El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-25

ITO FATE. Jimmie" Blagwin had
signaled the supreme ges-
\ ture." He had accomplished the
Great Adventure He was dead.
And as he sat on his trunk IN the
tiny han bedroom, and in the after
noon papers read OF his suicide, ms
eyes were lit with pleasurable pride
Not at the nice things the obituaries
told of his past but because his act
Of self-sacrifice, so carefully consid-
cred. had been carried TO success As
he read Jimmie smiled with self-con-
graduation. He felt glad he was
alive, or, TO express Il differently, 1elt
glad he was dead. And he hoped
Jeanne. his late wife, now his widow,
also would be glad. But not too glad
In return for relieving Jeanne Of his
presence he hoped she might at times
remember him with Kindness. OF her
always would he think gratefully and
tenderly. Nothing could END MS love
for Jeanne-nOt even this suicide.
As children. in winter in New York,
IN summer on Long Island. Jimmie
Blagwin and Jeanne Thayer had grown
I'D together. They had the same tastes
in sports, the same friends, the same
worldly advantages Neither Of them
had many ideas. II was after they
married that Jeanne began TO borrow
ideas and doubt the advantages.
For the first three years after the
wedding. in the old farmhouse which
Jimmie had made over into a sort of
idealized country club. Jeanne lived a
happy. healthy. out of door existence
To occupy her there were Jimmie's
hunters ane pack OF joyous beagless
for tennis, at weekends Jimmie filled
the house with men. and during the
week they both played polo, he with
The Meadow Brooks and she with the
Meadow Larks. and the golf lnkSs of
Piping Rock ran almost 20 their lodge
gate. Until Proctor Maddox took 4
cottage at Glen Cove and Joined the
golf club, than Jeanne and Jimmie on
all Long Island no couple were so con-
tent
At that time Proctor Maddox was the
young and brilliant editor q the Wild
erness magazine. the wilderness being
the world we live in, and the Voice
crying in it the voice Of Proctor Mad
dOx- He was a Socialist 2 nd Feminist.
he nirted with syudicalism. ana he
had a good word even for the I. ". ".
He was darkly handsome, his eye
glasses were fastened TO a black rib
bon. and he addressed his hostess as
''dear lady. He was that sort WON
en- described him as dangerous" and
liked him because he talked of things
they did not understand, and because
he told each Of them IL was easy To
see il would be useless 10 flatter her
The men did not like him. The oldest
and wealthiest members Of the club
protested that the things Maddox .aid
IN his magazine should exclude him
from the society of law-abiding. mon
ey-making millionaires. But Freddy
Bayliss, the leader OF the younger
crowd. said that. TO him. il did noF
matter what Maddox said in the Wild
erness. so long as he stayed there.
It was Bayliss who christened him the
Voice"
Until the Voice came to. Glen Cove
all that troubled Jeanne was that her
pony had sprained a tendon, and that
in the mixed doubles her eye was off
the ball. Proctor Maddox suggested
other causes for discomfort
w hat does It matter. he demanded,
whether you hit a rubber ball inside
a whiteWashed line. or nOt2 That en-
ergy. that brain. that influence Of yours
over others, that something men call
charm. should be eXerted TO enamel
pate yourself and your unfortunate /.
sisters"
.Emanciate myself" protested Jeanne !
eagerly; do you mean i'm taking, on /
flesh?@
Il said 'emancipate.' corrected Mad /
dOx- Il mean to free yourself OF the (
bonds that bind your sex; for instance. I
the bonds of matrimOny. II IS obsolete, :
barbarOus. 1t makes Of wOmen-slaves /
and chattels."
But since married, I'm much /;
freer," protested Jeanne Mother (
never let me play polo. or ride astride- (
But Jimmie lets me. He says cross 4
saddle is safer
Jimmie lets you-' Knocked the Voice 1
4 hat is exactly what ] mean Why 1
should you 20 to him. or to any man, 4
for permission Are you his cook ask 4
ing for an evening oct? No. You are 4
a free soul, and your duty is to keep 1
your soul from bondage There are /
others in the world besides your hus-