The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-09
EVENING STORY
Georgia's Venture.
By lola Forester }

| p" men SSOISld rented the SlnCldlT
house and took lease on the little old
Buxton inn down by the postroad, Ar
burndale lifted its lorgnette, so to
speak. in marked disapproval.
| In the first place. if one must be
straltened in circumstances, there was
really no need of advertising the fact.
| She might have stayed or, at the great
old mansion on the hill road and done
something that waS-well, unobtruSive
and genteel, if she had to increase her
| income Mrs. Dorian tried to make
her see this, and Georgia only pushed
back her thick brown hair and
laughed.
But there wasn't any income to in
crease" she laughed. All at once and
nothing first. don't you know, Mrs.
Dorian; like the one-hoss shay. Dads
lawyers just wrote from New York
that the railroad had gone into the
hands of a receiver, and, of course, all
of his money went with it. They may
reorganize, but it will take time. And.
meanwhile, we've got to live. whether
Arburndale approves or not. I sent
| Dad down to Aunt Anne's, where he
wouldn't suffer from the. shock of
seeing his one and only earn her own
| living. Don't you think I've fixed the
old place up prettily?"
II don't see how you ever did it"
well, by taking a two-year lease,
got them to paint it for me on the
outside that lovely old leaf green. and
the rose vines and honeysuckle helped
out on the piazza. Later, when 1t is
very warm, 1 shall have little green
tables out there and serve lunches to
the motorists. Then Jim and I fixed
up the inside with all the nice little
yellow cupboards and the old wooden
| furniture. We found so much stored
in the garnet, and painted everything
| ourselves
And what does Malcolm say?" que
| ried Mrs. Dorian.
! Georgia looked down the lovely
stretch of country road, all fresh with
spring blossoms and bright warm
greens. She had rather left Malcolm
out of the calculations. In fact, she
hardly thought of him. Malcolm be-
longed to the realm of the big house
on the hill, and the Country club and
affluence. He was part of the old
life, not this new one of realities and
meeting bills with cash.
He doesn't know" she a jwered.
| But you were engaged, were't you
Georgia? AT least it was always I'M
derstood-''
/ NO said Georgia, quite gently.
1--WE weer never really engaged, Mrs
Dorain. Dad and his father rather
hoped it might happen, I guess, but
we were just good friends always. 1
hope the little inn won't spoil that"
Malcolm did not hear of the inn or
|
not until mis- return south. Then, the
first night of his arrival he missed her
at the Country club dance and asked
for her.
well. you know. it's Georgia's own
fault that she was dropped" SAID
| Frances Marbury, with lifted eye
| brows. "Oh, she wasn't really drop
ped. I don't mean that, but she went
into business. you see, sort of trade,
running a little inn down on the post
&r,s- rat t1.a
house committee TO ignore it, but they
took it up. Mrs. Elliston is on it, and
simply said it would never do. If we
did it for Georgia we'd have to estab-
fish a precedent and take in Tom,
Dick and Harry, and their wives So
Georgia sent in her resignation"
Good Lord" calculated Malcolm.
General Farrington's granddaughter
and old Langdon Sinclairs daughter"
Just what we all said. It's terrible,
isn't it?
Terrible for Arburndale and the
Country club" answered Malcolm
grimly THE prime idiots.
| The following day he rode down to
see the mistress of the inn. She look
ed very sweet and charming in her
little private sitting room across the
hall fror, the long. narrow dining
room. Malcolm wasted no time Sit
ting on the edge of her flat topped
desk, looking very interesting in his
what ptucky, splendid sort he
thought her.
why on earth didn't you let me
know?'
thing to do. Dad just gave up when
the railroad went to smash. Aunt
Anne says he's better since she took
him up to the Springs And 1 do
enjoy this, Malcolm, only" she hesi-
tated, and laughed, have you heard
! a he fry
the first whack they gave me-
Mrs. Elliston came down and deli
cately intimated that it would be tact
full of me to observe the unwritten
rules Malcolm, they used to keep
the feed store and run c,tton gins,
Dad told me. when he was a boy.
Isn't it all queer? ~
Malcolm rode back with grim deter
nination in his heart A telegram
went speeding north to his lawyers
| to dig up the railroad case, and see
where the Sinclair stock stood. Then
he went to his mother, Margaret
Joscelyn, who had swayed society af-
fairs up at the capital in her younger
days, and was still the most admired
and exclusive person in the county, in
spite of her invalidism. He told her
all about Georgia, all that her hap
piness meant to him. and just what
they had done to her at the Country
club.
II love her and am going to marry
her, mother. and l want you to man
age the rest. Will your
Dear lad, of course" she said, ten
derby. I've danced with Langdon
Sinclair at many an Assembly ball, and
my first compliment as a girl came
from fler old grandfather. our Beau
) Brummell, at the capital. Don't
worry
The following week Arburndale
knew that Mrs. Joscelyn had driven
down to the inn and had drunk tea
with its mistress out on the cool little
veranda in full view of the post road
and passersby. The next shot out of
a clear sky was the announcement of
a select dance given py Mrs. Joscelyn
at the Country club in Miss Sinclair S