The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-05-03
THE COMING WOMAN.

that she preferred to receive him in the
evening In the Hat which she shared with
her sister artist.
She was alone and tired. Her sitter
she was n portrait paintcr-had just gone,
and 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 pnrrcd 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, it was to remark, with rude
didacticism:
"Thc popularity of the teakettle and the
chatting dish in good society seems to me
graceful recognition by women of the
charm that housewifely cares still have for
them The kitchen is so attractive +
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 it is beauti-
ful and significant that it should he so,
butt He hesitated moment.
"Well?" asked she politely.
81 don't see what, from that point of
view, you are doing with n teakettle. You
have abjured all that it stands for. You
have found something better than the do
mcstic life. ~
He cndeavored to speak with that phil
osophic calm which should impart the fla
vor of impersonalty 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
| itlnr bpcnttsn xuor,np pand Ell nd
chatting dishes because men like substan-
tial nourishment l certainly have not alb
jured food. Personally adore domestic
life, and l 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 it is the only form,
but because it is the sweetest of all. "
"Those are very pretty views-very pref
ty," he remarked gloomily, "but / have
not observed that you practiced them. 1t
isn't of any particular avail for salvation
to assent with ones intellect to any ortho-
dox 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 impaticntly. "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, measured
wondering gaze. There was scorn in it,
but was it all scorn? NO" she said slow
ly, II am not emancipated enough for
that. 1 intend to let him find me, even
though we play ut 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? r.
1t was half an hour later before it oc-
Cured to him that all this was violating
precedent.
''Do you suppose you can be happy?''
he implored, and then he brought up the
subject of the books in which the married
woman of genius had always been miscra-
bic, He refrained, however, from speaking
of those households which had fallen I'M
der his observation in which the husband
of the genius had been dissatisfied with the
cooking of the beefsteak.
sob, books" said she, with an infinite
scorn. Haven you ever noticed that peo-
pie write best about things of which they
know absolutely nothing? Do you really
mean to say that you have been influenced
in this by books?"
He nodded silently. "And so you
thought did not care and would not mar
ry you, dear?'
81 thought so. Yes"
An adorable smile bent her lips. "Don't
you think You were rather hasty, not to
say unknd, in adopting so completely the
general ation that the artist rejects-love
and with it lfe?'
"But if you had heard yourself talking
of your worz!' he cried. "You seemed to
think art the one thing in the world. Ev-
cry word fell like a clod on IA coffin. +"
"Why should not speak of art with fer
vor? l feel it ALL and you had not offered
me any career which preferred :"
"Ah but do you, will you, always pre-.
Ger it? 1t is not as if you were merely tai
ented, you know, to give up
"Givc up? But 1 intend to give up moth
ing l am afraid you are little stupid -
Would you mind explaining the situa,
ton to NEE" he asked humbly.
"That is very easy" she said composed
ly Il simply don't intend to be unequal
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 nos
being modern when they tried to do things.
They were working against tremendoIs
though perhaps invisible pressure. Tie
world wasn't adjusted so as to help them
and make the solution of their problems
easy. They felt that horrible weight--thc
pressure of the disapproyal 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 n guarantee of sue
cess. 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 thenY"
She puckered her brows judcially.