The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-01-15
Near St. Anne's
BY JANE OSBORN

! NA'hNt WHY u you liNN seen der as
she set out TINT Thanksgiving eve you.
too, would have reholled against the
fate that had forced Madgc To hct de-
clsion. II had been merely the result
Of little arithmetic She received
$50 WeCE-n sum that would once
have seemed munitlceut--f her work
MS filing clerk in downtown office.
For board and lodging in tiny hnll
bedroom She had to deduct Sl3, There
We're six lunches besides. and clothes
and curfares and pll those little incl
dcntuls that no matter what your in
CONT, always come 10 work havoc with
your budget Al 81. Annc's Madge had
been offered $50 month-hut there
| would be no eNpcnscs-nO carfure,
board lodging. lunch or laundry. 1t
was not that Institutional life seemed
/ To hold oui any attractions TO MOdse,
/ but simply because she was tired ot
/ putting up the fight that seemed nee
/ cssary IN adjusting her standard of
/ living 20 that $50 week So Nudge
] was Interested when Mrs Saunders.
I who had known Madge before Mr..
Gr'ay's death and the collapse Of the
I Gray affairs. wrote telling her I'm let-
/ ter fun of pity that ST. Anne's homo,
/ Of which Mrs, Saunders was a direc
| tor was I'm need of n mntron and that
Mrs Saunders remembered hO,v tact
/ ful Madgo had been with the old
| ladies' at the hotel where they had
once spent the sumner Her letter
/ did not very successfully conceal the
! fact that the matronship Of St Anne's
had not been position very much
sought after and that the $50 had not
/ been deemed sufficient TO the Other
mntrons to persuade them TO exert the
supreme tact needed to get ON With
the aged gentlewomen" who lived at
ST. Anne's.
II the inmates OF St. Anne's had
been really In need II might have been
easier but the fact that they paid "a
not inconsiderable board and thar
they themselves regarded St. Anues
not at all as n charitable Institution
although It was heavily endowed
made the task OF being their matron
none too easy.
scarce more than child herself.
mothering all those old ladies. But
to her there was nothing lncongruous
in the Idea. SO having no more inter
esting plans 20 make for the holiday,
she told Mrs. Saunders that she would
go out 20 st. Annes to "lool things
over and see II she thought she
ity that the position required
Mrs Saunders had thereupon
asked her TO go out Wednesday after
noon md spend The Thanksgiving
weekend there. She wrote TO the de-
parting matron 10 receive Aladge and
to try to make St. Anne's seem as at
tracilye as possible.
So when twenty-year-old Madge
started out by train to the unfrpquent-
ed suburb that harbored ST. AnDe's it
was with the feeling that Il she ac-
ccpted the posltion-nnd there seemed
not the falnteSt doubt but that she
would--her last decision would have
been reached. She would simply re-
main Mt st. Annes ,he rest OF her life
So far there hadn't been very much
else for her but disappointment, she
rellected--poor little Madge who was
capable Of So much enjOyment--and
for such as her retreat like 81.
Anne's was the best that life could az
ford. Never had one OF the inmates OF
st. Anne's approached that yine-cov-
cred house In the country feeling any
older than did Madge that Thanksgiy-
ing eve.
Iiut she didn't look old-far from IT,
The demure little hat and the mex
penslve plain dark suit greatly became
her. II did not require sables and vel
vets TO set off the prettiness of Madge.
In fact, Madge was OF that winsome.
artless type that appear best when
most simply dressed.
She sat I'm her seat In the rail-
road train watching the retreatlng
landscnpe-the cold gray November
sky and the ponds In the meadows
showing n border of ice around the
edge.
Aud as she looked a tear welled up
from each of those violet eyes and
met at the bridge of her dainty nose
and then splashed down on Madges
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.
Then two more tears started. but
suddenly were checked. Some one
was leaning over her. She looked up
and stliled a little cry with The hand
that had risen to wipe away the
vestiges OF her foolish tears.
Bob" said Madge, and Bob said
"Madge." Then he sat down beside
her. swell, whatever are you dolng?"
he asked and Madge said: "oh, just
| going to Malvern. Are you?"
Bob said he was, and then; "What
can you be going TO Malvern fori"
| "Oh, to see some people," said