The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-28

/ that Adelaide hadn't gone off any in her
looks in spite of her suspected devotion
to the Higher Life. She had the latest
do on her hair and her clothes had the
same iniTnitable chic which had been the
despair of fall the other girls at St.
Anne'S. But my worst fears were real
lied when just after luncheon the day l
arrived she said. Now don't swoonl My
club meets this afternoon and 1 must
go but you don't need to unless you
want to-
WELL you know-I'm always in for a
new sensation and although a woman's
club didn't promise any wild excitement
1 thought I take a look at the hennery.
So I dressed and went to my first club
meeting.
TT was ct the home of one of AIDE
ladies best friends, as she informed me
on the way-a girl whose father had
Nothing. But who had been educated
abroad and who went over at least once
year for her clothes. But even that
didn't give me a hint to the situation.
Money, foreign education and travel
won't save a girl if she isn't naturally
a. live one.
''When we reached the house and the
man let us in, Adelaide said to him, The
den 1 suppose and led the way uncere-
moniously uD the stairs and down a
hall We were little late and the
sound of feminine voices came to US.
'Cacl1ling already 7 said to myself, and
just then Adelaide stopped in front of a
wide open doorway.
did I say hennery? Well that was
a mistake. I meant a harun, minus the
sultan. There was a big diTnly lighted
room with wide, low pillow strewn
couches all around the walls, Oriental
rugs on the floor, sillxen draperies at
doors and windows, some big Jars filled
with flowers on charming little tables,
deep arm chairs, a tea table ready for
serving and filling the room bevy of
the most charming girls you could i'm
aglne. You know how pretty the girls
in some country towns are and how
astonishingly chic and fetchingl Well,
this was that kind of a town. 1 saw at
once that my Chicago gowns were not
going to make much of an impression
there and If this was typical bunch of
the midnight lampl 1 was all for the
study club if it could turn out a bunch
of girls like that.
There were several bookcases in the
room, but they didn't seam to be filed
with the classics. New fiction and cur
rent magazines lay on the tables and
although trio of girls in one corner
were bending their pompadours over a
Ter than Charles Dana Gibson's latest
drawings. AS we entered somebody
read aloud a paragraph from Town
Topics and this reminded graphic
dote which was decidedly spicy to de-
scribe it mildly.
The conversation for the half hour
after we arrived was the usual frothy
nonsense to be expected when a lot of
girls get together: clothes and men and
chafing dish recipes. There were several
plates of fudge and sailed almonds
around but no signs of mental pab-
ulum. To tell you the truth 1 felt
greatly relieved for if I had come with
the expectation of being edited and in
structed I was awfully glad to put off
the evil hour as long as I could. Still
the minutes sped and never the sound
of a gavel and nobody asked me what
1 thought the Ibsen drama owes to
climatic and atmospheric conditions in
Norway.
7 found after a while that they were
waiting for the girl who was to read
the principal paper Of the afternoon.
asked what the paper was about but
nobody seemed to know. and they ali
turned to Adelaide to ask. 1t made me
think Of old days at St Anne's. Ade-
laide said the derelict member was to
give some views on the fugal form as
developed by Bach and Handel
asked if she were musical ard they ell
said she was just awfuIly, and the sub
ject was dropped. Another half hour