The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-11-01
THE NEW
GENERATION
BIZ JANE PHELPS
BIARGARET'S POPULARITY
INCREASES
By JANE PHELPS
CHAPTER Sc.

CHAPTER So.
| Craig Forester had dined with
Margaret several times. The dainty,
artistic apartment presided over by it's
beautiful leasee, held an irresistible at
traction for him. Then the long even
| ings spent either in the lovely living
room, or at the theater or opera, had
Intrigued them both into a close
I friendship.
| Once Craig said to her-they had
been talking about Joan, her feeling
that Margaret was old, too old to en-
You are young and beautiful and
bewitching."
keep right on saying that. won't
your" Margaret returned with an en-
barrassed little laugh. Make. a
chant of it! I'd rather hear it than
any song ever sung" Then in apology:
You see have been old, and plain,
and unattractive for so long"
DO you know there are times when
could eheerfuily strange that charm
ling daughter of yours? This is one
of them"
Don't pleased I am very fond of
joan"
Naturally. But she has inhibited
you ever since she was born. I feel
sometimes that had you been childless
you might have been happier"
"Oh, no! You do not understand.
was, have been happy in watching
L
thing outside of her for years. 1t was
! only when she commenced to grow
away from me, to find her pleasures
with Der young companions. that L
felt a bit lonely and neglected
You wanted to play and they
EWhimsically.
Yes, / longed to be one of them,
and they thought me too DID," her
voice trembled.
well, you aren't too old to play
with me-"
Perhaps that's because you are old,
too-trom Joan's standpoint"
Il don't know about that! Those
young things are apt to judge men
and women by a totally different view
point. "A woman may be old to them.
when a man of the same age is still
eligible. Not fair, is it? But true just
the same"
Margaret took a rose from the vase
and held it daintily to her nose. There
were always flowers now-often, great
punches. or a single fine rose would
be Forrester's only gift. But always
there was something to remind her of
him. A book, the latest magazine, a
couple of theater tickets, something to
show he thought of her. That meant
more to her than the gift-the
thought. For all her life she had
thought of others, and no one had
thought of her.
Then, too, Margaret found certain
peacefulness in his company that she
found nowhere else. When she didn't
feel like talking, he didn't say:
Whats the matter?" He never told
her that women did not know how to
manage their own affairs, neitherf did
he telephone or call until after IL
o'clock noon.
Hes adorable in all those ways"
Margaret once said to Janet Walters
in a burst of confidence.
But it must not be supposed that
Forester was the only man who was
attracted by Margaret's beauty, her
accomplishments, her personality.
good many men had tried to make
love to her in one way and another.
They didn't get on very well. One of
them complained to Janet Walters:
when you try to make love to Mrs.
Hayden she laughs at you. Pretty
hard to make love when one does
that
Margaret wasn't really laughing at
them-she was laughing at her own
houghts-usually the different way
Craig Forester had of letting her
know he cared to be with her.
She counted among her friends
many men. She dined with them, and
she entertained them at her apart
ment where she listened to their gush-
ing explanations over Hannah's cook
ing. There were writer's, doctors and
brokers included In the guest list. They
sent her books and flowers also, and
would have been astonished had they
known they did not receive the same
care and attention as did the books
and blossoms sent by Forester. How
should they know that for her the
simplest thing sent her by Craig For
roster took on a value the most elabo-
rate gift from another did not possess.
But Forester never had told her
he CHI
one woman in the world for hin-and
Margaret found herself wishing he
would.
(Tomorrow-Margar talks of en-
tightening Joan.)