Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1917-10-25
Margaret Stands by
The Cause"
By JANE OSBORNE
By JANE OSBORNE

Ill
Copyright. 1917. by the Mcclure Nswsps.
Der 6yndicats.l
A man who has any imagination re-
garding feminine psychology must al
ways look with something like concern
toward the tlrstsmeeting Of his mother
and his wife-Or the woman whom he
intends to make his wife. So when
Blackstone LOomis' mother wrote to
her son that she was coming to New
York from her home In a middle West
ern metropolis for II short stay ut a no.
tel Of nationwide fame, he was not al
together sanguine in his anticipation
Of the meeting Of these two women
SO important in his life.
How would the housewifely and
farm-bred mother regard the city and
offlce-bred fiancee?
Would the elder woman be shocked
at the younger? Would the young
er woman be amused by the elder?
Had he been too lavish in his praises
Of these women to each other?
"Whatever else happens" he told
the girl on the eve of his mothers
expected arrival, don't let the mother
know that you are q feminist"
Blackstone had planned to make
this request at the outset of his call
on Margaret In her little uptown apart
ment, where she kept quarters with
two other young women who were EN-.
pioyed In downtown Offices. But it
hadn't been so easy us he had ex-
pected, and the quick flash that came
from Margaret's eyes made him realize
that his misgiyings had mo- been i'll.
founded.
Margaret was outspohen and she did
not mince matters at all now. Con
ceal from his mother that she was u
suffragist, d feminist" us he calls it
why, he was asking her to be Il traitor.
And what good would it dot Wouldn't
the Truth come out sometime?
Then came the masculine appeal for
nationality. Don't be silly, Margaret"
he said. mo one has asked you to
act a lie. You don't have to say that
you are an anti, or anything like that;
but you just needn't say anything about
it at ALL"
"But doesn't your mother know that
you are Il suifragist!" queried Mar
garet.
II can't say that l have ever told
hor-y1 1Ionlp,t,,a lul ta Ax,,
tiously here, for he was well aware OF
the fact that his conversion to "the
cause" had been II of the prerequis.
ties of their engagement. At first
Margaret stormed and suffered a good
deal over the request, but finally she
acquiesced and gave him to under.
stand that, unless the subject were
brought up by his mother, she would
not volunteer any information concern,
ing her own convictions.
The next morning early, when Black
stone went to meet his mother, theil
first connected words We're directed tC
the subject Of Margaret, whom tn.
mother was to meet that evening a.
dinner in Margarct's little apartment
The other girls had agreed to 60 ou1
for the evening sc as to leave her sole
hostess for this little family party.
Blackstone WINGED q little when one
of the first questions the mother asked
was this: II don't suppose your Mar
garet is a suffrugist?"
"What makes you think she coulG
beY' he evaded in n way not altogether
worthy Of one who claimed to be !;
convert. Just because she works II
an office and hasn't had the advantage!
: of having been brought up in the seclu
sion OF her own home Is no reason why
she shouldn't be just as honey as
as you are"
Then he continued: "But of cours,
you won't discuss that sort of thin,
with Margaret, just for my sake" ii,
wanted Mt least to make 1t easy TO
Margaret to maintain her noncommitta
g point of view, for Margaret had agree,
on silence on the subject only so Ion
n as the mother did not introduce 1t.
r Although Margaret had proteste'
Q against agreeing to Silence OF this sor
8 she was really not especially eager t
4 impart to the lady who was to be he
n mother-in-Aw the fact that she wa
leader aud president Of the stenogru
piers suffrage organization In u larg
k downtown district, or that she hi
n firmly made up her mind that nfte
her marriage she should call hersel
J" "Mrs. Margaret Loomis," and by n
means Mrs. blackstone LOOMS. Sh
a realized rs well rs did Blackstone tina
the circumstances In which she an
n his mother had been-reared had yer
much altered cases, and she was n
more anxious to hurt or shock the elt
If er woman than was he to have her d
10 10.
That night ct dinner first imprel
e. sions were as favorable as first impre!
Is sions ausplci0usly may be, and In Of
ID der to prevent the conversation froi
ii taking n personal turn Blnckston
s. monopolized II to an unusual exten
II He had made up his mind not to leav
ID the two w0me alone and not let thei
rs guide the conversation. So he wer
into needless details regarding his Ia
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