Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-07-08

are anxious to bring others up to our
/ heig Is, TO free them from the
trammels which society and false ed
ucation have imposed upon them, to
teach them how to be as free as their
| fellow-men in their mode of life and
their choice Of a career"
II am already in favor of woman's
enlarged sphere, and | believe
in her right to any trade or profession
she may choose" answered Violet,
quietly. tBut | do not think we are
all fitted for public life
We are ali fitted for something bet
ter than these surroundings of yours,
said Mrs. Odessa Nottinham Smith, as
she looked about the room with
scarcely concealed shudder. ''Ah, my
child, you were named To me as a girl
of rare force Of character and unusal
brain But you are all in embryo yet.
I Your character IS uniformed, your
tastes lack refinement, your mind Is
uncultiyated. The time will come, If
you respond to the call make upon
you to come up higher, when you will
shiver at the distasteful life and sur
roundings that you have left behind
you, and regret the wasted talents that
We're almost thrown away upon unap-
! precitive plebeians. ] hope you will
| take your first step upward by daily
attendance at our meetings. We have
arranged the time to accommodate
those like yourself engaged i'll teaching,
| and our first meeting will be held in
Blanks Hall, the first Monday morn
| ing Of your vacation, two weeks hence.
You will have an opportunity to meet
some Of the rareSt minds in the state,
/ for the most prominent of the emanci-
pated sisterhood will be represented on
this occasion. | hope to see you
there"
With bow and another light hand
clasped, Mrs Nottingham Smith took
her departure.
Little Violet was strangely absent
minded when Jessie presented herself
that evening; her usual power Of con-
centration, that made her so successful
with each moments duty heretofore,
seemed gone, and she felt restless and
impatient for the child to go. This
mood did not pass with nights sleep,
either. She carried it into the school
room the next day, and the next; and
she dwelt upon Mrs. Nottingham
Smiths words and grew to feel that her
life was indeed, q cramped one full of
pretty aims,
II am living dull, narrow, treadmill
been content with it heretofore and
| thought myself doing my whole duty,
only proves how dull my finger feel
ines and aspirations have become. /
might be filling higher sphere, doing
more good, thinking greater thoughts,
and assoclating with better class of peo-
| pie If | were well-enldncip
| shall he glad when vacation comes"
Vacation came, and with it the inter
state convention of emancipated wom-
en-. Violet was one Of the first to enter
Blank Hall on Monday morning 1t
filled rapidly, and such medley of
striking people Violet had never seen
together before There were elegant
women in long trained dresses, and
women with elaborate cotiures, and
women with hair "shingled" and part
! cd on one side And all seemed full Of
business, and were gathered in little
''Clques' and first and foremost, and
everywhere present was Mrs. Odessa
Nottingham Smith. She smiled a vel
come to Violet, and introduced her to
Mrs Jonas Winters, novelist, and the
Honorable Mrs. Brown. Violet felt
herself inclined To laugh ut the very
odd attire of the latter, which was a
curious combination of masculinity
and feminitv; but uncnlturcd though it
was, according to Mrs o. n :. forbade
her do To 50. She was somewhat sur
prised, therefore, To hear Mrs. Odessa
Nottingham Smith remark, as the Hon.
Mrs. Brown moved away to speak to Il
newcomer.
What is the necessity Of any wom-
aus making such guy Of herself rs
Mrs. Brown does? She is really ridi-
culous figure, is She not. in that monde
script sult?'
Violet did not answer save TO ask the
name the badly who had Just entered.
She was very sweet-faced woman,
with SO kind Il smile and so gracious n
manner, that Violet felt her heart 90
out toward her involuntarly. Mrs.
ODESSA Nottingham Smith and Mrs Jo-
mas Winters novelist, both frowned
and drew back with sudden hateur as
their eyes fell on the new conner.
Really cried Yrs. Winters, Il was
not aware she was coming. | wonder
who invited herr
Not |, responded Mrs Odessa Not
tmgham Smith. Il can assure you Of
that. She probably came unlimited
II is like her bolduess."
How lovely she isl cried impolitic
Violet; please tell me who she is.
Mrs. Odessa Nottingham Smith frown-
ed more forbiddingly than ever rs she
turned to answer Niolet's query
That. She said with cold irony, lis
Mrs. burton. 1t may be YOU have
heard her name in connection with a |
scandal which was III every ones
mouth few years ago. II may be
you we're too young to have heard it. | !
assure YOU | did not ask her to attend |
this meeting, and | shall treat her in
way that She will not be apt to come |
again.
When the meeting was called to or
der and the preliminaries gone through |
with. the object of the meeting was dis |
cuSsed, and those who had papers to
read were called upon to send their
names and the Titles OF their papers.
Il 50 happened that Violet was seat
"a next to Mrs Burton, and that lady
CHANGED 10 address her and they fell
into pleasant converse Violet was
charmed With her sweet voice and her
gentle manners.
| cannot associate her with anything
evil, She said mentally, "anI | believe
She is Il good true woman. | don't see
why those ladies felt it necessary to
tell me She had been subject to scan
dal. There are precious few promi-
nent people in the world who have not
been more or less scandalized in some
way"
Violet was invited by Miss Jonas
Winters, novelist, to dine with her party
at the hetel Mrs. Odessa Noting
ham Smith has gone to the residence
IL n l.a,.Sn,l,l frin,,A l., L., 1.:t.- -