The Lamar register., 1903-07-08
CHAPTER XVI.

he held out, and read at the place
where his finger indicated the follow.
Ing telegraphic announcement:
The trustees of Clavering College.
Illinois, at special meeting held yes
terday, elected Miss Eleanor Baldwin
as president of that institution in place
of David B. Albion, resigned. Miss
Baldwin, the newly elected lady presi.
dent, and late assistant professor of
history and literature at the college, is
In her twenty-fifth year. and is said to
| be very attractive in her personal ap.
pearance and favorite with the stu
dents both male and female. Her cleo
tion gives general satisfaction"
What do you think of that?" ex.
claimed Harold, with manifest enthu.
siasm. when he saw that his wife had
| finished
What does it mean?" she asked,
with somewhat dazed air.
why, she has been chosen presi-
dent of the college.
How can she be PRESIDENT"
How can she be? Why shouldn't
she be? She isn't the first woman who
has been put at the head of an ednca.
tional institution. It's a great com
pliment to her. and-and does great
credit to her ability and pluck. Pres
ident! Well, that is ten-strike!"
Harold, l think it's awful"
why is it awful?"
In the first place. to be known as a
lady president is enough to make one
i'll. Salesladies and lady typewriters
are terrible enough, but this caps the
climax"
Come, now, Cherub, be reasonable.
You are lodging the question. You
must admit that they have paid her
great compliment"
Emma drew her cloak about her
| frigidly, as she replied:
Il suppose she has got what she
wanted. If you mean that"
| Not one girl in a thousand would
have done SO we'll"
Not one girl in ten thousand would
have wished to-
Il am sorry for your sex. then" he
retorted warmly. Il mean to telegraph
my congratulatiCn at the next station"
Emma made no reply. and resting
her cheek on her gloved hand, turned
to the landscape again. But the sud.
denness with which she reverted her
head for few moments later be-
trayed the warmth of her emotions,
though she spoke with measured sen.
tences:
| "Of course, Harold understand and
recognize that 1t is a great compli-
ment, in one sense of the word, to
have been chosen president. or what
ever it is. of this college; and will
say frankly that 1t is surprise to me
that Eleanor should have been selected
to fill such position. She must have
more ability of a certain kind than
gave her credit for, and I am ready to
admit that she is entitled to be con-
graduated. But IT, at the same time
| you expect me to say that think she
is more to be congratulated because
she is to spend her days as the lady
president of a mixed college than she
would be If she had married Owen
Page. l beg to be allowed to differ
from you. What will her life be? For
all I know, she will have to wear
boomers; but. assuming that she is
allowed to dress like other female NOR
tails. she will be expected to be pecu-
liar and strong-minded and-and un.
attractive. She is more than likely to
remain single, and her best years will
be passed in listening to hum-drum
recitations and collecting funds for
| new dormitories."
| Instead of leading life of frivolous
and elegant leisure, like the rest of
you"
Mrs. Stagg tossed her head and an
swcred with calm disdain:
| did l not know that you were
merely trying to excite me. Harold,
| might take offense at the personal
character of your remark. AS to your
saying that Eleanor would have been
obliged to lead a life of frivolous and
elegant leisure, as you call it, had she
seen fit to behave like an ordinary
Christian being and marry the man
who was devoted to her. why, the idea
is simply absurd. Elegant l grant
If she had married Owen Page, but
she could have been the very antipodes
| fit, and no one would have thought
anything about it. That's the provok-
| ing part of it; we are so much in
need of clever people in society," sup
pose that I must admit that Eleanor is
| really CleVeT-dnu owen rage was just
the man to let his wife do whatever
she wished"
I'VE are not sure yet that she has
accepted the position" said Harold, as
he shipped off the end of a cigar with
the gilt cutter attached to his watch.
chain. preparatory to going to the
smoking-caf.
"Why should she refuse it?"
Merely because she is woman.
and it is never safe to prognosticate
how any one Of your sex will act un-
der any given set of circumstances.
She evidently wishes to have my
views on the subject Well, she shall
have them. / shall advise her to ac-
\ cept without the slightest hesitation"
said the broker, in his decisive fash
| ion.
| Twenty-four hours later, the Stages
| alighted from the train at Hoadiey. the
small town on the confines of which
stood Clavering college. named after
l