The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-07-01
The Euening Story
Frailty, or Fidelity?
(By Elsie See.)

Abigail Thomas was seated in the
visitors gallery of the state senate one
morning, and in her smartly tailored
black silk suit and a lowered hat her
fair beauty was even more pronounced
than usual. The senate was discuss
ing bill for the control of public
| utilities by city governments, and Abb
CALLS father had just concluded a
| speech in it's favor. Representatives
of corporations. public-spirited citi-
zens and lovers of oratory filled the
visitors section The discussion be-
came more heated with each speak
| er's contribution.
| While the interest was at its height,
| the heavy swinging doors of the senate
chamber opened slowly and there en-
tered a pale, sad-faced young woman
who looked at the strange scene about
her in confused way. In her plain,
dark blue suit and hat she would have
attracted little attention had it not
| been for the searching look in her
| half-frightened, half-determined eyes.
As the woman slowly approached
the brass rail which formed a semi
| circle dividing the senatorial desks
| from the seat section for visitors, Abb
gail Thomas recognized her as Mamie
! Morton, who, as Mamie Ellis, had been
her classmate in grammar school, but
| who was now the tired and patient
little dressmaker of Thomasville. Only
| a day or two before, Senator Thomas
had spoken of the efforts Mamie was
making to have her husband pardoned
from state prison, and when Abigail
| saw her standing there looking so
timid, yet so determined, she felt a
desire to help her.
Perhaps the desire was made
stronger because Abigail was begin
ming to feel remorseful about quar-
rel she had had with Stanley Worth
the night before. Stanley Worth was
AbigaiPs hand. After proposing to
her four times in three months and
being given a different reason each
time for her refusal, he had told her
that although he honestly loved her
he would not longer furnish her OPP
Iportunities for indulging her capri
lciousness.
AbigaiPs estimation of him went up
many points upon this show of spirit,
but a moment later it was consumed
in the heat of her wrath, as he gave
a semi-tragic quotation of "Frailty,
thy name is woman. So the quarrel
continued until Abigail said to herself
that she would make him suffer for
that contemptuous SANDER of her sex
and until Stanley Worth said to him
self that If he ever married any
woman it would be because she did
the proposing and inveigled him into
acceptance before he knew what he
was doing.
From her seat in the visitors gal
lery Abigail went over toward the
woman standing beside the brass rail.
A roll call having been demanded, the
lsecretary was calling the names of the
lsenators, whose ayes and noes were
being given IN voices ranging from
high pitched nasal wheezes to gutteral
lgrowls Mamie Morton approached
the sergeant-at-arrns and told him she
must speak to Senator Thomas. The
big officer shook his head doubtfully
and reluctantly approached the SEN
ator, who left his seat and went at
once to the woman
ct cannot promise that the COVER
lnor has taken any action" said Sem
ator Thomas in answer to her eager
question. MANY matters of state
claim his attention at this time, and
he may not have had time to look into
this
But sir protested the woman, be-
coming holder in her suspense, st has