The Press., 1917-12-27

BlackStOne'S mother claimed an en- gagement, too, so 1t was not until three nights 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 dlverting dining place, and in spite of the fact that the play was uncommonly good that night, the evening hours passed slowly and Black | stone felt the effect of the depressed spirits of the two usually high-spirited women. s.s.-
 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 said when they had reached the shell ter of her apartment. 'I'm sorry, but I can't keep my feelings to myself any longer I feel like a traitor. The meeting night before last made me feel what culprit have been, and then last night at the mass meeting, when l looked around at those women from all over the world working together for each other, wondered how l had been so despicable as to promise to conceal my interest in the cause from anyone. You don't know how meet ing like that fires and thrills one."
 The fact that Blackstone's spirits had already been depressed made him especially susceptible to take Offense.
 "Then if 1t were a question of suf- frage or me, suppose you would take suffrage" he said. 'I simply asked you to use a little tact In order to prevent my mother being unhappy, and you don't care enough about me or her to do 1t. Pm sorry, Margaret, but it 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, a 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. Q. Well, my visit is almost Over," the mother began over her sOft-bOiled eggs "I had hoped to get better ac- quainled with Margaret, but apparent ly she does not want to be alone with nr. haven't said two words to her alone, Blackstone" ,
 Blackstone made no answer, so his mother went on. "I suppose it is the eternal barrier that stands. between the two types of women. The one will never be able to understand the other, and as the suffrage cause gains more and more converts the barrier only be- comes the higher. But there will at- ways be some women on the other side-even when our great victory Is won. 1 suppose 1t, was foolish of me to hope, Blackstone, that your wife would be on our side of that barrier if she had been then there would never have been any of the mother-in-law and daughter4in-law feeling between us. was foolish to hope it. perhaps, but, Blackstone, after that wonderful meeting night before last I felt so thrilled that 1t seemed for the time as if the barrier might be broken down and that all women might rally to the same cause. wish that you and Mar garet might.have been there.' '1
 BIackstOneS leaned over the table at which he and his mother were sitting. .'You don't mean you were at the suf- frage mass meeting, do you, mother?"
 "Why, certainly" came quite calmly. How do you think managed to come East and stay at one of the biggest hotels if 1t wasn't as a delegate from our section to the .cOnvention?'
 Why didn't you tell me. sooner?" gasped Blackstone-and for the first time that morning the sharpness of Margaret's scOrnful glance of the night before ceased to pierce him.. ,-. ..a~I
 You didn't ask me-" was the moth- CTS. reply, but with the briefest -ex> cuscs, -Blackstone. had left. his place and was encased in the nearest tele-- phone booth to get in touch with his tiancee before she left for her office.
 ''I want, you and mother to. have luncheon today" he said. No. I'm. not to be in this, and just for my sake I want you to tell my mother that you are a suffragist, and I.want,xGu to tell her that IIAn one, too YonFe a trump and I'm, proud of you, -Ailt you have taught me one thing, Margaret-that it is always best to stick by 1he cause i even in the. face of mother-in-law to be -