The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-12-07
Margaret Stands by
The Cause"
By JANE OSBORNE

Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
A man who has any Imagination re-
garding feminine psychology must al
ways look with something like concern
toward the first meeting of his mother
and his wife-or the woman whom he
Intends to make his wife. So when
Blackstone LOOMS mother wrote to
her son that she was coming to New
York from her home in middle West
ern metropolis for short stay at 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
ofice-bred fiancee? At heart Black
stone knew them to be much the same
sort of women. He cOnsoled himself
In thinking that had his mothers ex-
perience and training been identical
with those of Margaret she, too, would
have wanted the ballot. He also be-
lieved sincerely that had Margaret
been married from farm, as had his
mother at the age of eighteen, Mar
garet, too, would have been as keen
about the hOusewifely tasks as was
his mother.
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? He
had not, perhaps, thought that they
would meet so soon. He had never
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-
Margaret was sometimes a little too
advanced and progressive in her views.
It 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
ler.
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
IN 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-
1ected, and the quick flash that came
rom 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-
zeal from his mother that she was q
suffragist, feminist" as he calls it
why, he was asking her to be traitor.
And what good would it do? Wouldn't
the truth come out sometime? Did he
want her to act lie?
Then came the masculine appeal for
.ationality. 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;
,ut 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 / have ever told
her-no." Blackstone had to 60 eau
hously here, for he was well 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
Inner 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: II don't suppose your Mar
garet is q suffragistT'
"What makes you think she could
be?" 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 1t easy for
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