The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-29
.Eoening . Story
Near st. Anne's.
BY JANE OSBORN.


Madge Gray. If you had seen her
as she set out that Thanksgiving eve
you too would have rebelled against
the fate that had forced Madge to her
decision. 1t had been merely the re-
suit of a little arithmetic. She re
celved $50 week-a sum that would
once have seemed munificent-for her
work as filing clerk in a downtown
office. For board and lodging, in a
tiny hall bedroom she had to deduct
$l2. There were six lunches besides,
and clothes and carfares and all those
little incidentals that, no matter what
your income, always come to work
havoc with your budget At st.
Anne's Madge had been offered $50 a
month-but there would be no ex-
penses-no carfare, board, lodging,
lunch or laundry. 1t was not that in
stitutional life seemed to hold out any
attractions to Madge, but simply be-
cause she was tired of putting up the
fight that seemed necessary in ad-
justing her standard of living to the
$50 week. So Madge was interested
when Mrs. Saunders. who had known
Madge- before Mr. Gray's death and
the collapse of>the Gray affairs, wrote
telling her ina letter full of pity that
st. Anne's Home, of which Mrs. Saun-
ders was a director, was in need of a
matron and that Mrs. Saunders re-
niembered how tactful Madge had
been with the old ladies at the hotel
where they had once spent the sum
mer. Her letter did not very success
fully conceal the fact that the matron-
ship of ST. Anne'si had not been
position very much sought after and
that the $50 had not been deemed suf-
ficient to the other matrons to per
'$uade them to exert the supreme tact
needed to get on with the aged
gentlewomen" who lived at ST. Anne's
If the inmates of St. Anne's had
been really in need it might have been.
easier. but the fact that they paid
not inconsiderable board anC that
they themselves regarded st. 'Anne's
not at all as a charitable institution
altho it was heavily endowed--made
the task of being their matron none
too easy.
Imagine the haired Madge,
scarce more than child herself,
fhothering all those old ladies' But to
her there was nothing incongruous in
the idea. SO having no more interest
ing plans to make for the holiday. she
told Mrs Saunders that she would go
out to st. Anne's to look things over"
and see if she thought she could pos
sibly assume the responsibility that the
position required.
Mrs. Saunders had thereupon asked
her to go out Wednesday afternoon
and spend the Thanksgiving weekend
there. She wrote to the departing ma
tron to receive Madge and to try to
make st. Anne's seem as attractive as
possible
So when twenty-year-old Madge
started out by train to the unfrequent-
ed suburb that harbored st. Anne's
it was with the feeling that If she ac-
eepted the position-and there seemed
not the faintest doubt but that she
would-her last decision would have
been reached. She would simply re-
main at ST Anne's the rest of her life.
n fo hod dY1f& hnE rrf.l0
else for her but disappointment, she
reflected-poor little Madge who was
capable of SO much enjoyment-and
for such as she a retreat like st.
Ahne's was the best that life could
of st. Anne's approached that vine
covered house in the country feeling
any older than did Madge that Thanks
giving eve.
afford. Never had one of the inmates
But she didn't look old-far from it.
sive plain dark suit greatly became
her. 1t did not require sables and
velvets to set off the prettiness of
Madge. In fact, Madge was of that
winsome, artless type that appear best
when most simply dressed.
So she sat in her seat in the railroad
train watching the retreating land
scape-the cold gray November sky
and the ponds in the meadows show
ing a border of ice around the edge.
from each of those violet eyes and
met at the bridge of her dainty nose
and then splashed down on Madge's
hands that lay folded before her.
What was the use of wiping 1t away?
There was no one to see or at least
no one to care So -s+7N
Then two more tears started, but
suddenly were checked. Some one
was leaning over her. She looked up
and stif1ed a little cry with the hand
hot 19a s1-ic n q
tiges of her foolish tears.
Bob" said Madge. and Bob said
"Madge." Then he sat down beside
her. We'll, whatever are you doing ~
going to Malvern. Are you?"
Bob said he was. and then, What
can you be going to Malvern for ?"
"Qh. to see some people" said
Madge. colorins. for there was very
little out at~Malvern. save st. Anne's,
a pickle factory and a stone quarry.
She was wondering what could have
called Bob to that part of the country.
Bob. whom in those days before the
crash came Madge was almost en-
gagged to-
In those days of many suito-s it was
Bob as much as any one to whom she
had given her young heart. And in
the days that had followed. who knows
how completely that heart had been
devoted to his memory?
Have you friends in Malvern2"
she queried. She was hoping that Bob
would not question her to the point
where she would ha. to tell him of
her plans to immure herse' IN the old
ladies' home.
No said Bob deliberately. 81
have no friends there" He paused,
looking backward as if interested in
some one occupying a seat behind
them across the aisle. Then it was
that it seemed to Madge as if there
was something very cruel in the fate
that had made it necessary for her to
solve her problem of existence in the
way she had planned.
It would seem like such a confes-
sion of her own utter inability to cope
with things. Madge felt as if she were
shown her embarrassment and sud-
denly she realized that 'nb was as
embarrassed as she.
Presently he excused himself. My
aunt-that little old Iady in black is