The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-12-20
EVENING STORY
Madge Tiddleton Finds Her Heart.

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Madge Tiddleton Finds Her Heart.
(By Mauna Cowles.)
Madge Tiddleton was the youngest
college widow among the professors
daughters at Bastow college, and still
she had no heart. 1t was a rather
studied heartlessness, but 1t was just
as effective as that acquired by longer
and deeper experience. 1t was entlre-
ly the result of the deep advice hand
ed to her by Trix Floyd, who had,
after ten years of activity with the
classes of Barstow finally married the
fifty-year-old instructor in SanSklft IN
the rival college in the next state. IrlX
told Madge on the eve OF her own
marriage and Just before little blue
eyed, credu1ous Madge made her de-
but at her first junior ball, the result
of her own experience.
Don't ever pity college boy" she
said. college fellows have no hearts
even when they think they have. So
get all the fun and candy and presents
out of them you can. They may think
they're crushed when you are cruel
but they get over it. l knew they
weren't serious, any of them If they
had been 1 wouldn't be marrying
now"
So Madge had begun her career as
one of the faculty daughters with
something of an advantage over the
other girls of her age who still Imag-
ined that college boys were to be
treated with consideration. She flirt-
ed and coaxed and Tilted them with
free, light heart for one year, and be-
fore her first seniors had been grad
uated she had consulted the regis
trars list in the presidents offlce at
college to find out the names of the
incoming class of freshmen so as to
~ aafI 1ir1sr fof a N
material she would have when the
next class arrived.
One of the seniors in her second
season who came nearest to making
her forget Trix Floyds admonition
was Thatcher Tompkins. rather un-
CALMLY in spite of his fine physique,
rather timid in spite of his proves as
captain of the Barstow football team.
But Madge did remember and she en-
joyed the rush that Tompkins gave
her, especially as he was for the time
being the hero of the college. When
her elder sister looked reprovingly
and suggested that there was cruelty
in her method and that unless she
really cared for Tompkins, she had no
right to lead him on, Madge looked
serious and contrite for only min
ute. The she remembered Trix's ad-
vice, tossed her little head and made
no good resolutions.
81 am just as thirsty NaS L can be,
and dear how I love sweets Madge
would say as she tripped along the
main street of Barstow town with
Tompkins, and then Tompkins would
feel in his pocket for the required
change, and if it was there he would
beam and lead Madge to the college
confectioner's shop.
Il just dote on topaz. don't you ?''
she asked one Decem Der afternoon
when she was walking with Tompkins
: d,
They were in front of jewelers. shop.
and Madge cast her pretty eyes to-
ward a topaz that cleaned amid a
motley collection of possible Christma as
presents on display in window deck
ed in holly and mistletoe. 81 think l
could be happy forever if l had that
pendant. Wouldn't it look wonderful
with that yellow party dress of mine ?''
/ Her voice was coaxing and she was
| looking at Tompkins thru half-c1osed
/ eyes.
would you like to have it, really %
I'D rather have it than anything
else in the world-almost," and the
walk proceeded The next morning be-
tween classes Tompkins hurried to the
! jewelers. shop and priced he pendant.
1t was rather more expensive than he
had anticipated, but with his next al
lowance the pendant was his in a
neat white velvet lined box. locked in
his desk drawer. ready to be delivered
at the front door of Prof, Tiddleton's
! Christmas eve. The allowance he had
expected to use to buy his ticket home,
and had he not been so full of the Joy
| of doing something to please Madee
he would have felt a species of regret
at having misdirected the money as he
had. He wrote and told his father
/ that unexpected expenses incident
| upon his college work" had come up,
and for that reason he would have to
have another remittance in order to
go home fore the holidays. Secretly
/ he made up his mind to return the
amount his father sent as soon after
/ graduation as he could earn it.
/ He was confident that the money
would come. and even on Christmas
eve he was so certain that when he
delivered the little box containing the
pendant at Prof Tiddleton's door he
| left with it a note to Madge telling her
| that he was soon to start homeward
| to be gone over the holidays From