Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-10-23
Evening Star S
Daily Story
LETlTIA'S LECTURE
NJ CATHERINE COOPER.

suited TO the lecture platform than |
am to open a mothers meeting,
Norman Prince gazed fondly down at
his sweetheart. There was, however. !
SUFFICIENT of masculine superiority IN
his expression To irritate Letitia
Men atWaNs make such absurd
comparisons, she retorted quickly.
Just because you cannot preside at
a mothers meeting is no reason TO
suppose / cannot lecture successfully
on better babies
THE idea is absurd Norman said,
more hotly than he realized. "A girl
OF your age can't know anything
about either better or worse babies,
and as for lecturing on the subject
to women who have brought up chill
dren as old as you are-well, your
own common sense should teach YOU
the folly of such an idea
"And your own common sense
should tell You that | would not con-
slider occurring on a subject had not
, mastered. Just because women have
brought up children is no sign they
have brought them up properly"
And you are going to teach these
mothers what their children might
have been had they heard your lee
ture first Norman laughed long
and heartily
Letitia's eyes were fixed wrathfully
upon him. She was very serious over
her proposed series of lectures before
the club and she did not like being
laughed at She was sorry Norman
was SO fine a specimen of manhood.
1t was difficult to give him up, but
perhaps when she had succeeded in
showing him and her world that she
was an efficient speaker he would
come back to her and bow in &C
acknowledgements of her gift.
Before she could speak the fiery
words that would terminate their en-
gagement Norman himself gave ex
preston to his quickly matured reso-
luton. 49,
"Letitia | am sorry to have hurt
YOU, but ] think understand you
better than you do yourself. I also
realize that you are going to give
me back my ring and tell me never
to darken your door again. Isn't
that right?"
"Yes,.s retc sted Letit.a defiantly.
well, under the circumstances, |
think you are right. But ! see no
reason why we should sever our
friendship. have always been your
best friend and always want to be-"
He looked earnestly into Letitia's
surprised eyes. Cant you manage
to promise me that2'
TO seem amazed at his readiness to
sever the closer tie. "But l will be
very busy during the next week or
two preparing my lecture she added
by way of Introducing the new Lee
titia. She mere or less reluctantly
pulled off the beautiful ring from her
plump little finger and gave it to
Norman.
"Oh, thanks" he said, with a.
mn INC alt IN.
end things properly" He put the
ring in his pocket with the casual re-
mark, II suppose 1t is up to me to
find another girl before this solitaire
burns a hole in my pocket
Letitia's head went UP into the air,
but she made no comment. She was
frightfully hurt but defiant.
81 want to help you all can" Nor
man told her, with his usual gentle
manner toward her. IF you just
study up your lecture and practice it
on me it will help you wonderfully
You've no idea how difficult it is to
speak the things out that you have.
conceived in your mind, especially
before a seething mass of people
Your voice sounds like lost soul
when you first speak and you get
positively CHASTITY weak in the knees. .
He laughed in recollection of his own
first attempt so if you just prac-
tice upon me bit you'll find it will
help lot when it comes to the nerve
racking ordeal"
Letitia essayed a smile, but she
felt rather weak in anticipation of
her first speech.
you are certainly cheerful and
encouraging" she said finally. chow
ever / think your suggestion Is
good one. 1 will be very glad to
speak my lines over before you. 1t is
good of you to think of it, In her
gratitude Letitia would have offered
him the habitual lovers kiss, but she
remembered just in time that they
we're no longer lovers but only
friends.
Norman smiled, but made no COM
ment. He had seen her swiftly with
held caress and in his heart rejoiced.
He did not press the advantage, but
shook hands in most friendly fashion
and left her.
After that Letitia threw herself
heart and soul into the preparation
of her lecture to be delivered before
the clubwomen of the town. She felt
very important and very much in
earnest. Norman seemed to have
suddenly realized that she was a
woman of some purpose, and was
helping her in every way. He listened
patiently to her speech sometimes
twice during an evening, until Letitia
felt that she could stand before a
thousand people and say 1t without a
tremor or mistake.
81 don't know what | would have
done without you, she told him on
the night before the meeting. You
are going TO stand in the wings and
prompt me if 7 need il, aren't your"
"Sure-you cant lose me- laughed
Norman. EIe had tried, and with re-
narkable success, to stifie entirely
any lpyer-like feeling he had for
Letitia. If the girl missed the COM
fort of his great strong arms she did
not say so.
The following morning Letitia
awoke With a peculiar sense of pre-
monition. She felt strangely weak
in the knees and without apparent
reason al the. nerves in her body
were twitching SO that she had no
desire to eat She tried desperately
] TO fling off the sickening dread that
had eripped her During the day She
did succeed and toward evening her
qualms had SO far left her that she
could laugh at her early mQrning
silly weakness She dressed with
habituai care and the result n mass
of soft pinks, was JOY to behold.
Even Norman who thought her won-
derfullv beautiful had never seen her
so altogether adorable. He had diff !
Guilty IN restraining the desire of his 4
arms, but he smiled ioyfully. and
: eripped her hands in q friendly clasp
before Lettia went forward to the
patfofn to deliver her lecture on
Better Babies"
The hall was crowded When Le-
titia stood up and faced her audi