San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-03-05
MERLE'S CRUSADE.
BY ROSA NAUCHETTE CAREY.
Author of barbara Hedthcote'S Trial."
"QuccniG'S Whtm," "Ihc Search

for Basil LyndhurSt."
mon IN recaplUulatlng the heads OF my
arguments in favor of this very scheme;
| would show Uncle Keith how clearly
and logically l could work out the sub
jeCt.
| had thought out quite an admirable
little essay on feminine work in the nine
teenth century by the time Mr.. Wright
had finished his discourse. | meant to
have cited the ChallOners as an example.
Aunt Agatha had stayed in the neighbour
hood of Oldfield just before her marriage,
and had often paid visits at LOngmead
and Glen Cottage.
The eldest Miss ChallOner-Nan, think
they called her-was just preparing for
her own wedding, and Aunt Agatha often
told me what beautiful girl she was,
and what fine, intelligent creature the
second sister Phillis seemed. She was en-
gagged to young clergyman at Hadeigh,
and there had been some talk of double
wedding, only Mans father-in-law, Mr..
Mayne, of Longmead, had been rather
cross at the notion, so Phillis' was to be
postponed until the autumn.
All the neighborhood of Oldfield had
been ringing with the strange exploits of
these young ladies. One little fact had
leaked out after another; it was said their
own cousin, Sir Henry ChallOner, of Oils
bank, had betrayed the secret, though he
always vowed his wife had hand, or
rather tongue, in the business; but any
how, there was a fine nine-dayS' gossip
over the matter
1t seemed that some time previously
Mrs Challoner and her three daughters
had sustained severe losses, and the three
girls, instead of losing courage, had put
their shoulders to the wheel, and had act
ually set up as dressmakerS at Hadleigh,
carrying on their business in most mas
terly fashion, until the unexpected return
of their relative, Sir Harry ChallOner,
from Australia, with plenty of money at
his disposal, broke up the dress making
business, and re-instated them at Glen
Cottage.
A few of their friends had been much
offended with them, but as it was under
stood that Lady Fitzroy had spoken warm
ly of their moral courage and persever-
ance, it had become the fashion to praise
them. Aunt Agatha had often quoted
them to me, saying she had never met
more charming girls, and adding more
their independence, and of course in re-
calling the Challoners I thought should
have added my browning argument.
There was so much, too, that | lOnged
to say in favor of my theory. The love of
little children was very strong with me.
l had often been panied as l walked
through the streets at seeing tired chill
dren dragged along or shaken augrily by
some coarse, uneduCated nurse. 1t had
always seemed rather a pitiful idea 10 me
that children from their infancy should
be in hourly contact with rough, mental
natures. Surely" | would say to my
self, 1.-THE mothers place must be in her
nursery; she can find no higher duty than
this, to watch over her little ones: even if
her position or rank hinder her constant
supervision, why need she relegate her
maternal duties to uneducated women?
Are there no poor gentlewOmen i'll the
world who would gladly undertake such
q work from very love, and who would
refuse to believe for one moment they
were losing caste in dischargng one Of
the hottest ana purest duties in life?
What An advantage to the children"
imagined myself saying in answer to some
objection on Uncle Keith's part, never
dreaming that all this eloquence would be
silenccd by masculine cunning. What
an advantage to these little creatures to
hear English pure and undefiled from
their cradles, and 10 be trained to habits
of refinement and good manners by mere
ly instinctively following the example be-
fore their eyes. Children are such copy
lists, one shudders TO think of these inn
pressionabls little beings being permitted
by their natural guardians to take their
earliest lessons from some uneducated
person.
Women are crying out for work, I'm
Gle Keith" l continued, carrying my war
fare into . fresh quarter; but, alas! this,
with the rest OF my eloquence, died q nat
ural death on my way home. There are
too many Of the poor things in this world,
and tho female market is overlooked.
They are invading telegraph offices, and
treading on the heels Of business men, but
sheer pride and stupidity prevent them
from trying to open nursery doors.
"Unlady-like to be . servant" another
imaginary objection on Uncle Keith's
part. "Oh, fly, Uncle Keith this from
you, who read your Bible and 60 to
church? And yet remember a certain
passage, ''Whosoever will be chief among
you let him be your servant which has
hallowed the very idea of service ever
since.
''To serve others seems the very mean. )
ing OF wOmanhOod; in some sense, a wo-
man serves all the days of her life No.
am not far-fetched and impractical"
Another supposed masculine TRADE. II
have thought over the whole thing most |
am not only WORKING for NV