The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-04
EUening Story
The Gray Woman.
BY MARTHA McC. WILLIAM

BY MARTHA McC. WILLIAMS.
She was the Gray Woman to all of
Crestview, save and except the post
man, and even he had fallen into
thinking Of her merely as No. Is Ellet
place. She ran her own errands, no
matter what the weather, paid cash
always and took home her purchases.
Further, she did not go to any church,
nor belong to anything-clubs, socie-
ties, nor guilds. Crestvtew abounded
in all three, Notwithstanding it had
a bare twenty-five hundred inhabi-
tants. 1t was, you see, largely resi-
Dental, the select DRAWINGS of asDi-
ration thru the sieve of narrow means.
Consequently the Gray Woman had
her uses-she provided a fine subject
for speculation at the several and sun
dry conclaves of the elect and the
near elect.
Crestview had waited with tolerant
Iimpatience for her to establish a bank
account and secure sitting in one
of the three churches. After three
months she had done neither, so it
felt quite justified in looking at her
inquiringly, if not rather askance.
| Then it became known that she had
bought No. IS, the old Wilmot place,
almost the last vestige of the original
settlement. and was apparently con-
tent, if not indeed pleased with its
dingy solidity. No touch of fresh
paint nor any sort of planting was
visible thruout the first year. Thus
her environment quite matched her
personal grayness-of hair, eyes. and
costumes. Her skin was not gray
rather of a healthy paleness. with a
"Reminiscences of scarlet IN the lips.
Her personality was not exactly for
bidding, but held an intangible some
thing that made approach difficult.
Thus except for the tradesfolk, to
whom she was always an ideal GUS
toner, not ten of the residents had
-. i Al
year. Those she had answered civilly,
but smiled away their suggestions of
church and civic affairs-e.se muir
INJURED: Maybe later and slipped
away. Apparently she had two pas
sions-for books and walking. Pack
| to her at least fortnightly; when she
went tramping companioned only by
MAZDA, her big wolf-dog, there was al
| most always a book, along with a light
lunch in the bag slung over her
| shoulder.
She seemed not alien, but detached.
Which was distinctly aggravating. you
must admit. What right had she thus
| to isolate herself from an especially
choice community?
Crestview began asking that early
in the second year. 1t had been ask
| ing, from the very first, how and why
withdraw black Calline, queen of
cooks and laundresses, from general
| circulation, then letting her idle away
three parts of her time.
Thru Calline, books were sent to the
| library with only the messag e: "Mfstis
say you kin have all OBJ desc eff you
wants um. Mistis? Cose I calls her
| mistis. I knows quality white folks
when I kitches up wild UNI. Nom,
| she amt never toIe me ter mind my
you has de right Sort
Thus a-concrete grievance to back
up the intangible one. Another
dawned with open weather-in new
cation of the old place. Yet wholly
| apart from the Village Improvement
Society that dotted on sending orders
zen bloc" for the town, this rampant
individualism bore irritating fruit. in
that by midsummer the sometime Will
mot place was easily the loveliest on
the whole long street. So lovely, in
deed, motorists often stopped or
! slowed down to look at it-and occa-
S1onally to be rewarded with handfuls
| of choice bloom. Calline always
brought the flowers to the car side,
their donor smiling in ambush behind
thin screen of new vines.
Things happen in odd sequence.
The postmaster fell i'll, by consequence
his daughter Samantha, just home
from Vassar, played substitute, with
result of finding out that the gray
woman's mail came addressed to Mrs.
bore a return address. That looked
bad for Mrs E. enthusiastically sus-
picfous, said the Civic Center, where
Samantha's discovery was duly dis
cussed. Next it came to light that
when she went away by the morning
train it was to leave it at the next
station, where motor was in waiting
Since nobody lad ever seen her come
nome, the reasonable deduction was
that the return was at midnight or
later. SuCh ROIngS and
back were distinctly bad form.
1t was bruited out at the Country
club that detectives ought to be called
in, but the men laughed down the sug-
! gestion, even saying: mo use; at least
ten. of you women can beat them hol-
low" That might have made hard
feeling, but just then Samantha sprang
her great scheme for the approaching
Fourth. 1t was to hold a grand pub
lie reception on the gren, asking
| everybody out of Jail almost, and
bringing in visiting celebrities to be
seen and heard. Samantha had met
and shaken hands with no less than
three at Vassar. Thru them she was
sure she might herd in even greater
luminaries. Guests and their hosts
would have luncheons in the club
house: outsiders might bring their
own sandwiches or go without.
July fate turned a scurvy trick
made the club chef break his ankle.
leaving an aching void only Ca1line
could fill. Was she obtainable? There
was the rub. She had been high and
naughty to all suggestion of filling in
profitably her spare time. But Sa-
nantl1a was game; she bearded Cal
line in her home den, offering SO,
merely to supervise things next day,
or even 500 provided Cal1ine would
cook some special things.
Calline giggled softly, answering: