South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-04-30
HOW MADGE BECAME REALLY
FOND OF MRS. UNDERWOOD.

Mrs. Underwood herself, with
outstretched hands. met me al the
door of her apartment
Il knew it must be- you" she said,
so l came myself. How prompt you
are! 1 feel as if I'd like TO shake you
for being so admirably correct in
everything. You know 1 was never
on time in my life"
never can find anything TO LAY
to Lillian Gales raillery. Although
1 disapprove of her appearance, her
loud voice. and much of her slangy
talk. yet 1 always feel dull and COM
monplace beside her.
Come right into my room" she
ratified on and then well 80 into
the dining room. We have just nm
an ice? I'll tell Betty"
She made a dash for the door. but
1 caught her by the arm.
Please, Mrs. Underwood" 1 said.
mot a thing but the coffee. L real
~ couldn't OH, how lOvely!"
The exclamation was a tribute 70
her bedroom. 1t was one of the
daintiest rooms Imaginable, like the
heart of a rose The hangings, the
wall paper. the draperies, all rans-
ed from the faintest shade of pink
TO the deep shade of an American
Beauty rose.
Il think it's pretty fine myself"
she said. "Of course, you're think
ing what a splendid frame for such
faded wOrn-Out picture as 1 am,
but just consider, my dear. how I'd
look in a room that wasn't rose
tinted. in a blue room, for instance.
Br-rr. This rose tint softens me
down. and enables me TO look at
myself without shuddering too
much"
THOUGHT BETRANING EYES.
Her words and tone were gay
enough. but underneath / detected
note of bitterness. My heart went
out 10 her in spite of the fact that
she was reused most abominably, as
usual. that her hair had been new
| ~ touched up" and that her gown
was altogether too low-cut for even
an evening affair, TO my eyes. let
alone an afternoon at home.
Lillian Gale must have been a
very beautiful girl. She would be
fine looking woman still if she
would let her hair be its natural
colo even if streaked with
gray, and wipe the rouge from her
face she might look Older than she
does in the atrocious mask she calls
her complexion, and which defes
any one TO tell whether the face un-
der it is so or so, but TO my mind
she would be much more attractive
How could a woman with her
mentality, her success in her pro-
| fession. her good humOred sanity on
SO many subjects, make herself so
ridiculous? asked myself the
question. as 1 had done every time
l had met her.
My eyes must have betrayed my
Thoughts, for she laughed bit
harshly as she took up a powder
pun and dashed a little more
powder on her nose and cheeks.
LETS FORGET IT"
When you are as old as / am, my
dear, and life has handed you as
many knocks as it has me, you may
ind out that women rouge ans dye
their hair in a desperate effort TO
keep up with a procession where
TO lose step is fatal
1 flushed hOtly as j took of my
hat and cloak and laid them on
/ her bed hate TO be considered
rude. and l feared that Mrs. Under
wood must have read my censorious
thoughts of her. 1 said the first
thing that came into my mind. and
as usual, when 1 am embarrassed,
blundered terribly.
81 used TO dream of a room like
! this when 1 was a very young girl,
about "A. Can't you imagine how a
/ sirl of that age would love this
room. and how lovely she would be
/ in it,"
Across Mrs. UnderwoOd's face
came the same spasm of pain that
/ had seen there when during the
little evening supper Dicky and 1
had given. Mrs. Lester had spoken
of how lovely her baby at home
looked asleep.
had thought then that some
where in this woman's checkered
past life there had been a child of
her own Now ] was sure of il.
She had had "a daughter, this wom-
an who seemed the incarnation OF
careless. vulgar good-humor There
was a tragedy in the thought Of the
child Was her little girl dead
Was she living, but dead 10 her be-
cause of that unhappy past whose
story seemed always 10 cling 10 lii
liam Gale?
Mrs. Underwood had turned her
face away under pretense of hunt
ing for a handkerchief. As she
turned back toward me I saw that
her eyes were bright with unshed
tears.
Yes. it is a young girls room.
she said That is what I planned il
/ for originally But l had 10 take il
myself"
she came toward me. and laid her
/ hand on my arm.
4 don't know why I like Won. but
/ / do" she said roughly. some time
when I think YOU need it-and I'm
afraid Won are ~Oiug TO some time.