Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-10
CHAPTER Y,
The Need of Knowing.

sions court there was a sort Of ccnsterna-
ton among the female population of Nor
msnstand and Norwood. Such a thing
| had not been heard OF in the experiences
of any Of them. Courts of Justice we're
places for men. and the lower courts
dealt With a class Of cases = It was
quite impossible to ina CINE where any
young lady could get such an idea. = =
! As for Miss Laetitia Rowly she was
simply in a state of militancy, She fully
! recognized to herself that she had diffl-
| cult task before her for she was by nov
! accustomed to STEPHENS quiet method of
having her own way. For three years
past the girl had set herself resolutsly
| down to certain branches Of study. and
did not seem to finch from conclusions
resulting from any of them In Miss
| Rowly's Young days political economy
was not a subject which ladies were sup
| posed to understand or to have any trat-
| fc in. AS for sociology. it was consio-
| cred BIZ the same class of women to be
sort of unknown terror. something In the
nature of anarchy and infldel1ty, " not
so overtly indecent as either Of them As
to physiology, it vas simply Woro IT
use among scientific men. and associated
in ordinary minds with lint and scalpels
and that new creation of man g mind
"anesthetic whatever II might mean
Such terms as "smorphcus" or 'forms-
tive Influences did not exist Sex or
sexual, were not words "nich coula os
used lightly even among women. or ever,
except on occasions of necessary gravity,
before men at all
Knowing the gravity of the task be1ore
her. Miss Laetitia made careful tollet
before driving over to Eorn1anstand Be
hold her then. sailing into the great draw
ing room at Normanstand with her mind
so firmly fixed on the task before her as
10 be oblivious of minor Considerations
She was so fond Of Stephen, and admired
so truly her many beauties and me quar-
tiles that she was secure and without
flaw in her purpose. Stephen was m
danger, and though in her heart OF hearts
she doubted if she would be able 10 enect
any change. sire vas determined that At
least she should not go into danger With
her eyes unopened. The still air OF the
great room. sweet with treasured law
ender and pot pourri, seemed TO auiVer.
vibrant to the emotion of coming battle.
Stephen entered hastily and ran to her
She loved her sreat-aunt. really and truly
loved her in every mood and tense of the
word And indeed, it would have been
strange if she had not for from me
she had received from her nothing but
the truest. fondest affection. Moreover
she deeply respected the old lady. her
truth her resolution her stern purpose,
her kindliness. her charity. her genuine
felt safe with her aunt In the presence
Of others she might now and again have
qualm or doubt. but not with her
There was an abiding calm in her love,
answering love realized and respected
Her long and intimate knowledge of Lac
titia mada her aware of her moods. She
could read the signs Of them She knew
we'll the meaning Of the bonnet winch
actually seemed TO culver as though IT
had a sentence Of its own. She knew
we'll the cause of her aunt's perturbation;
the pain which must be caused to her
was perhaps the point OF most resistance
in herself-she having made UP her mind
to her new experience.
You look troubled, auntfe. l nope II IS
nothing serious?
ut Is my dear Very serious, Every
thing is serious TO me which touches
you.
Me. auntier Hypocrisy is hne art
Morals have nothing to do with it. unless
they be material for its use Stephen
voice. even in her seeming surprise. did
not give any doubt, any more than did
tire wonderment of her widely opened
eyes
yes, yes stephen Oh, ny dear child,
what Is this 7 hear about your going to
petty sessions with your father
oh. that Why. auntte. dear, you must
not let that trouble you 1t Is all right.
That is necessary.
Necessary the old lady s figure grew
rigid as she sat up. and her voice was
loud and high. Necessary for 3 young
lady 70 go 70 courthouse. To near low
people speaking of low crimee To listen
to cases of the most shocking kind cases
of low immortality, cases of kind, OF
nature of a-a-class that you are not
supposed to know anything about Really,
her hand IN her indignation. But Ste
phen held it tight, as she said very
sweetiv
THAT is just II auntie. l am 50 .g-
ncrant that feel should know more IT
the lives of those very people, Miss
Laetitia interrupted:
Ignorant, OF course you are ignorant
That is what YOU ought to be isn't "
what we have all been devotins ourselves
to effect ever since YOU were born? !
think II would be well If the young
women Of this age would read their
Bible more attentively. Read your third
chapter Of Genesis and remember what
came of eating Of the fruit OF the tree OF
knowledge That tree in Eden was not
the only one Of IT'S kind, my dear Or u
II was some one took that sword and
cut slips from it They grew iast' my
dear. the outcomings from that tree
graftinss, u is all the same They al
age 70 get into all our gardens she
paused the formulation of her epsram
had been Of some relief to her. stephen
realized this and capped her epigrsm:
Il think the tree of knowledge rnust
have been an orange tree The old lady
looked Up, her interest was aroused
Why
Because ever since Eden other brides
have worn its blossom" Her tone was
demure Miss Rowly looked SHARPLY az
her. but her sharpness softened OF mo
smile
HIM she said and was silent for
while Stephen seized the opportunity
to put her own case
"Auntie. dear you must forgive ms
You really must. for my heart ~ SET on
| this assure You ! am not doing "
merely 70 plea 50 myself ! have thought
| over the whole matter. Over. ana over
and over again: but always to the same
result Father has ALWAYS wished me TO
be in positions position Of knowledge
| and eyperience-to manage Normanstand
if should ever succeed him Prom the
earliest time I can remember he has al
ways kept this before me. ana thoush
of course, ] did not at hrst urderstand
what II meant, have seemed IN the iast
| few years TO know better Accordingly
I learned all sorts Of things UNDER MS
care, and sometimes even without MS
| help ] have studied the estate map, and
| 7 have been over the estate books, ana
read some Of the leases and all such
matters which they deal with in the es-
tate ofiee This only told me OF the
bones of til. thing. I wanted to know
more of our people and so made point
of going now and again to eaeh mouse
| that we own OF seeing the people and
talking with them familiarly; as famil
| tarlv as they would let me, and, indeed.
SO far as was possible considering nv
position. For auntie. dear. I soon began
- laarp N a W4y there was no