Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1893-06-15
CHAPTER TX.
A FAMILY PLOT.


spiracy, and that he, munchinp innc
Gently at his mullins, was the victir
against whom their wiles were planned
Patiently they waited until at last thei
opening came.
1T is a beautiful day." he remarked
1T will do for Mrs. Westmacott. Sh
was thinking of having spin upon he
tricycle."
"Then we must call early. We botl
intended to see her after breakfast"
"Oh, indeedp The doctor locke,
pleased.
You know, pa" said Ida, "it seem
to us that we really have very great ad
vantage in having Mrs. Westmacott liv
ing SO near"
"Why SO, dear2"
well, because she is so advanced, yor
know. If we only study her ways, w,
may advance ourselves Also"
81 think have heard you saw. papa
remarked Clara, "that she is the type Of
the woman of the future"
u am very pleased to hear you speal,
80 sensibly, my dears. l certainly thinl,
That she is a woman whom you may very
well take as your model. The more init.
mate you are with her the better pleased
shall be-"
"Then that is settled" said Clara de-
murely, and the talk drifted to other
matters.
All the morning the two girls sat ex.
tracting from Mrs. Westmacott her most
extreme views as to the duty of the one
sex and the tyranny of the other. Abso-
lutte equality, even in details, was her
ideal. Enough of the parrot cry of un-
womanly and unmaidenly. 1t had been
invented by man to scare woman away
When she poached too nearly upon his
precious preserves. Every woman should
Dc independent. Every woman should
learn trade. 1t was their duty to pusb
In where they were least welcome. Then
they were martyrs to the cause and pio-
neers to their weaker sisters. Why should
the washtub, the needle and the house
Keepers book be eternally theirs? Might
they not reach higher-to the consulting
room, to the bench and even to the pull
pitt
Mrs. Westamott sacrificed her tricycle.
ride In her eagerness over her pet sub
ject, and her two fair disciples drank in
every word and noted her every sugges-
tion for future use. That afternoon they
went shopping in London, and before
evening strange packages began to be
handed in at the doctors door. The plot
was ripe for execution, and one Of the
conspirators was merry and jubilant,
while the other was very nervous and
troubled.
When the doctor came down to the
dining room next morning, he was sur
prised to find that his daughters had al
ready been up some time. Ida was in
stalled at one end of the table, with
spirit lamp, a curved glass flask and
several bottles in front of her. The con-
tents of the flask were boiling furiously,
while villainous smell filled the room.
Clara lounged in an armchair with her
feet upon a second one, blue covered |
book in her hand and a huge map of the
British islands spread across her lap.
"Hullor' cried the doctor, blinking
and shifting, "where's the breakfastY'
"Oh, didn't you order itf" asked Ida.
81! No; why should Ip He rang the
bell. "Why have you not laid the break
fast, Jane?"
''If you please, sir, Miss Ida was
a-workin at the table"
"Oh, of course, Jane," said the young
lady calmly. 81 am so sorry. shall
be ready to move in a few minutes"
"But what ON earth are you doing,
Ida~ asked the doctor. "The smell is
most offensive. And, good gracious,
look at the mess which you have made
upon the cloth Why, you have burned
a hole right through"
"Oh, that is the acid" Ida answered
MRS. Westmacott said
that it would burn holes"
"You might have taken her word for
it without trying" said her father dryly.
"But look here, pal See what the book
says: The scientific mind takes nothing
upon trust Prove all thingsl' have
proved that"
"You certainly have. Well, until
breakfast is ready I'll glance over The
Times. Have you seen it?"
"The Times2 Oh, dear me, this is it
which | have under my spirit lamp.
I'm AFRAID U0er6 Is SOlll6 dClu upon UudU,
soo, and it is rather damp and torn.
Here it is"
The doctor took the bedraggled paper
with a rueful face. Everything seems
to be wrong today" he remarked. "What
Is this sudden enthusiasm about chemis-
Try, Idag'
"Oh, am trying to live up to Mrs.
Westmacott's teaching"
'Quite right, quite rightp said he,
;hough perhaps with less heartiness than {
ie had shown the day before. "Ah, here
s breakfast at lastl'
But nothing was comfortable that
hprning. There were eggs without egg !
Ioons, toast which was leathery from {
icing kept, dried up rashers and grounds
n the coffee. Above all there was that {
lreadful smell which pervaded every
hing and gave horrible twang to every
nouthful. l
81 don't wish to put damper upon
our studies, Ida," said the doctor as he |
lushed back his chair. "But do think
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