Evening star., 1913-11-21

din of argument. that the speaker might
have put on fresher gown and combed
her hair a little more carefully In that
rvent she would look we'll enough The
sight and sound of her astonished Marie.
She grew more and more bewiidered- Her
mind fioundered hopelessly in the seas
Of statistics and quotations For the first
time intellectually was demanded of her
She was being made TO realize that she
could not respond and why. God had
made her woman without brains
1t came TO an end finally The speaker
stepped off her pedestal and attached
22n 70 present everyood to her The
> Il hesitated in the BACKGROUND with
oshments. Refreshments. Marie felt
- Y - would choke if asked to swal-
low thing. Her one desire was to get
awas - tie safety and secrecy of her
own no. But Mrs. Murray Grace got
hold of hes AMI leo her up to the great
person.
terested in.our me>'enent," said the great
person. You would not be here other
wise.
mo. indeed nurmurel Marie.
y tray OF cakes swan before her eyes.
The talk buzzed around her. She was
conscious of being addressed and of an
swering mechanically. Then came Mrs.
Murray-Grace's welcome suggestion to
depart 4 few moments later they We're
out in the free. cool afternoon.
and how did il impress you. my
dear inquired Mrs. Murray-Grace-
IL don't know. Marie did not know
yet.
surely you formed an opinion?"
I'm afraid not. It's all>so new. you
see, and
MY dear. The struggle of woman for
emancipation is as old as the sex itself.
She always has recognized herself as
mans equal. The trouble lies In the fact
that man disciaimed her as such
Marie kept silent. She had learned
that when YOU did not know ANYTHING
about subject YOU had better not dis
cuss ii. But she thought with that newly
laboring mentality OF hers: Mans equal.
II might be, indeed. that such a woman
as Mrs Murray-Grace was the equal of
man generally speaking, but neither she
nor Marie nor anybody was the equal of
King Sebastian, Marie's husband. She
felt almost like telling Mrs. Murray
Grace So but at that moment they
reached Marie's own door and the occa.
sion passed Marie said Goodbye
meekly, thanked Mrs. MurrayGrace and
fled indoors.
r was the maids afternoon out The
house was darkened and silent Marie
only aroused soft echoes as she ascended
TO her room-the pink and white chamber
with the bow window hung with filmy
laces- She shut the door behind, and do
ing so caught sight of her own reflection
in the chevaI glass. Her looks scared
her. She looked wan, haggard. She sanl
INTO & cndlrs staring AT lhe woman III
the glass as If she had never seen hel
before. The woman in the glass va.
very pretty in her soft gray gown ant
pink pIumed gray hat. She had brown
hair and big brown eyes and nose ans
mouth exquisitely nodded She was small
and Very dainty-too young yet To neet
assistance IN being beautiful-but Mari,
knew the time was not far distant wheI
she would need such assistance. Ther
what From being natural flower sh
would be artificial one. and MARI
hated artificial flowers. King hated them
too. He would hate her for having to b,
one And she would have no mind t
WOO him with when her face failed.
King. King Her heart cried out hi
talne ia agony over and He wa
her husband, her idol. her king indeed
She worshiped him so, And never
never had she been afraid before, Blu
row she was afraid. These women ha,
aroused her fear-these worthy womel
~ith brains, who had learned thing