Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-08-12
At THE OLD TAVERN
Rich Married Woman Visits
Country Home and Finds
Former Lover Dead.
BY BLYMER CHAPMAN.

wealthiest man in the city, who eager
| ly gratifed her every whim; beautiful.
possessed of faultless taste and the
means to minister unto it; courted,
| admired, acknowledged the social
leader; with every avenue Of pleasure,
| travel, dress. society philanthropy
everything open before the magic
touch Of MansOns millions and Man
son more than willing to use the magic
of his millions for any purpose she de-
sired-what more could any woman
want?
| And yet Margaret Manson sat in
her blue and gold boudOir with leaden
heart and looked out into the SHIN
mering sunlight and shivered as might
prisoner in a dungeon who saw the
golden CLEANS of the sun outside. but
knew it never could be hers.
/ It was one of her blue days-that is
about all there was about it-and yet
she had had so many blue days of late
that the sunlight did not appeal to her
as it used to in the old days. The
worst of it was that the luxurious sur
roundings had begun to pail upon her
and she had fallen into a dreadful
habit of late of asking herself con-
tinually: WAS 1t worth While?"
In vain did she shrug her patrician
shoulders and reply: ::'Of course it is
worth while; what else could l have
done?" Ever and again came back
the question: Was it worth while?"
This afternoon there was upon her
the smell of the new mown hay and
the smell of the new milk in the
clean little dairy and the smell of the
grass and all the growing things-aye.
and the smell of the barnyard and all
the living things therein. including
Jake, the hired man. And these smells
and the visions they inspired carried
her back to the old place out in the
Genesee valley and to all the happy
days of her youth when she trailed
ever in the wake of a mighty star
whose name was ideality and over
which towering so far into the heavens
as almost to be lost sight Of, rose her
castles in the air.
All, finally these castles had been
reduced to one-but that one castle
had been so much more splendid than
all the rest that they all looked cheap
beside it. And then-but why pursue
vain regrets and drag back the skele-
tons of the past.
Anyway the mind OF madame was
thoroughly upon the countryside old
Genesee valley this afternoon and it
seemed to her that if she could not
get Whit of the sweet, fresh air she
must stifle.
OF a sudden she arose with deter
mination and rang for her maid
Pack one trunk with the simplest
things l am going away for few
days. There will be no society, no oc-
casion for any clothes excepting the
most simple-do you understand"
Felice understood-that was why
Felice had lasted so long in madames
service.
In the meantime Mrs. Manson had
descended to the apartments of her
liege lord
If you have no objections, SIR she
said, II think | will run down to the
old place for day or sol am hun
CRY for a Whit of the old Genesee air"
why, sure" he replied, heartily,
turning from his market reports to
devour his handsome wife with his
eyes. awful sorry l can't go along
but that P. G. t. & L. B. deal is COM
ing off in the next few days and Il
daren't take my eye off the gun. Take
the maid with your"
mo-" she replied, decisiveIy, Il
want to go alone"
"All right" he replied, indulgently.
Then puckering his brows: Where
you goin'? You know the old place
is-who the thunder owns the old
place, anyway-nobody l know"
'T do not intend to stop at the old
place." she said, calmly. Il just want
to go down and see it all again-and
smell it. l shall stop at the tavern"
He received this with a peal of
laughter. "Oh, get away" he snort
ed between his laughs. mot that old
implanted barn in the town. Why,
woman alive, you are not thinking of
going there alone?"
Exactly" she replied. There is
no danger nor any disgrace possible
as it is a most respectable place. The
only thing that could possibly happen
to me would be little discomfort
and that can't hurt me much in a few
days."
ooh, well, as you please" he replied,
turning back to his market reports
Then as she swept from the room he
looked up and sighed a puzzled sort
of sigh.
"And she might go to New York and
stop at the Waldorf and see the opera
just as we'll. The women certainly
do beat all time"
Hence it was that Margaret Manson
found herself on the platform Of the
little red-painted station, a day later
and negotiating with old Bill Simpson