The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-11-10
Mary Leonard's Profes sion.

amazed.
Mary was the only daughter Of weH-to-
do parents. She had cultivated he IN
real and fanciful. She had joinea clubs
and circles and made. she fancied, pro
found research on most subjects except
housekeeping and home-making.
80 John Stewart sat once more at his
mothers knee as he had done when he
was a lad of 10 and tod her all about Il.
and don't blame her, mo her. he said;
I Il N only d dull farmer and not half IT
equal; and 1t IS hardly right II these
times to tie an ambitious woman TO a
/ home and husband. And mother. 7 don't
know but 7 ought 10 have a career my
| self So the father was called in, AM
a great change came to the Stewart fam
! lily. John learned of q fine business op-
! ening in the new state Of Washiust n,
/ and a month after Mays refusal found
1 him there. Johns mother mourned aud
! fretted. till at last John sent for the
! old folks TO come and live there with
him.
From New York state TO Washington IS
! a good stretch Of country, tenante1 BY
/ varying types Of men. ATngllng with
! these, John lost his sIowness and re-
/ serve. His manner grew cordial and
/ western, his business hourished and in
! creased till, at % John was the most
popular man in Tacoma. Society opened
wide its doors to John. but he entered
/ not He spent his evenings at home with
/ the old folks, just as he used to do in
/ UlsterviHe
! So Mary had made a career possible
/ for John. His life was broad and useful.
His ambition, reused by her rejection,
/ was satisfied. He loved books and
/ studied them, and grew decidedly hand
some and intellectual looking.
AS for Mary she studied medicine,
graduating from q medical college, with
/ honOrs after two years a student. When
she actually faced the question Of prac-
ticing medicine she declined and returned
to her home She did not relish the
discomforts Of a physicians life, the
| moving among the sick and suffering
She had heard nothing from John; and
she reflected that there were other ca
reers more inviting than the one she
abandoned
There was the lecture field She be-
took herself to a school Of expression
and spent year in training for the plat
form.
Then her beauty and fine bearing Sc
cured her an engag cement from bureau.
She appeared before the students of a
woman's college. on Higher Culture for
Women" Miss Mary Leonard. NJ. D.,
lecturer, met q chilling reception. She
resolved. after two or three frosty in
terviews with an Indifferent audience to
change her theme and 90 into the field
for herself. So at an expense of more
than $500 Mary landed in a Michigan
city with her lectrue on mission Work
in Alaska " The lecturer dfscour-e1
weakly. After a restless two hours. the
audience departed, leaving Mary 70
count the receipts of the evening-less
than 81.
Far away now seemed the career"
Mary Leonard took the morning train
for home and the farm with its rest and
quiet
There the hearth fires seemed to burn
brighter, the old days seemed dearer.
How disappointing the world was and
how she missed faithful patient homely
John. OFTEN and often she would have
written if she had dared. She had other
offers of marriage and refused them.
One day a rumor came to AIary's ears
that John had enlisted and gone to fight
in the Philippines; her soul cried out
against a woman's limitations. What
had she done but drive him to death in ?
strange country2 Why might she not
call him, now that she knew her own
heart? But no, It is not the way Of the
world, nor the course for a proud wo-
man. She took to reading news from
scrap Of war news. every line from
soldier out therefor so she might hear
from John. OF course, he would die
Gle had to fling his life away to for
get"
From Wild desire for news from the
soldiers, Mary passed into state Of
frenzy. She subscribed to some of the
great city dailies, and every evening her
handsome carriage could be seen on the
way TO the village newsstand. And every
day she scanned otis list of casual
there what she sought.
Tt came at last. Riding slowly home IN
the dusk She read it from the still damp
sheet. KILLED at Iloilo-John Stewart.
Fourth cavalry, from Tacoma wash
The paper fell from nerveless icy fng-
ers. Her grief was terrible; vet not even
20 her mother would she go in her de-
spair For have killed him" was her
constant moan.
One evening a sorrowful letter 6oated
into Johns western home. johns mo- her
read IT at the tea table. It read:
Dear Father and Mother-For shan
always think Of you now as my own
father and mother 7 have lust read the
terrible news Of Johns death away In
the Philippines. And though I know you
can never forgive me and love me a s YOU
once did, want Won to let me be some /
thing 10 you now, thoush I an 20 I'M
worthy. And oh ] want YOU to know
how much 7 really loved John and that
7 never realized II till now. when 7 have
lost him; and how wrong 7 was to send
him from ne. and how lonely and sim
cere my desire IS 70 undo the past and
come 70 YOU and share your lifelong cor
row. Your own. NARY LEONARD
Johns mother looked at him over her
sDaCtacles when she had finished read /
ing 1T. Ills face was scarlet: but ueith- /
err Of them spoke. His wothar under /
STOOD f. though. when John took his
FIRST vacation IN five years lie said he /
was going back to his old home.
The late train brought a traveller 20
Jlsterville one evening few DAYS later /
re was tan and handsome and prosper (
ous looking He seemed not 10 care for /
rl1 Snawaneum now, nor the old home T.
place re waited for no friend OF con- +
vevance. but took his way 10 the Leon +
ara home with long. SWINGING stems .
hi-linE az the Old days and others ye.
fe come. Re asked fcr 1T-s Leonard .
frst lest Re thrust his living presence I
too abruptly into this comfortable hone +
re was supposed 20 he lying dead fn he
rice fields ~ Parav
II uas web enough that 3Fa-v's mother /
va rned her TIE thought ~ the letter
win its confession. roased her pride. ste (
came sweeping down more stately an5 [
5eau-isul shan of Old John stood 6y
TIE menta1 the f~elzht playing non fe
5ne face Their wears p separation ress
.o thei- minds vixen teei~ aan me-
Thfv were IN 1ougr dr. ming sr ara
shfu nv hut wei h-si woman ana
q polished man.
II an rlel ~ krow. 5ls-r SAD "tht
SCH ara that you have cone 81 rec us
sr2sn wrote eoEr-rnoth here Irtter-
T-T-i- -ourt have been soue 0ter John
Stewart