Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-09-28
THE MODERN WOMAN,

evening In the nat winch she Shared Win
her sister artist.
She was alone and tired. Her sitter
she was a portrait painter-had Just gone,
Rnd she was in the act of making a CUP OF
tea for her own use.
The tea table was an inviting one The
little kettle purred oozily. She handled
the tea ball gracefully with pretty and ex-
pressive hands. He sat on the edge Of his
chair and stared at her miserably over the
top of his tescup. When he broke his mo
rose silence, it was to remark, with rude
ilidacticism:
1.-THE popularity of the teakettle and tho
chaflng dish in good society seems to mo q
graceful recognition by women Of tho
charm that housewifely cares still have for
them. The kitchen is so attractive that
even the drawing room cannot dispense
with its graces A woman who is barred
out of her kitchen by French chef will
still cling to the privilege Of using her
chatting dish, and in her case 1t is beauti-
full and significant that it should be so,
butt he hesitated moment.
'Wellp" asked she politely.
81 don't see what, from that point Of
view, you arc doing with teakettle. You
have abjured all that it stands for. You
have found something better than the do
mestic life"
He endeavored to speak with that phil
osophic calm which should impart the
flavor of impersonality to what he said,
but there was bitterness in his tone.
"That is nonsense, responded the wom-
an of genius Grossly, for her work had not
gone well that day. 'Tea tables are pop
ular because women need stimulus and
chatting dishes because men like substantial
nourishment. certainly have not alb
jured food. Personally adore domest'0
life, and 1 like it all the more from the
fact that it is not the only career open to
me. In general it adds the element Of
grace to the life and of graciousness to
the woman when she takes up that form
of existence, not because 1t is the only
form, but because 1t is the sweetest of all. i"
"Those are very pretty views-very pref
ty," he remarked gloomily, "but have
not observed that you practipced them.
1t isn't of any particular avail for saliva
ton to assent with ones intellect to any
orthodox doctrine while ones actions are
still hereto. You have refused the things
that are the best of ALL
''Who said had refused thernP" she de-
manded impatiently. You wouldn't have
me marry the wrong man just to show
that my views upon the woman question
were conservative, would your
''That is an easy thing to say, but you
know you will never find the right one"
She looked at him-a curious, measur-
ed, wondering gaze. There was scorn in
it, but was it an scornH No." she said
slowly. II am not emancipated enough
for that. intend to let him find me, even
though we play at hide and seek together
all our days" 1t was rather difficult for
this man to admit an important idea Off
hand into his mind but something in her
voice stirred him so that he sprang to his
feet.
do you mean-would you really lis
ten? p
1t was half an hour later before it o.
CURED to him that all this was violating
precedent
do you suppose you can be happyf"
ne implored, and then he brought up the
subject of the books in which the mar
ried woman of genius had always been
miserable. He refrained, however, from
speaking of those households which had
fallen under his observation in which the
husband of the genius had been dissatis-
fled with the cooking of the beefsteak.
ooh, books" said she, with an infinite
scorn. Haven't you ever noticed that
people write best about things Of which
they know absolutely nothing2 Do you
really mean to say that you have been in
fluenced in this by booksH"
He nodded silently. "And so you
thought did not care and would not mar
ry you, dearP"
IT thought so-yes,"
An adorable smile bent her lips. Don't
you think you were rather hasty, not 60
say unkind, in adopting so completely the
generalization that the artist rejects
love, and with it lifeS"
"But if you had heard yourself talking
of your workp' he cried. You seemed to
think art the one thing in the world-ev
cry word fell like clod on a coffin"
"Why should 1 not speak Of art with
fervor? 1 feel it all, and you had not Of
fered me any career which preferred"
'Ah, but do you, will you, always pre-
fer it? 1t is not as If you We're merely
talented, you know, to give up"--
''Give up? But 1 intend to give up
nothingl 1 am afraid you are a little
stupid"
''Would you mind explaining the situa-
ton to me5" he asked humbly.
IhaG is very easy, she SAID composed
ly. II simply don't intend to be unequal
to the combination of love and art"
The luminous brilliancy of this solution
kept him silent while she went on:
'Those women you read about you
know, were under the disadvantage of not
being modern when they tried to do things
They were working against a tremen-
dous though perhaps invisible pressure
The world wasn't adjusted so as TO help
them and make the solution Of their little
problems easy. They felt that horrible
weight-the pressure Of the disapproval Of
the universe-and could not stand out
against it. But with us it is different
The world is ours and the fullness thereof
at least that is what feel about it. One
has deliciously buoyant sensation, the
Lord-is-on-our-side feeling, that is in itself
guarantee of success. Then, you know,
we have better health and fewer nerves
than women used to have, and that makes
difference"
'But suppose" he persisted, ''just sup
pose that you were to fail. What thenr
She puckered her brows tudicially.
lone swilling to pay certain price for
the best things" she admitted slowly, eff
the goods arc delivered. 1t is possible that
happiness might not be a very bad bar
gain, even though paid for It with art. "
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