The Colored citizen., 1894-10-22
THE MODERN WOMAN.

evening In the tiat which she shared with
! her sister artist.
She was alone and tired. Her sitter
she was portrait painter-had Just gone,
and she was in the act of making cup Of
tea for her own use.
The tea table was an inviting one. The
little kettle purred cozily. 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 teacup. When he broke his mo-
rose silence, II was to remark, with rude
didacticism:
THE popularity of the teakettle and the
ohafing dish In good society seems to me a
graceful recognition by women Of the
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
chahng dish, and in her case 1t is beauti-
full and significant that it should be 30,
butt He hesitated moment
''WellS" asked she politely.
| Il 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 we'll that day. ''Tea tables are pop.
ular because women need stimulus and
chatting dishes because men like substantial
nourishment. / certainly have not alb
1ured food. Personally adore domestic
life, and l like it all the more from the
fact that 1t is not the only career open to
me. In general 1t 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 pret-
ty," he remarked gloomily, shut have
not observed that you practipced them.
1t isn't OF any particular avail for saliva
tion 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 them'" 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
1t, but was 1t all scornS 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
tenn D.
1t was half an hour later before ID o.
Cured TO him that all this was violating
precedent. .- ga .
"Do you suppose you can be happyP'
he 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-
aed with the cooking Of the beefsteak.
"Oh books" said she, with an infinite
scorn. Haven't you ever noticed that
people write best about things Of which
they know absolutely nothing' Do you
really mean to say that you have been IN.
fuenced In this by books2"
He nodded silently. And SO you
thought did not care and would not mar
ry you, dearf"
II thought so-yes."
An adorable smile bent her lips. "Don't
you think you were rather hasty, not to
say unkind, in adopting so completely the
generalization that the artist rejects
love, and with 1t lifef"
"But If you had heard yourself talking
of your work." no cried. "You seemed to
think art the one thing in the world-ev
cry word fell like a clod on q coffin"
why should l not speak Of art with
fervori feel 1t all, and you had not Of.
fered me any career which preferred"
"Ah, but do you, will you, always pre-
fer iti 1t Is not as il you were merely
talented, you know, to give up
"Give upi But intend to give up
nothing 1 am afraid you are little
stupid"
Would you mind explaining the situa-
ton to mef" he asked humbly.
"That is very easy, she said composed
ly. Il simply don't intend to be unequal
TO the combination of love and art"
The luminous brillianoy 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 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 l feel about 1t. One
has deliciously buoyant sensation, the
Lord on our side feeling, that Is In itself
a guarantee Of success. Then, you know,
we have better health and fewer nerves
than women used to have, and that makes
, Q difference.
| "But suppose, he persisted, Just sup
pose that you were to fail. What then"
She puckered her brows judicislly.
"One is willing to pay a certain price for
r the hest thin1s " she admitted slowly, "if