The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-09-07
ADAY WITH DOCTOR SARAH.

A dozen ladies were taking luncheon
with Mrs. Harry Epps, of Murray Hill.
That little matron'S luncheons are al
ways ideal woman's parties. This es-
pecial morning, for example.
There was plenty of space and sun
shine in the pretty pale-tinted rooms.
No great pictures nor distracting array
of bric-a-brac. Nobody wanted to
climb into regions of high art, or to adj
mire-the day was too warm. There
were flowers instead, flowers every
where; vine waving in at the bay
window. From the other windows you
could hear the rustic of the trees of
Central Park, and catch glimpses of
slopes of grass there, Of a clump of
dark ceGars at the base of a sunny hill,
of a hedge of wistaria-a mass of
snaky black arms holding up purple
blooms.
Inside there was clear feminine
softneSs in the very atmosphere; the
dishes on the table were feebly sweet
ish in flavor, and so was the talk.
There was much good feeling and cul-
ture shown in the conversation of these
delicate, low-vOiced women; but an
idea. naked and freshly born into the
world. would have been as out of place
if dragged into sight at Mrs. Epps'
luncheon table as man, or a greasy
Joint, or the Archangel Michael with
his flaming sword.
At least that was Doctor Sarah Coyt's
opinion as she sat in moody silence,
listening to the soft ripple of talk about
her. If there was one thing of which
Doctor Sarah had a full supply, it was
ideas. She kept a stock of them, rs
David did of pebbles, and was perpet-
ually singing them at the head of one
Goliath of custom or another. The
aged giants were hard to kill: indeed,
her best friends limited that her pebbles
were only mud But she fired them
with desperate courage-there was no
doubt of that She had fought her way
into her profession, and out of the
Christian Church, and now she had
clinched with Law, Religion and So
ciety in hand-to-hand fight because
of their treatment of woman.
When Maria Epps introduced Doctor
Govt to her friends, they felt shock as
from an electric battery, and then they
all reused into pleasurable excitement.
1t was such q treat to see this famous
creature face to face!
81 do like this sort of thing, man.
ma" said Margaret Whyte to her
mother. "You know | went to see
Jem Mace as the prize-fghter in As
You Like II, and this woman is account
ed a kind of intellectual Heenan or
Morrissey by the newspapers. So nice
in Maria to bring her!''
1T must be true that Maria Epps is
going to Join the woman's rights peo-
ple,F said her mother, thoughtfully.
''She is always aiming at the bizarre.
You remember she was the first to
drive three ponies q la RuSSe in the
Park: and she went to those Moody
meetings. But l did not think she
would carry her freaks as far as this"
But they were all courteous to Doc
tor Sarah. The courtesy, indeed, be-
came oppressive. The very air grew
clammy and heavy; all the ease, the
pleasant repose had faded out of it.
The man, the greasy joint were upon
the stage now.
Visibly, Doctor Sarah was only a
thin little woman in purple silk, sitting
painfully erect on straightforward
chair, her eyes glancing from one
woman to another as though she were
an officer, and they troops about to be
drilled. Her features were delicate,
though worn, her eyes were sincere,
sad brown eyes naturally, but they had
learned fierce trick of challenge in
the rough-and-tumble fight which she
had chosen to make of life. She had
not said word as yet except about her
drive and the dust, but something in the
fiat, quivering nostril made every
woman stand on guard. They felt that
they we're no longer Maria Epps' chance
guests, lazily slipping chocolate; they
were human beings-to be, to do and
to suffer.
Mrs. Epps took some pains to draw
Doctor Sarah out, just as she had been
careful that nobody should miss the
flavor of the new salad. A novelty
always gave govt to luncheon or din
ner.
"This talk of pictures and music
must seem horribly trivial to you, doc.
tor" she said. ave are such mere
butterflies, compared to a woman with
great object in life"
Doctor Sarah smiled good-humored.
ly 81 find great help in music" she