The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-28
Ono; Mrs, Theodore Parsons Of the

Mrs. Quincy Palgrave WINGED. Per,
! haps she would have been none the hap
pier if she had been gifted with the
power to read my thoughts at: that mo-
ment, for / was saying to my subcon.
scious self that if / were a woman OF
ner at that, as she was before she mar.
ried, would not wear dowdy-looking
/ bonnet. !"
Bone has come 70 be, Mrs. f FslE Hevs
was saying, still in her most patToniz
ing tone. "They all said when it was
inowthat It could dn not live three yesrs
It is ten years old now, and there is a
long waiting-list. Are you going to re-
port this ueeting?' she turned to ask
of a newspaper girl who had just come
in, wondering, doubtless, if her own
name might not appear in the morning
paper as one Of the distinguished guests,
MG briefly replied n%d the g with a3a
rion cares only for live news. - Where:
upon, in taeit acknowledgement that she
was vanquished, Mrs. Palgrave turned
her face to: the front again and fell to
discussing the coming program with
the y, member who sat near to- her; Mean
Parsons came in and went to the eppo.
site end of the room, where it was i'm.
possible for me to signal her across the
sea of faces. .-::f.,S 49,:
+ Other people whom I had seen here
and there appeared. A few gave me a
passing smile; others looked .curiously at
at me and then at the newspaper girl,
who was sitting beside me, as thoseSwho
are anxious to bring their pet schemes
to admit newspaper folk to.their secrets,
are wont. to gaze upon: reportesr. In
the minds Of some people, q newspaper
woman, no matter what her@special work
may be, is always a society reporter on
the slookout for gossip and, scandal.
:, l.. must; confess that I !: noted the
chances Of these with inward resentment.
we'll dressed >(for, I really thought t
Was), and as indifferent to the Claims
Of heredity. as the first remove from. a
foreign: Immigrant can Benny spirit ;:of
American independence ,rebelfed against
the purse proud opinions Of some =at: this
Intellectual t. feast and the supreme in;
s diffeEeiiGe If; Others whogez' claims :to
at some time achieved. a:poem on spring
or a deceased friend. was. glad when
g. woman Somewhere in the early: for:
ties, :canle in with "a breezy, :healthful
glow:about her. =.
,,o MWh i!21 is, that" I inquired of Che
yOQHR woman near me. :: :.
the spts h19 Ha Nix Se a shsws e
going to have a regular treat.'1 :
- Who is Miss Thurston7 What has
she donef" asked the woman in front. :.
nOh, I believe she has written
children books or something,'' re-
sponded Mrs. Quincy Palgrave.
The newspaper girls eyes lighted in
amusement, altho her other features re-
manned impassive: Dorothy Thurston
kept a fashionable school for girls on
the Lake shore, and had never written
a h Haa for publication. Happy, woman!
it would have counted against me, and
l should have been mortified; but Mrs
Palgrave did not seem to care, nor
would she if she had realized her blum
der. "After all.O I said. to myself
".why need one be forever fretting
about what is or what is not the proper
thlng7' The world takes you at your
own estimate. Here is the excellent
MI Mrs: Palgrave,, who does not even know
own Chicago; yet she is comfortable,
happy, and member Of the best so.
ciety. So what does =. Individuality
really stand for9 Oh, it must be COM
Portable to be SO rich and satisfied: and
all, that, and only: have to: wake up
now and then enough to- be fashionably
intellectual; to have some one else do
the thinking, and only come occasionally
to absorb the feast =.of::. reason: which
SONS? ?nSI eyerworkedj slave: has: sat up:
:: I recolleeted that4I, too, bore a name
known and respected at: all the banks:
What. matter if it were never heard ':of
I looked: up again at Mrs. Quincy
PafgraVe's g. bonnet and across to Mrs.
Parsons with feeling Of certainty that
next WlnterI, too, would be. wearing in.
place Of the cheap cloth suit that: Was
fG,ng e dut co.t now h handsome sdso1 SALE
Would come When, in becoming BE- os a st 7
should be welcomed and admired as
Mrs. Parsons was then. And my am
billions were taking definite shape az
sat in my corner. Joseph Henning was
somewhat addicted to the good things
Of this life. He would never attend
the meetings Of the Nota Bene with me:
"Poetry,' he said, "arS such lit Try
matters were not his ine.'' But he
was ready and anxious, an, best Of all,
the leisure to indulge such tastes.
And I would yet show these people
what was in. me! ;.
There. was. a hustle in the speakers
desk. The lecturer, (.:A Unitarian:
bad as Boston,5' said the ReWspap er
girl was: beginning his speech with
some half-jocular remarks which were
heard by only few, SO long did it take
the widening circle Of attention to reach
the rows next the walls. When all was
quiet and the audience had subsidized
into silence I found that he was talking
Of the attitude Of poet toward his
critics, treating the subject in strong,
fearless; broad, and liberal fashion. AS
he went lon. T felt my feeble intellectual
pulse stir sand glow and grow strong:
After all, what is life but achievement?
And what matter if the populace ap-
plaud or deride, 50 long as one lives
the word which is given one to reveal7
Then came Miss Thurston. She had
prepared no paper, but so accustomed
was she to talking literature to her
girls that she. was perfectly at home
with her audience, face to face and
eye to eye. A rustic Of excitement per-
vaded the room like wind swept wood
as her glowing words poured out, bring
ing inspiration to all who listened.
Was it better to besa poet Of the people,
catching the heart of the MASSES, like
Burns Or ,Longf Or was It sdi-
vi1er TOT sit on the heights and sing to
the few whose ears are attuned to the
voice Of higher thingss Was it: nobler
to be q great college professor, leach.
ing the sons OF capitalists how. best to
laborf Or was it more like the: MAJ
sarenB Of old SO 20 among the slu1as and
teach little children the habits Of clean
TinAas and fnf7uatrv which shnI1a toll