't mean you,
and you know it! 1 think you have
pretty good sense. So you showed a
clean pair of heels to this conqueror? |
Good for you! I've noticed in these
days that the girls do three-fourths,
sometimes all of the counting. But
why don't you want him? You haven't
told me-
Margaret turned and faced her aunt
with the most serious face in the world.
"I-would be his second choice"
she said. Jennie Trtffier told Della {
that he pretty nearly died of a broken
heart five or six years ago when Fan
ME Gerry girl in San Francisco. |
deserted him on the very day before
they were to have been married. She ,
was very pretty and young. She ran 1
aWav with a young millionaire, and +
made him a laughing stock. You know {
I am not rretty. nor very young, J
nor
not with a conventional pink-and- t
white prettine5s. I can see how he '
would love you. You are true, and I
it shines out of your face. Anybody
would turn to look at you. You are i
a goose about that girl. A mans r
la st love is his best love. Second y
choice is really first choice. There p
was no quality to that first girl-now
he has become sane and his judgment I
works with his heart. He will marry c
you" s
Margaret gasped. h
.HeNWon't marry me-" she said k
angrily, and tears filed her eyes.
The next few weeks Miss Margaret y
Ellis lived IN the open. HERS was the "a
life of a glorified chauffeur. Her clear il
skin. which no weather could ruin, a
Flowed with health beneath her tan. k
Her ewes deepened and frightened. The 7
ann touched Colds and reds into her u
lark chestnut hair. She ate like a a
boy md slept like a healthy s
oafy She took her aunt at a break D
neck pace to every likable place within a
, radius of 100 miles-thcy slept in c.
country hotels and camped at meal | e
H.