The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1917-11-27
By JANE OSBORNE

Ut tne Younger would the young
er woman be amused by the elder?
Had he been too lavish in his praises
of these women to each other2 He
had not, perhaps, thought that they
dreamed that his mother would have
the opportunity or the means to take
the eastern trip so soon, or he might
perhaps not have written so glOwingly
Of the girl to whom he was to be mar
ried. He might have somehow pre-
pared his mother for the fact that
Margaret was sometimes a little too
advanced and progressive in her views.
1t was several years since he had
seen this mother of his and he had
not had an opportunity to chat with
her about Margaret and letters had
perhaps given a too one-sided view of
her.
Whatever else happens" he told
the girl on the eve of his mothers
expected arrival, don't let the mother
know that you are 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-
ployed in downtown offices. But it
hadn't been so easy as he had ex-
pected. and the quick flash that came
from Margaret's eyes made him realize
that his misgivings had not been Ill
founded.
Margaret was Outspoken and she did
not mince matters at all now. Con-
ceal from his mother that she was a
suffragist, feminist" as he calls it.
why, he was asking her to be traitor
And what good would it do2 Wouldn't
the truth come out sometime7 Did he
want her to act a lie?
Then came the masculine appeal for
nationality. Don't be silly, Margaret"
he said. mo one has asked you to
act lie. You don't have to say that
you are an anti, or anything like that |;
but you just needn't say anything about
1t at ALL"
'But doesn't your mother know that
you are a suffragist% queried Mar
garet.
Il can't say that l have ever told
her-no." Blackstone had to go eau
tiOusly here, for he was we'll aware Of
the fact that his conversion to "the
cause" had been one of the prerequis-
ties of their engagement. At first
Margaret stormed and sputtered 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, their
first connected words were directed to
the subject Of Margaret, whom the
mother was to meet that evening at
dinner in Margaret's little apartment.
The other girls had agreed to go out
for the evening so as to leave her sole
hostess for this little family party.
Blackstone WINGED little when one
of the first questions the mother asked
was this: Il don't suppose your Mar
garet is a suffragist"
what makes you think she could
beP" he evaded in way not altogether
worthy Of one who claimed to be a
convert. Just because she works In
an Office and hasn't had the advantages
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 course
you won't discuss that sort of thing
with Margaret, just for my sake" He
wanted at least to make it easy for
I Margaret to maintain her noncommittal
point of view, for Margaret had agreed
on silence on the subject only so long
as the mother did not introduce 1t.
Although Margaret had protested
against agreeing to silence of this sort
she was really not especially eager to
impart to the lady who was to be her
mother-in-law the fact that she was
leader and president of the stenogra.
/ piers suffrage organization In q large
downtown district, or that she had
firmly made up her mind that after
her marriage she should call herself
Mrs. Margaret Loomis,p and by nc
! means Mrs. Blackstone LOOMS. She
realized as well as did Blackstone that
the circumstances In which she and
his mother had been reared had very
much altered cases, ana she was nj
more anxious to hurt or shock the ED
er woman than was he to have her d.
J 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 q personal turn Blackstone
monopolized 1t to an unusual extent
He had made up his mind not to leav'
the two women alone and not let then
guide the conversation. So he wen
into needless details regarding his lat
est law case explained the meaning
Of professional terms that were quit,
beyond the ken or interest Of eithe
Of the women, and gave resume of |
brief In which he had been recent.
engrossed.
For week things went on thus, ant
the only times that Blackstone feare:
an open expression of opinion wa
one night when his mother and Mar
garet CHANGED to meet for dinner be
fore he could get on the scene. Blu
apparently nothing disconcerting oC
Cured, and Immediately after dime
Margaret excused herself for an I'm
pOrtant engagement that Blackston
knew to be a meeting of her suffrag
club. The next night Margaret ha,
another suffrage engagement, an
Blackstone's mother claimed an en-
gagement, too, so it was not until tire
nights later that the three again me
at dinner after Margaret and Black
stone had closed their Office desks.
Following dinner came play, an
In spite Of the fact that Blackston
had taken his mother and his f1ance
to an especially diverting dining place