Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-28
Chapter III.

| of people and form acquaintance indie
| pendent of him? So far he had been
| kind and indulgent husband. denying me
nothing Of any Importance. He had some
| times gone to church with me- and had
| taken me to theaters whenever had want
! ed to go. True he seldom spent an even
| ing at home, but, the other hand, l had
| never expressed any particular desire that
| he should. But 1 had never formed &C
| quaintances Independent of him, or gone
| alone to entertainments of any kind When
he could not go I had remained at home.
What would he say to the womans club?
1 determined to approach the subject
carefully, and sat up with my crocheting
| until he came home, rather earlier than
| usual. He was in a promising frame Of
mind, and l began:
Mrs. Parsons was here this afternoon.
what Parsons?" said he.
'Why. the teacher of our Bible class. l
don's know her first name
wonder if it was Henry Parsons
wife, or say, maybe 1t was Mrs.
| Theodore? They both belong TO
| our church. It wasn't Mrs. Theodore, was
| it?' There was a reverential note in his
voice as he uttered the last sentence
well, she left card I said. reused to
sufficient interest to look up the piece OF
pasteboard. Eyes. Mrs. Theodore Parsons'
| 1887 Lake Shore Drive"
'Whe-e-ww was his response.
"Why?" asked quickly.
why? Well, you are greeny. why
| girl Mrs. Theodore Parsons Is way up.
| Her husbands on the board Of trade, ana
they're worth a million or two"
"Whatd she come here forr' was the next
question. m
"She came" answered with dignity 10
call on me-"
| running for the legislature
I failed to see what that had to do with
md 60 hllt
smiled.
"she wants me to join the Nota Bene
Club" I remarked casually, unwinding an
other lapful of white zephyr.
whats that?" he asked shortly.
TITS woman's club" answered. There
are five hundred in 1T, and it's an honor to
be asked to join" did not deem 1t neces-
sary to explain that 1 had begged the
honor.
II amt much opinion Of women that CAD
AROUND in clubs" he objected sturdily.
"Womans place is at home
eff Mrs. Theodore Parsons had been IN
her place them / retOrted, "she wouldn't
have called on your wife today, would she2
1t must be quite an honor to be nominated
for club membership by her, If she Is all
you say she is
could see him weaken, but he still OBJ
jected. II don't know what young woman
with children wants with clubs. A rattan
would be more in order, he added, In an en-
deavor to be funny.
"Now, Joseph" began in conciliatory
tones. you're old-faShioned in your Ideas.
Hear what this newspaper says about
meeting they had out in Evanston the other
day:
'Would that every earnest. purposeful
woman in our beloved land could have felt
the broadening, uplifting, soul-1nspir1ng In
fiuence of this meeting. No one could have
entered into the spirit of that convention
without being made better woman, wife,
mother, homemaker and Christian. And
the few gentlemen who honored us by their
presence-some of them among the ablest
lawyers of the city-were paralyzed,' as
heard some good woman cypress It, by what
they saw and heard, never having compre-
hended before what this great club move
ment among women means. Unfortunately,
among the uninstructed of both sexes lnow
hear this. Joseph the idea prevails that
these organizations are for pleasure, pas
time, social entertainment or, at best, for a
very easy form Of mental culture; that the
club woman must of necessity neglect her
home, children, husband and all of the high
noble duties her Maker laid upon her when
He created her a woman. Surely all
such false conceptions were forever
banished from the minds of those
fortunate enough to hear SO beautifully and
clearly told at Evanston what club ideas
really are; that SO far from the neglect of
womanly duties, we are to strive to make
our firesideS more beautiful and attractive,
our home more healthful, to watch and d.
rect the training of the bodies, minds and
hearts of our children; to teach and help
our husbands to walk in the straight and
hands to all who need encouragement and
assistance In their efforts to lead sweeter,
purer and nobler lives"
THAT sounds WELL" he assented, when
laid the paper down. And Mrs Theodore
Parsons wants you to join, Ell? Well, sup
pose you'll have to, then All the same,
don't more than half believe in EN-
1t was the last Of October when Mrs. Par
sons had borne down on my little fiat. The
last of November received a notice Of my
election to membership. I had taken her
advice and bought new suit, a ready
made, percale-lined affair at one of the
"emporiums" Up to that time I had not
aspred to slk-lned gown nor greatly APP
preciated the difference between a strict
~ tailor-made' at s9.9S from Blankenberg
& Bloomstein's and Paris model at An
toinettes. But nature had endowed me with
figure that could carry off even home
made gown with some degree of distinction,
and perhaps / was justified In gazing with
complacency at my reflection in the bed
room mirror when l was ready to start for
my first club meeting.
shall never forget that day. The club
had assembled in large private parlor of,
one of the most fashionable hotels The
subdued murmur which always pervades
club parlors Just before a meeting begins
was at it's most refined and well-bred
height when / entered timidly and paused
at the doorway. No one offered to show me
to a seat, so walked the length of the
room in search of a vacant one, altogether
conscious of the polite inquring stare of
the assembled, whispering company. I had
not been club member, and the experience
was new; but was gifted with natural
aplomb which rendered me impervious to
the gaze of even the most fashionable
crowds. Besides, felt that was uncom-
monty handsome and did not care who no.
ticed it.
took seat at the rear In front of me
was the familiar cloak and last years bon
net Of Mrs. Quincy Palgrave, who went to
our church. I waited for the elder woman
to speak, which she did promptly and pa
tronizingly.
why. don't remember seeing you here
before. Are you member2'
NO" l replied briefly THAT is, / have
just joned-on Mrs. Parsons recommended
tion," added wielsedly.
What? Maria Jane Parsons?"
No; Mrs. Theodore Parsons of the Lake
Shore Drive"
Mrs Quincy Palgrave WINGED Perhaps
she would have been none the happier
II she had been gifted with the power to
read my thoughts at that moment for
was saying to my sub-conscious self that IL
I were woman of leisure and money, and
a trained milliner at that as she was before
she married. would not wear a dowdy-
looking bonnet.
tits odd how popular this Nota Bene has
come to be-" Mrs. Palgrave was saying,
still In her most patronizing tone. "They
all said when 1t was started-I am q charter
member, you know-that 1t could not live
f1trAA -Aar e. 20, zIl