The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-11-23
The Evening Story
Motor Maid Marian.

The morning was fresh and fragrant
with the color of ripening fruit. Gen.
Malvery sighed as he realized that he
could no longer take his daily drive
| through glorious country roads. His
only son had Joined the army and
gone to the front, and without Bobby
to drive the car to the station and re-
turn home with it the general found
his motor useless. He wished he had
been able to run the car himself. The
Indian mutiny of long ago had robbed
him of his right arm.
I'm sorry I am such a silly bunch
of nerves." his wife said, reading the
longing in her husbands eye; Other
wise I could have learned to drive. 1
will gladly discharge Diana"
The general laughed softly and pat
her affectionately. You would work
your hands off for your husband and
son if we'd let you. but I think 1 can
get along without my drive to and
from the station more easily than you
can dispense with our excellent cook"
I'VE will be glad when our brave
soldier laddie returns, won't we.
dear?" she said. smiling bravely and
trying to hide the tragic fear in her
eyes lest her laddie be among those
heroes who would never return in the
physical being to the arms of those
awaiting them.
you bet we will!' The general
turned swiftly to his morning paper.
The one swift glance at the large por-
trait of a stalwart young man in khaki
disclosed the deep love of an English
man for his only son.
A few minutes later he looked up
with a smile. 1.-The women are COM
ing forward in this crisis with great
spirit, he said. Here is young girl
advertising for a position as chauffeur
and gardener. Says she would like to
take the place of a son who has gone
to fight for his country" The general
looked up wonderingly at his wife.
THAT young lady would be a treas
ure. Is the salary too awfully large? ?"
Mrs. Malvery questioned hopefully.
she asks no salary, bless her" re-
piled the general. She asks only
housing and feeding"
We will write today" Mrs. NAL
very said promptly, her eyes shining.
81 will be only too glad to give er
our extra room. She and 1 can do
most of the gardening ourselves"
So it was that General Malvery and
his wife became the possessor of a
motor maid,' as Marian Wells chose
to designate her calling.
MY brother has gone to the front"
she told her employers while she, too,
tried to hide the tragedy in her brave
smile. He is all the family have
Life was intolerable without occupa-
ton"
She was a slim, pale girl. whose
eyes shone with determination and
hope. Otherwise Marian Wells had
nothing to compel admiration. Her
hands, too, were slim and white. The
marvel was that they were so useful
a pair of hands. She handled the gar
den tools no less sl1illfully than she
managed the wheel of General Nal
VeryS motor.
In fact. Marian Immediately became
a valued part of the household, and
Mrs Malvery wondered how she could
ever again manage without her The
late flowers in the gardens began to
grow trim and the brasses and enamel
of the motor shone with Il splendor
that even the soldier laddie's vigorous
had failed to bring forth
Marian had been shown the portrait |
of Bobby Malvery, and, as all women
did she had freely expressed her adj |
for the clean-cut. debonair |
private in the Irish Guards
My brother, also. is in the Irish |
Guards" she said 1T would be |
if Dudley and your son should |
be fighting side by side"
There was no opportunity to write |
and ask, for it was not a day later |
that news Tt ed the Malvery home |
from the front. The two men had |
fought side by side, Z rather Bobby I
Malvery had fallen exhausted from /
and il was d dley Wells who /
mad gone out under heavy fire to drag t
his comrade back to the trenches. /