The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1897-09-09

NH RS. NEUSTADTER was a thorough
ll business woman and cared for tn,
entire correspondence of a large import
ing house. Mrs. Olhausen was a perfec
housewife and looked carefully aftei
the social interests of her husband an,
herself.
Mrs. Neustadier was a worker il
women's clubs and for political ad
yancement. Mrs. Olhausen was a be.
lever in the homemaker, and woman as
the inspirer and helper in man't poli,i.
cal advancement.
Mrs. Neustadter always worshiped in
the Chapel of Nature" This meant a
hammock under two shady trees, a pill
low under head and IA spicy novel in her
hand. While Mrs. Olhausen trotted off
every Sunday, prayer book in hand, to
the morning service.
One made bargains with the washer
woman Us to the mending, the other
darned her husbands socks. One
scorned needlework as frivolous, the
other embroidered the daintiest things
OF silk, muslin or lace. One found the
sweetest music lay in eloquent sem
fences that fell from the lips or flowed
from the pens Of the great female re-
formers. The other played upon the
piano and sang O. sweetly.
Yet each loved her husband, walked
firmly in the path she considered right
each was fond Of pretty dress, Of
books and flowers.
Their husbands we're very much alike.
Two fairly educated. pleasant young
Germans. Fond of the good things of
life and disposed to look favorably on
all men, providing their dinners were
good and their beer well cooled. Each
was proud of his wife in a patronizing
sort of way, considering a certain
amount of affcctionate attention her
just due, yet taking instant alarm if
the wife's conduct borlered on the
poetic or effusive.
They would have become the warmest
friends, only somehow the wife of each
looked slightly stubborn if intimacy
was suggested. SO they smoked an oc-
casional pipe together and sighed in a
puzzled way, a]ttributing the difficulty
TO women's gleerness.
One dark, clear night, a night that
clothed hills and meadows in sable
shadows, a night when every flower
seemed TO send forth redoub,ed fra
GRANGE and the stars shone brilliantly,
we sat in quiet enjoyment of the pie
ture before us. Way off to the north
lay the great twin cities. New York
and Brooklyn, their lights sparkling
like firefies, and stretched across the
dark eNpanse dividing them a twinkling
of lights making them one.
Mrs. Olhausen spoke gently: "The
giant of earth gives a diamond neck
TO the queen of night"
We all thought this very pretty. We
were becoming used to Mrs. O%lhausen's
romantic and figurative expressions,
when an odd little sound came from a
corner. 1t was a half laugh, half
sheer, and we recognized the owner be.
Tore words came.
IF the lights went out on Brooklyn
it would mean that the Giant
Earth had taken back his gift and
he Queen of Night would be weeping
Amy tears?"
"Ah, no! / fancy not. Queens, you
inow, do not weep or complain in pub
&c. They have too good training"
lnstinctively a stir went through the
,roup. There was a sound of some one j..
moving restlessly. The neutral young ,
nan whispered: That was a clincher. T,
told you she'd balk." ,
Mrs. Old never let the smallest slip of !,
ongue or II on Mrs. News part
unobseryed. Did she say: "Oh,
ee how beautifully that brig looks with /,
is sails spread" p,
Mrs. Old would look over the land
c~ape-the water view-and find the ,
essel a ~"brigantine." Or if Mrs. New =
ppeared with a bunch of flowers in her :,
cit and asked: !,
aren't these bluetts pretty?" Mrs. r
Id would declare that %''chickory" Z
as one of the loveiiest wild flowers. n
nd n Mrs. New said the water dried II
p quick on the sandy path. Mrs. Old Il
greed with "very quickly" i,
Poor Mrs. New 50 often defeated, de-
AIRED to her husband that Mrs. Old was L
most disagreeable c~reature-'a reg A
lar know-it-all." IL
"Yes, she is very schmart, my dear; $,
hat learned many tings from her al p
'ady." ii
On the other hand. Mr.. Old remarked d
lie beauty of Mrs. News hair, whilst cl
S wife was braiding her scanty locks. a
his was hard! But she conquered a
mptom Of hysteria and calmly re- ts
arked: Il,
Eyes! I wonder II her peasant an u
stresses raised hair for the Berlin or "
barbers?" NJ
After that night Mrs. Olhausen ar g,
yed her wits in materia! order to W
Get her advancing foe. 1t was a con- th
nuous skirmish; advance, retreat; ad- hi
nee. defeat. pt
They became a pivot for household OF
and we abbreviated their names tn
Mrs. New and Mrs. Old to facilitate dc
II constant discussions of them. Even
{ neutral young ran made his usua. ! te