The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1919-10-04
151e
Fanished Soul
@$D
By EVELYN LEE
Copyright, 1919 by the Western New
paper Union.)

1t might have been wicked that
Madge Griscom experienced a sense
of relief when the funeral Of her hus-
band was over She had never loved
him and he knew it, and she could
not regret the sense of freedom that
had come to her To the last hour of
his life she had been kind, attentive
and c0nsiderate towards him. She
had fulfilled every wifely duty, she
had even given over to him the means
to finance him in business 1t was
true that she had now inherited the
same, many times augmented, but she
had worked side by-side with him at
desk, and the first thing she had done
in taking over his estate was to place
a charge against it that would insure
a competence for his aged parents.
"And now you can follow out your
own ideas and enjoy life" reminded
her sister. but Madge's lips were set
smilelessly.
mo. Edna" she responded. "The
best years of my life are gone. | feel
as though my heart was dead There
is a certain interest that is not un-
pleasant in business and / shall con-
tinue."
"To keep from thinking, poor
thingr' Edna later impaired to a spe-
cial friend! you know Madge has
led a life Of positive slavery for ten
years. I don't know how it was that
papa took a strange liking to Mr.. Girls
com-nothing would do but Madge
must marry him. He chilled her,
froze All that was tender and gentle
in her nature. He tied her down to
desk-Oh. it was dreadful"
Madge became a boarder at the
home Of Edna. The latter, after half
a dozen years of marriage, was just
as much a girl as ever. but somehow
Nadge was not in harmony She felt
and acted old.
Across the corridor from the office
suite was 4 room fronting on q court,
and more than once Madge had no.
ticed its occupant, a delicate looking
young man with refined features and
a gentle gravity Of manner that
seemed akin to sadness Somehow
she was attracted and If she had
closely analyzed her impression she
would have found that something in
the quiet, resigned manner of the
young man had suggested itself as
akin to her own somber frame Of
mind One day there came the i'm
pulse to learn something closer con-
corning her opposite neighbor and op-
portunity abetted it. The postman
had. misdelivered a letter addressed to
Mr. Paul Derby, and that was the
name on the door of the office. Mrs.
Griscom took the letter across the
hall Tt was a bare, dismal place,
looking out upon a court and the
heat was oppressive on account Of
such scant direct ventilation. The
young man was bent over some manu-
script which he seemed to be studying
closely and transcribing. Later Mrs.
GriscOm learned that he was q trans
Iator and a master of. several Ian
guages.
He arose somewhat confused but
the courteous gentleman complete,
and accepted with thanks the letter
rendered by his attractive looking Wis
itor, who could be most gracious and
smiling when occasion or her mood
accorded. She could not very well re-
main, but she. observed, less casually
than it seemed on the surface.
"It must be very warm and oppres-
sive here when the breeze is not right,
Mr.. Derby" and then: zone of our
offices is directly opposite, and if its
door was kept open, you would have
a direct draft through to the court,
and the pleased expression in the
young mans face encouraged his
thoughtful visitor to the extent that
when she returned to her own Office
and opened the door, the effect of the
current of air was noticeable in the
fluttering of the papers on the desk
of the translator, and he sat more
erect and comfortable as though en-
joying the change in the temperature.
AS time went on Madge as she
passed down the corridor daily, would
nod in a friendly way to Derby and
he seemed to brighten up because of
the attention. Then one day there
was change of wind and sheet of
paper came fluttering across the hall
and into the private Office where Mrs.
Griscom sat. 1t was a brief letter, di
rected to Derby, and 1t notified him
that the manuscript of an unpublished
work by Spain's most noted writer
could be had of priest for two thou
sand dollars cash and a like amount
on time. At the bottom of the sheet
was penciled reply: 81 am in despair.
1t would be impossible for me to raise
one-te4th of the amount named, so |
must allow this great opportunity of
my life to drift by"
Madge was grave and thoughtful as
she took the letter and crossed the
corridor.
"NTr. Derby" she said clearly, II am
a business woman and inadvertently I