The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-19

The Pathetic Story of . Wichita Girl Who
Aspired to be The New Woman,

frisco tram had stopped at the QepO
in Wichita, a well dressed, elderly gen
tleman left it. With grip in hand hs
passed the numerous cabs, and hurried
along till he came to - avenue. Their
he walked more leisureiy till he came tC
| number =. Here he stopped and view.
ed a cottage and its surroundings with
| a deal of satisfaction. After spending
q few days under its roof he was per.
fectly satisfied with the interior. Hs
considered it a model home. and the
quiet little mistress and her daughter
model women.
He was a man Of puritanical opin-
ions and manners. He had come from
California to Wichita TO visit his broth
er's widow and daughter. He had fur
nished some means toward educating
the daughter, and intended to make
his will in her favor if he found her a
young woman Of judgment and capa-
bility- She had no idea of her uncle's
intention. Daily and hourly he was
critically observing her. The impress
sion she was making would either make
or mar her future For convenience
let US call the niece Miss Jane Blank
tiiC 0iitiC W. JdlfleS oldiih III
their initials are the same. Uncle
James was continually interrogating
Jane on various subjects. She spoke
well of Mrs. Lease and Mrs. Anna
Diggs on one occasion. Then perfect
tornado of indignation swept down up
on her innocent head. After it had
somewhat subsidized, Jane replied: I'm
Gle James, you shouldn't be so hard on
Mrs. Lease, she but asserts the truth of
evolution
'Evo-fiddlesticks," answered Uncle
James. We'll, at any rate there isn't
any love lost, for Mrs. Lease surely
hates you for being a Democrat. Be
sides, Uncle James, if Mrs. Lease had
had father, brother or husband like
you she would have evolved different
woman" After this conciliatory re-
mark Jane changed the subject. She
had not altered uncle's opinions. He
had no patience with Mrs. Lease or
the would-be-Leases, Mrs. Diggs or the
would-be-D igges-Anna's sweetest ba-
by information, or her most bewitching
smile would make no impression on
him. He considers the New Woman"
think of her in any other light.
Jane entered the living-room one
afternoon, and found her uncle deliber-
ately using Harper's magazines for fuel
Two or three were already in flames,
and he had half a dozen more on his
knees.
"Oh, uncle, why do you burn Har-
per's?"
Because Of the rot, that they may
not contaminate anything else
80, l know. You are burning the
one with Trilby in
Did you want Trilby saved?'
We'll. there was a heap besides Tril-
by in them"
James answer was non-committal,
and her uncle replied: Zone rotten egg
can spoil as many eggs as you can
heap upon it. That Trilby rot spoils
the whole magazine. SO they must GO"
So Trilby, and all that were associat-
ed with her from first to last, were Gre
mated.
Jane was somewhat discreet. She
had many an idea and plan of her own
which she did not disclose
On the evening of the 10th of Janu-
airy Uncle James came in just after
dusk, and found that his niece was not
yet home. This greatly displeased him,
for he hal frequently expressed his
opinion about women being out alone
after nightfall. Soon Jane entered, ap-
pearing flushed and excited. SShe was
called to account at once. She stated
she had reached the gate before dark
She then found that she had lost a let
ter, SO she retraced her steps, for she
having it only a few blocks
away.
us this it," asked her uncle, holding
cut a well filled envelope. One GRIM
son glow after another dyed poor James
dimpled cheeks. On recognizing the
she acknowledged that it was
the one she had lost. Her uncle had
found the letter just inside the gate.
AS it was addressed to j. Blank, he
examined the contents, and became be-
nevolently petrified.
Jane remembered the verbal tornado
that had swept about her after speak
ng favorably of Mrs. Lease. She anti
cipated an indescribable scene after
his disclosure.
Her uncle carefully wiped his glasses
and put them away, then said: My
visit and business here are at an end |
leave tomorrow. No words can de-
scribe my bitter disappointment in
you. / meant TO make my will in your
avor before / returned. / can not now |
10 SO. / will furnish the means to con-
inue your education; you need IL Let /,
ne warn you, never again give your adj |
iress as u. Blank. etc.
On the promised morrow Uncle James |
Quilted the cottage. and left no trace /
# his fortune behind him.
The following is an exact copy of the =
atal contents Of that lost envelope:
On the 23rd of December, Jane sent |
his manuscript TO the New York |
World. About the or . of January 1t |
vas returned. After reading all of IL. |
Uncle James was so shocked he wished /
o leave Immediately. He was also Of /
ended that Jane should have sent her |
ADDRESS simply as ]. Blank, Wichita, /
Kansas, which was as much his as /
ler's.
Yours for judgment" How true |
NstS Jane : NpIhtluS4OH. " IiSti Sltr i4fa'
written il she was roaming Safan's |
Roof Garden" and was near the terri |
DRY. She never dreamed her Uncle /
arnes would he its final judge. At the 1
inc il fell into his hands he was try
ng TO decide where he would take Jane
md her mother TO spend the summer.
{ is safe to conclude that Jane viii
cam Satan's garden for another season,
nd be courted by the prince OF dark
less. As she says: Il feel that | share
ID ,s =