Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-16

EAssESg reached their bench. lO1
course they went back there) She
turned to him with little frown.
4 why have you never let Tom Mere
/ dith know you were living SO near him
1 less than hundred miles-when ne
has always liked and admired you
above all the rest Of mankind? ! know
that he has tried time and again to
hear of you, but the other men wrote
that they knew nothing, that it was
| thought you had gone abroad. I had
heard of you and so has he seen your
name in the Rouen papers-about the
| White Caps and in politics but he
would never dream of connecting the
/ Plattville Mr.. Harkless with his Mr.
Harkless; though did. just little, in
a vague way. knew you, of course,
when you came into Mr.. Holloway s
lecture the other evening. But why
4 haven't you written to my cousin?"
"Rouen seems rather far away to
me- he answered quietly. I've been
! there only once, half day on business.
Except that, I've never been much far
/ ther than Amo-and then for conven-
| ton or to make a speech-since came
| here"
| wicked" she exclaimed, "to shut
yourself up like this! said it was fine
| to drop out of the world, but why have
| you cut off your old friends from you?
| Why haven't you had a relapse now
and then and come over to hear Ysaye
play and Melba sing. or to see Mans
field or Henry Irving, when we have
| had them? And do you think you've
been quite fair to Tom? What right
had you to assume that he had forgot
ten your"
"Oh, didn't exactly mean forgot
ten,' he said, pulling blade of grass
to and fro between his fingers and
staring at it absently. Its only that
have dropped out Of the world, you
know. They rather expected me to do
lot Of things. and l haven't done
them Possibly 1t is because am SEN
sitive that never let Tom know. They
expected me to amount to something.
but don't believe his welcome would
be less hearty to failure-he is Il
good heart"
'.Failure!" she cried and clapped her
hands and laughed.
I'm really not very tragic about It,,
though / must seem consumed with
SELF pity" he returned, smiling. ut is
only that l have dropped out Of the
n II; 10 ;r,r ;,,
~ Dropped out of the worldv" She
echoed impatiently. Cant you see
you've dropped into 1t? That you
Last night l was honored by your
praise of my graceful mode Of quitting
it,
And SO you wish me to be consist
ent," she retorted scornfully. What
becomes of your gallantry when we
abide by reason?"
True enough; equality is denial of
privilege"
And privilege is denial Of equal
ity? ! don't like that at all" She
turned a serious, suddenly illuminated
face upon him and spoke earnestly:
Its my hobby. | should tell you, and
I'm tired of that nonsense about 'wom
Ell always sounding the personal note
1t should be sounded as we would
sound it. And l think we could bear
the loss of privilege -
He laughed and raised protesting
hand but we couldn't
mo, you couldn't. It's the ribbon of
superiority IN your buttonhole. l know
several women who manage to live
without men to open doors for them,
and l think could bear to let man
pass before Inc now and then or wear
his hat in an office where l happened
to be, and could get my own ice at a
dance, l think, possibly with even less
fuss and scramble than I've sometimes
observed In the young men who have
done it for me- But you know you
would never let us do things for our
selves, no matter what legal equality
might be declared, even when we get
representation for our taxation. You
will never be able to deny yourselves
giving us our 'privilegev | hate being
waited on! I'd rather do things for
myself"
She was SO earnest in her satire, SO
full of scorn and so serious in her mean
ing, and there was such a contrast be-
tween what she said and her person
she looked so pre-eminently the pretty
marquise. the little exquisite, so essen
tally to be waited on aud helped, to
have cloaks thrown over the dampness
for her to tread upon, to be run about
for-he could see half dozen youths
rushing about for her ices, for her car
riage, for her chaperon, for her wrap,
at dances that to save his life he
could not repress chuckle. He man
aged to make it inaudible, however,
and it was as well that he did
Il understand your love of newspa
per work" she went on less vehement
ly, but not less earnestly. II have al
ways wanted to do 1t myself, wanted
to immensely. | can't think of more
way of earning ones liv
ing. And | know l could do it Why
don't you make the Herald daily"
To hear her speak of earning ones |
living" was too much for him. She |
gave the impression of riches, not |
only by the fine texture and fashioning |
of her garments, but one felt that lux
uries had wrapped her from her birth.
He had not had much time to wonder
what she did In Plattville. 1t had oc-