The Lamar register., 1917-11-07

lmpuTL TO Ine lhuy WHO WAS 10 De ner
mother-in-law the fact that she was
leader and president of the stenogra-
piers suffrage organization in large
downtown district, or that she had
firmly made up her mind that after
her marriage she should call herself
Mrs. Margaret Loomis," and by no
means Mrs. Blackstone Loomis. She
realized as well as did Blackstone that
the circumstances in which she and
his mother had been reared had very
much altered cases, and she was no
more anxious to hurt or shock the eld-
er woman than was he to have her do
so.
That night at dinner first impress
sions were as favorable as first impress
sions auspiciously may be, and in Or
der to prevent the conversation from
taking a personal turn Blackstone
monopolized it to an unusual extent.
He had made up his mind not to leave
the two women alone and not let them
guide the conversation. So he went
Into needless details regarding his lat
est law case, explained the meaning
of professional terms that were quite
beyond the ken or interest of either
of the women, and gave a resume of
brief in which he had been recently
engrossed.
For week things went on thus, and
the only times that Blackstone feared
an open expression of opinion was
one night when his mother and Mar
garet CHANGED to meet for dinner be-
fore he could get on the scene. But
apparently nothing disconcerting oc-
CURED, and Immediately after dinner
Margaret excused herself for an i'm
portant engagement that Blackstone
knew to be a meeting of her suffrage
club. The next night Margaret had
another suffrage engagement, and
BlackstOne's mother claimed an en-
gagement, too, so it was not until three
nlghts later that the three again met
at dinner after Margaret and Black
stone had closed their office desks.
Following dinner came a play, and
In spite of the fact that blackstone
had taken his mother and his fiancee
TO an especially diverting dining place, |
and in spite of the fact that the play
was uncommonly good that night, the
evening hours passed slowly and Black I
stone felt the effeds of the depressed
spirits Of the two usually high-spirited
women.
But he felt even more depressed |
when he took Margaret home that
night after they had seen the mother |
go to her downtown hotel.
Blackstone, I'm sorry" Margaret
cafd vphan thau had raarbaH tha s.haI
ter of her apartment. I'm sorry, but
I can't keep my feelings to myself any
longer. 1 feel like traitor. The |
meeting night before last made me feel |
what a culprit l have been, and then /
last night at the mass meeting, when /
1 looked around at those women from /
all over the world working together |
for each other, wondered how had .
been so despicable as to promise to
conceal my interest in the cause from |
anyone. You don't know how u meet
ing like that fires and thrills one"
The fact that Blackstone's spirits
had already been depressed made him /
especially susceptible to take 0ffense.
'Then II it were question of suf- l
frage or me, suppose you would take /
suffrage" he said. 81 simply asked |
you to use n little tact in order to |
prevent my mother being unhappy, |
and you don't care enough about me |
or her to do 1t. I'm sorry, Margaret, |
but 1t is better for us to find It out |
now than later"
Decidedly" replied Margaret, who !
could be just as quick to jump at con-
clusions as her fiance. And when, n
few minutes later, Blackstone was out |
of Margaret's apartment in the street
1t was with the terrible feeling that
Margaret was lost to him forever.
Somehow, unreasonably of course, he !
blamed his mother for this breach of !
his happiness.
The next morning he Joined his |
mother at breakfast at her hotel.
"Well, my visit Is almost over" the |
mother began over her soft-bolled !
eggs. 81 had hoped to get better ac-
quainted with Margaret, but apparent
ly she does not want to be alone with !
me. l haven't said two words to her
alone, Blackstone"
Blackstone made no answer, so his !
mother went on. 81 suppose it is the
eternal barrier that stands between
the two types of women. The one will
never be able to understand the other,