The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-10-24
THE NEW
GENERATION
CRAIG FORESTER WRITES MRS.
WALTERS.
BY JANE PHELPS


| WALTERS.
Chapter 40.
In all the small matters pertaining
to her life, Margaret Hayden vas in a
| sense free to do as she pleased. She
! did not now try to justify her vanity,
as she busted powder or applied rouge
! to her face. After all there was no
reason why she should not use both
| rouge and powder if they made her
| look better. She was free now to do
as she liked. She was not obliged
I every moment of her life to live up
! to the role of mother to girl past
| 16-almost a young lady.
| Suddenly Margaret realized her life
| in life and color This was right
after Joan went away. She felt that
! never had she expressed her real
| self; or developed her personality.
She had been too busy giving Joan
her opportunity to develop. She felt
| flower which tried to bloom in some
dark room. She longed to bask in the
| sunlight of freedom. More than any
| thing else did she long to be alone
with herself, away from acquaintance,
alone where she could give vent to
every feeling, follow every whim, no
matter how foolish.
She resented morei than ever be-
fore Joan's feeling that she was old
| too old to enjoy, to wear pretty
, clothes, to perhaps love and be loved.
Joan thought her an ancient dilapi-
dated old person good to keep house,
darn stockings, and make pretty
frocks for her-Joan. Mrs. Hayden
resented another thing perhaps even
more forcibly. She wanted to be
with her as Joan played with the
young girls who had been her init
mates She was passionately fond of
this daughter of hers who was so
terribly young, and SO cruel with the
cruelty of youth
Margaret thought of her in New
York, not alone. but with her young
friends, popular. sought after, as she
had been at home. She thought of
her as going to strange and unusual
places, as meeting interesting people,
and lOnged to be with her, snare heF
adventures.
Yet Margaret was in no particular
hurry to leave; she took time to go
thru her wardrobe, none too plentiful
even now, and to discard everything
that reminded her of age. She had
a feeling of disgust, almost a nausea
when she took down the colorless
dresses she had been accustomed to
wear Hannahs daughter was nearly
her size, and so found her wardrobe
suddenly enriched with clothes of
good material and quiet pattern.
|. Perfectly appropriate for Hannah
daughter" Margaret said to herself in
disgust, ''yet the bert I had for years"
Finally she had packed her trunk,
and arrived at Mrs. Walters her mind
hmade up to follow her Quixotic plan
of living alone for a time before let
ting Joan know she was in New York.
She had been delightfully."- sympa-
thetic with Mrs. Walters until she
spoke of Craig Forester; confessed
to having a letter from him announc-
ing the date of his arrival.
Vol la
not to marry Hudson Baker after all.
Craig Forester was much more at
tractive, l etter looking, and very
wealthy. 1t certainly was strange that
a man given to sending post cards
should write a mere acquaintance
letter, and not write her, whom he
had shown special attention"
Someway Margeret couldn't help
wishing she had been nicer to Craig
Forester; that she had not been so
sedate and o1d-fashioned. Other
women were not, even women like
Mrs. Walters who were older than she.
"I have been told was old SO often
I have come to feel old" she once
said to Mrs. Walters She felt now
that her feeling old had colored her
people away-by people she really
meant Craig Forester.
1T am ready for that visit to your
modesto" she said the day after their
conversation regarding Forester At
least she would not be outshone by
clothes, even if she were extravagant.
That's fine! Well go this very
morning. I telephoned yesterday and
she said she had some stunning new
models"
In the excitement of talking clothes
Margaret forgot for time to feel hurt
over Forrester's failure to notify her,
as we'll as Janet Walters, that he was
returning to New York soon.
(Tomorrow-A New York apartment)