The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-27
HER SIlDE---AND HIS
IDEAL MAN
: By ZoE BECHzLEY

As Cora Temple and Ellen Rourke en-
 tered the Temples living room they dis
 tinctly heard the words, "All right, then
 we'll go to the mat for finish fight"
 and Davids echo, ITO the finish" 1 The two women exchanged glances. l Cora saw her task of effecting com
 promise was to be a hard one. Some thing in the atmosphere, in the manner l of the two men, in Cora's sudden look of disappointment yet keen determination,
 made Mrs Rourke take her husband S arm with firm, Come Tim we'd best | be going Mrs. Temples wanting to speak alone with her husband' Which was em- phatically true, and Cora was relieved l and grateful when the Rourkes departed. l Cora and David stood silently mo-
 ment. each absorbed in personal thought. | Temple looked obstinate and sullen. His wife determinedly amiable. "A woman loves a balanced man, Da- | vid,'' said Cora without preliminaries. She | walked slowly to the window and looked down thoughtfully to the street where l the Rourkes' car was moving away from the curb.
 Meaning what, Cora?" asked David, though he knew well enough Meaning that you are not using balanced Judgment in this Rourke matter.
 Enough is enough. You are pushing your
  being of a whole family" q cannot deal in sentimentalities,' re- | torted Temple with spirit. Politics is not an affair of pink teas and women's smiles or tears"
 Tt should be thing for the good of all of us-men and women, individuals and families, neighborhoods and whole cities children. old folks, the poor, the rich, the strong and the weak" Cora spoke with fully reused sense of jus- tice You ought to set aside your own personal views for the sake of us wom- en whose tears you hold in such scorn." q repeat, my dear, that politics is rough business. You are talking fool ishness when you ask me to let up on
 this evil fellow for the sake of his fam l fly You cannot mend his ways by such metha1s."
 !" election has curbed his powers. Ye /have said so yourself, Dave. Oh, T e." she added in gentler, more bersonal tone, If men could only see bw what they consider strength is not |, Aways strength but weakness, mere ob- stinacy, and that what sometimes seems to them effeminate softness is not that at all, but a finer, more compassionate
 form of strength than any other The finest man has always some tenderness in him, David"
 David kept silence. There was for ward thrust to his chin narrowing or
 his eyes, that sent Cora's spirit down. .That may be all very well as ab- stract philosophy" he said at last. But such ideals don't go with this crowd. You don't know them. They'd all laugh If backed down now They have noth- ing but contempt for the man who crawls.'
 1T don't ask you to crawl Dave I ask you to compromise for the wise way is compromise. You have won. Be gen. erous enough now to stop short of re- venge for that is what any other course would amount to-
 Cora paused and looked eagerly at her are at home with MT. and Mrs. James Hood on Beech street. Mrs. Early was Miss Daisy Lee Douglas. Capt. and Mrs. John B. Reid will leave today for short stay in Selma and Marion.
 Mrs John B. Reid, Jr., has returned from a short visit to relatives in Geor gia.
 Miss Selina Robinson has returned from Anniston.