The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-28
EVENING STORY
Marble Becomes Efficient.
(By Jane Osborn.)

| (By Jane OSBORNE
| The sight of one of those collapsible
kitchen cabinets always filled Martin
with strange, inexpressible longings.
| There was just enough of the house
wifely in his thoroughly masculine
makeup to make him feel convinced
| that, were he a woman, there would
be deep content in making biscuits and
| bread and cake and pies in front of
one of those devices, with the neat
| little rows of spice boxes all ranged
most conveniently to hand, where
! sugar and flour could be measured out
! in cupfuls and sifted at the simple
| turn of lever and where all the
dishes that any one might need for
| cooking for two were within easy
reach. And at the department store,
| that Martin passed every night on
his way home from business, there
| was a whole window full of those
| tempting, soul-diSturbing cabinets,
ranging from little oak ones at $19.74
to white enameled affairs at 5000
A woman stood beside him looking
longingly at them, too, and as Martin
saw her he sighed. If Marble only
liked kitchen cabinets. But Marble
was not that sort of wife The display
OF tempting purple hats in the next
window or the new books beyond
would have caught her eye. But
kitchen cabinets, never!
eAfter Martin had indulged his
dream for housewifely joy in this
fashion, dinner at the boarding house,
to which he always brought a strong,
brave appetite, seemed less sufficient
and less satisfying than ever The
ciatter of dishes at the other tables
seemed into1erable
In ones own dining room, no mat
ter how small, there would never be
that elatter. There would never be
| those Incessant voices. There would
be no voice but Marbles But of
course Marble was there in the board
| ing house, and, as Martins eve caught
the DAINTY well-manicured hands be-
sue MIN, ne realized that perhaps
| were Marble of a more houSewifely
turn those fingers would be less ex-
qulslte. AS he heard her discussing a
recent interpretation of Ibsen's Lays
with the professor at the table he
feallzed that more domestic wife
would be less Intellectual One ought
TO be proud of a wife who could speak
with such easy familiarity of ''Hedda
Gabler' and "Rosmersholnns even if
she couldn't make mullins and didn't
know frying pan from a muffin tin
one ought to-but Martin was think
ing of the kitchen cabinet and he
Ill even listen to the lbsen talk.
Ihat night as Marble was sitting
Notwithstanding, course-one of
lbsens plays, Martini as usual. was
buried IN the evening paper. But mis-
longlngs pursued him even there For
there spread over a half page of the
evening paper was an advertisement
OF those tantaizirg kitchen cabinets
with cuts almost as tempting as the
cabinets themselves and column of
description of all their " tues
he telt Marbles eyes on him and,
1earful lest she could see thru the pa
per, he remarked. with assur ed nat
urainess, Il see cOpper's dropped a
couple of points Then re felt that
the eyes were no longer on Linn. and
from the other side of the room he
heard just the suggestion of a Sob
What's the natter" His voice
was all soiicitude. but the book was
raised higher and Marble merely
laughed by way Of answer and then
fibbed that the play had amused her
land that she had been stiflin., a gig
: gle. Martin took one more furtive
look at the kitchen cabinet and then
turned to the real estate section to
read about the dainty little house
Keeping apartments that he had often
dreamed about. And then the book
dropped and Marbles dainty mani
Toured hands went to her face and the
sobs melted into one long wall.
Amt you happy" Martin soothed.
After Marbles sobs there had been the
tempest of Marbles tears and then
came the soothing of them Pm so
glad you asked that" Marble bright
ened, because I'm not Just exactly
happy and l didn't want to have to tell
you are always so busy wit that hor-
rid old paper and the stock quotations
, and the real estate reports-I saw you
, | reading those reports this very min
utc-that / never get time to tell you.
I'm not happy. | want to do some
thing. / want towel, you see,
have a brain just as much as you~have.
want to accomplish as much you
do. just because | am woman
Martin WINGED. F. ha Gown Suf-
fragists before he had married Marble,
and one of the reasons why he was at
first drawn to her was because in spite
of her little intellectual affectations
she had never wanted to march in
parades or study law or wear mannish
shirts or watch at the polls OF nave a
career. Somehow he felt now that he
had been dreading the very turn of
events that seemed to be beginning.
Even if L am a woman she went
on, there is no reason why l should
not be an industrial factor. There is
no reason why l should not become
efficient: there is no reason why l
should be parasite To Martin all
this sounded deadly familiar. He had
heard it lots of times before and he
could endure no more.
II know he murmured. I've heard
that dope before"
But not just this Ma rdie per-
[ sisted. You see industrial conditions
have changed womanS position
Martin dropped his head in his
hands peevishlv "Oh, don't" he was
almost fierce as he spoke. Don't GO
to into details. What put that sort of
thing into your head, anyway? Not
Ibsen-you've always read Ibsen-"
Il Yesterday / went to conference
of the Woman's College Club"
Lord" Martin was one of the men
who believed that he disliked all col
lege women on principal. Cut that
out. I don't want to hear it" The
vision of the kitchen cabinet and the
neat little apartment vanished as he
crumpled the paper in his hand and
: dashed it to the floor.
III Marbles tears were dry We'll
I since you won't listen to explanations "
| she said with hauteur there won't be
| any L WA Mt To ia la I, o,o,1,rcc q ,c1