The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-27
Dorothy's independence Day.
CFrom the Chicago NewsD

(From the Chicago News.)
Dorothy was rather fond of asserting
that she was a new woman. Like most
! who make that claim. she was much
! given to vain repetition. She need not
! have been Not even the sourest, sharp
| est-tempered spinster of them all could
/ have accused her of being an old woman.
! Dorothy's "newness,' to use the word
| in its technical sense, troubled Jack sore
| ly Jack was not al all a new man, if
| the new man is to be the prototype OF
! the new woman Not that Jack was ex-
| actly venerable, either. 1t would prob
| ably be some years before he was bald
or toothless.
Jack could not understand Dorothy's
| sudden aggressive independence. He did
not see why any reasonable girl should
prefer to wait on herself and soil her
dainty fingers when there was great,
lazy fellow around, who asked nothing
better Of fate than to be allowed to wait
on her all the days of his life Time was,
| and not so very long ago, either. swhen
| Dorothy had shown a most delightful
readiness to accept his services. OF late,
however, a change had come over the
spirit Of her dream The dream now,
and to Jack it seemed nightmare, was
of Independence.
just before Dorothy and her family had
left town for the Sumner. when Jack
had come to say "goOd-by' and some
thing more-to offer her heart that was
absurdly heavy at the prospect OF four
long, weary months without her-shc had
been so full of this spirit of Independence
the spirit of 10 she called it-that he
had gone away with the something more
unsaid. telling himself impatiently, that
that girl had no use for her own heart.
looking upon it as 4 quite unnecessary
membranes and would certainly not
want his.
That was in the end of May Now it
was the LIST of July Jack had written to
Dorothy once or twice; had had one or
two letters in reply. very unsatisfactory
letters all Of them full of the cause
There seemed to be a whole colony of
new women where Dorothy was spend
ing the Summer. They held meetings
made speeches. read copy to each 9TH
err Jack said for Jack was newspaper
mana journalist" Dorothy called it.
Dorothy's letters to Jack had been I'M
pleasantly suggestive of copy prepared
for some paper devoted to the interests
of the coming woman. The only one that
had been at all satisfactory was the last,
urging him to accept her mothers invi-
tation to come out and spend the Fourth
with them And Jack. remembering how
he had first met her year ago, when
spending the Fourth with one of her
Warnl-weather neighbors. hoping that
she too. remembered accepted with JOY.
Poor, misguided Jack He had expected
the same sort of i day they had had last
year-a morning spent in ScorChing his
fingers and burning holes in his trousers
while setting off fireCraCkers with her
small brothers and sisters; an afternoon
of blissful idleness on the lake; an even
ing of the conventional Summer resort
sort-tireworks early in the evening"
dancing later on. broad verandas. noon
lit gardens-all that sort of thing.
That vas what he expected. This is
what happened:
He found a very superior Dorothy. who
considered the firing of tirecrackers an
infantile pastime. lit only for weak intel
lects, who made sarcastic comments
about people who were pleased with a
rattle. tickled with straw" who when
the children had him fast in their tolls
went off with an unpleasantly strong
minded looking book under her arm.
anywhere out of hearing of all this de-
testable racket" who in the afternoon
did not care to venture on the lake, for
there was Il storm coming up, and, more
over, she had Il paper to prepare; who,
in the evening, when he mildly suggested
strolling over to watch the fireworks. adj
vised him to wait till woman achieves
her independence, and then there will be
some fireworks worth seeing" and who
announced her intention in the mean
time of celebrating Independence Day by
attending a meeting of new women III
the loft of neighbours barn, where GER
tain modern Patrick Henrys in petticoats
were to be gathered together to assure