Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-04-15
The Confessions Of @
70 a a Club Woman.
sURBRIDGE

BY AGNES sURBRIDGE.


epistle themselves ON the same paper
o Inconsistency, thy other name is Nota
Bene! And Biggsy had EN- ON the hip
when he impaired the information that
he owned the name and if anybody had
to give it up it would be you club women
How funny it would be if he took it to
the courts and made you change your
cognomen"
I'm glad you think So" l replied with
as much hauteur as l dared assume with
her. ITO me the situation is anything
but funny. l wish l had never seen his
Shoe
But, bad as it was, found it could be
worse, for the very next Sunday the per-
fume dealer taking his cue from the shoe
manufacturer, came out with an adver-
tisement displaying my little encomium
in bold type and referring to me as
president of the largest club in the
country" Whereupon l fled to Judge
Henry, who threatened legal proceedings
If they used my name again without per
mission At last l had begun to learn
of the folly of accepting gifts from ad-
vertisers and to realizez most uncom-
| fortably my value in the economic world
The affair blew over after many weeks,
but il was bitter, if an enlightening
| experience.
CHAPTER Xxx.
1t was a warm end of April when the
| last of our musicalcs came off in one of
the finest music halls, the closing affair
OF the season, II w 4 social event, too,
and some of the best 'alent in the city
sang for us. l wore bewitching gown
of soft pearl gray h ruchings of
Mechlin lace, and SIM great American
Beauty rose, from a box that had ar
rived from the east that forenoon As
turned from the mirrcr in my room
was but half conscious of the desire to
see the 9lver Of that rose, but as | drew
my wrap about me and descended the
stairway l hummcd the refrain
Robins not there and then the maid
opened the door and took from the mes
senger boy cablegram My heart sank,
presaging the disageeable. Arrange to
come on next steamer it said. Join
me III London for Continental tour. An
swer"
l crushed the telegram in my hand and
went on to the carriage. What should l
do? Give up my hardly obtained Chicago
triumphs? Lay down the presidents
gavel now? Leave my vice president
| between whom and myself there We're
already strained relations) to my hardly
won honors? l looked from my carriage
windows and saw that we were approach
ing u telegraph office. My hand went
up to the strap, for did not the cable
| gram ask for an answer?
Suddenly | drew back ] would wait
until later On my way home, perhaps,
or the next morning
Ten minutes after / entered the box
to the right of the stage which had been
reserved for the president and her guests.
The programme opened and the crowd
applauded. The heavy odor of flowers
and the sweet strains of music the time,
the place. were Intoxicating. / resOlute-
! ly put behind me all thoughts Of the
future. For was not this social triumph Z?
Was not |, in a way, the enyied and the
admired hostess of the brilliant evening =?
Suddenly the soft swish of the curtain
at my side caused me to look around.
There, bending low and reaching his hand
out to mine, stood the Count de Beauvais.
When l reached home, long after mid
night-for there had been a little sup
per for Mrs. Parsons and some others. at
the counts expense, and all in my honor
IL found the house all alight and my
mother up and dressed.
Little Joey has scarlet fever" she said.
Il called the doctor Just after You left.
and he says it is fully developed case.
He is quarantined in the upper chamber
with Il good nurse. You are to 90 quiet
~ to bed, and in the morning take the
baby away somewhere until this is over"
| am ashamed to say it. but it came as
Il respite, for. of course, | could not sail
for Europe now. Instead | took the
baby and her nurse and established my
self in q downtown hotel, where we had
telephone communication with home and
could be informed immediately If any
emergency arose. But although the boy
! was i'll for three weeks. he was at no
time dangerously so. and after the first
| went out every day. OF course | cabled
my husband and he accepted my excuse
foT remaining behind, with the lac0nic
phrase, "Will write When his letter
finally came, it commended me for my
motherly devotion, and stated that as
business required his presence in Berlin
and Vienna on certain date. he would
take the trip without me. | blush, even
now, to recall what relief his letter
was.
With summer came a long trip cast.
ending with a month at Meguntic Cove,
a month when Dr. Haven and the Count
de Beauvais were guests at Mrs Par
sons also. She had one of those mod
est cottages with forty rooms, so that
there was little danger of her finding her
self, at breakfast some morning, en- tete-
tete with Theodore Parsons. On the
contrary, her house was at all times full
of congenial people, who contriyed, with
her boats and horses and golf links, to
while away the time right meriily.
who do you suppose is coming here
today, Jaekie!" She asked one morning.
NO, of course. You can't guess. It's
none other than the fascinating widow
cambridge. Really, Jackie for / had
lifted my eyebrows in surprise, Il can
not help it. / detcst the woman, and
would never invite her. but note from
Mrs. Henry this morning says the little
widow descended upon her three days
ago. She likes her immensely. and pre-
stmes l do, and so she takes the liberty