The Press., 1891-11-19

Nt
 She opened the door of her closet and
 looked ct her gOtcfss.
 Littlefield had it's small inner circle oi select ladies-intellectual and aspiring. who for two or three hours week, when their club. the Symposium. met in a private parlor. lived high up in thin, rarified mental atmosphere; 90 far beyond the gross comprehension of the business men of the town that they did not often venture to let their lords know what high themes they had been discussing at the club for fear of 8 cold douche of ridicuie and masculine scorn.
 The weekly Symposium was therefore all the more delightful to these ladies who felt themselves mentally cramped at home, and they cherished the air oi mystery which enveloped their little society with closely compressed lips. But happily among the Symposium members were several spinsters and widows, the independent of womankind. who feel no tether. and can go to any length in their soaring. regardless of the sar- casms of the unideaed sex These ladies had passed beyond Brown ing and even Tolstoi. and were now in the meshes of the cold blooded Ibsen, who had divided the camp and caused many spirited discussions But to what ever lengths the ladies may have gone in argument no sooner had the door of their clubroom closed upon them and they found themselves with feet placed firmly on the earth, than the remarks overheard as they strolled along in groups of two or three under the shade trees of High street, showed that the centripetal forces were still at work, and there was no danger of their flying of the surface of the planet.
 Did you ever hear anything like that girls willfulness, said Miss Dawson. and it was not the peculiar heroine of the Dolls House" of whom she was speak ing. "Her mother has no infuenceover her whatever, and her sisters have almost gone on their knees to her.
 And her aunt offered to take her to Newport for the summer" put in Mrs. Purse "It was thought she would make 8 match for her before the season was over. She is very contriving woman and has worked of her own girls with great skill.
 "She won't hear to it," returned Miss Dawson with 8 little sigh. ''She is dead set for this wild scheme of going to live on the farm and peddling butter and eggs and vegetables and spring chickens around the town from the tail of cart.
 .'1 hope shall see It." returned Mra Purse with dry laugh, like grig in meadow grass ''The Ransoms never condescended to look at me: they never knew l existed in this town when they had their money and plenty of horses and carriages and were given up to worldly display. should just like to see that proud Agnes riding around town in cart peddling out eggs and butter. 1t will do me good And even if she sells her spring chickens a little higher than what can buy them for in the market. shan't mind paying the differ ence.
 is that just the right spirit, returned Miss Dawson. stealing 8 look at Mrs. Purses thin, sallow face as if she felt the club had very imperfectly done it's work on the widow. shouldn't we try to live on a more exacted plane and to be governed by higher law than to rejoice in the downfall of othersy'
 Miss Dawson was getting a little be- yond her depth as was apt to happen in the club discussions.
 "Oh," said Mrs. Purse tartly, Il guess it won't be much of come down for Agnes Ransom. She'll most likely re- gard the whole thing as lark, and have right to get my fun out of 1t too. There isn't anything malicious in my feeling, only l should just like to see her perched upon that cart. But, of course, she will marry before long. Any girl of her face and fgger Is elected and foreordained to masrimony, as sonic peo- pie are cut out for old maids from the cradle"
 Miss Dawson had . slight contraction of the mouth and pin prick in the side She took occasion to say goodby to Mrs. Purse at the junction of High street with Elm, and ran a few steps to join Miss Person, another club member. who was tall. wore glasses and short hair, and was thought to be more detached from feminine vanities and more devoted to pure metaphysics than any other Sym posiumite.
 'I am almost sorry" began Miss Daw- son, 'tthat we elected Mira Purse to our circle. fear she has no real elevation of thought, no comprehension of prin- ciples. #
 ''I can't agree with you,- returned Miss Person, who never did agree with anybody. Our club is educatiye, and if we were all perfect we should not need its influence. Mra Purse has real flashes of insight Did she not say the other day that slaviah obedience to a system narrows OUT feeling for human ity?s
 The ladies at that moment were pass ing the gates of Oakwood. a large, hand some estate lying In the northwestern part of the town. Oakwood had for many years been the show place of Little field, and the name of Edgar P. Ransom was mentioned to all visiting strangers as that of great fnancier and railway king, whose business connections were continental and even embraced portions of South America and Europe. For many years the Ransolns had been so- cial center, around who revolYed many currents of fashion. curiosity and gossip, People who had never spoken with them talked familiarly of Agnes and Edith and Sophie as the Ransom girls. and were deeply interested in their admirers, their gowns, their entertainments, their go- ings and comings Now that the Ram som family had fallen in the world. their fortune having toppied over like great show7 image with feet of clay, people looked at each other and said. with their eyebrows If not with their tongues, ''I told you so.
 Mfr. Ransom had been a victim of the last Wall street furry. and bis death following soon after his ruin people had spoken of suicide. Two of the Ransom