The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-01-03
CHAPTER lll.-continued.

"Oh," she SAID, nother "ii'''
two or three books, and lots OF maSa-
zine articles, about women-womeh 5
rights and suffrage, and all that'
Shes been-well, sort Of leader ever
since she graduated from college,
back in-just think l-1S70, when most
girls used to have accomplishments
French, music, and washing extra
you know"
She said It all with n quite adora-
Bile seriousness, and his gravity match
ed hers when he replied: Il wouid
like to meet her very much. Femln-
isms a subject I'm blankly ignorant
about"
"I don't believe" she said thought
fully, "that I'd call it femlnism In
talking to mother about It, II l were
you. Mothers suGfraglst, but
there came another wave Of faint
color along with her smile-"but -
well, she's awfully respectable, you
know"
She didn't seem to mind his laugh
Ing out at that, though she didn't
join him.
"What about the other interesting
member of the family" he asked
presently, "your sister? Which Is she,
a suffragist or a feminist"
81 suppose" she said, you'd call
Portia feminist. Anyway, she
hasn't time to talk about 1t much. You
see, she's business woman. She's a
house decorator. She tells you what
kind Of furniture to buy, and then
sells It to you. Portals terribly clever
and awfully independent"
"All right" he said. "That brings
us down to you. What are your"
She sighed. "I'm sort of black
sheep, 1 guess. I'm just in the univer-
sity. But I'm to be lawyer"
Whereupon he cried out so explo-
sively that she fairly jumped Then he
apologized and said the notion of her
In court trying q case-he was law
yer himself-seemed rather startling.
She sighed again. "And now l
suppose" she said, you'll advise me
not to be-"
"Not bit" he said. 'It's the fin
est profession in the world"
But he said it off the top of his
mind. Down below, it was still en-
gagged with the picture of her In n
dismal courtroom, blazing up at n
Jury the way she had blazed up at
that conductor.
81 suppose" she hazarded, "that it's
awfully dull and tiresome, though
until you get way up to the top
That reused him. "It's awfully dull
when you do get to the top. or what's
called the top-being a client care
taker with the routine law business
of a few big corporations and rich
estates going through your office like
grlst through mill. That's supposed
to be the big reward, Of course"
He was out of his chair now, tramp
Ing up and down the room. "The thing
to bear in mind, If you're going to
travel that road, is that case is
worth while in precise and unaltera-
BILE ratio to the amount Of money in
volved In 1t. If you question that
axiom at all seriously, you're lost
That's what happened to me-"
He pulled up with jerk, looked al
her and laughed. "If my sister Ere
derlca were here" he explained. "she
would warn you that now was the time
for you to ask me II I'd been to see
Maude Adams or something like that
She smiled In sort Of contented
amusement. Then the smile trans
muted itself into look Of thoughtful
gravity, and there was long silence
which, though 1t puzzled him, he made
no move to break.
At last she pulled In long breath
turned straight to him, and said: "
wish you'd tell me what happened
to you"
And, under the compelling sincerity
of her, for the next two hours and Q
half, or thereabouts, he did-told Il
as he had never told 1t before.
He told her how he had started a
the foot of the ladder In one Of thu
big successful firms Of what he callet
"client caretakers." He told of hi
discovery of real legal problem ant
of the passionate enthusiasm will
which he had attacked it, the thrill
Ing weeks of labor he had put upon II
And then he told her how the heat
OF the firm, an old friend of his ia
ther's had called him In and said tn
work he had done was very remark
able, but, unfortunately, not profitable
to the firm, the whole amount involved
in the case having been some twent,
dollars. In other words, he was fired
He told her how he'd got In witt
an altrulstic bunch - the City Homes
association. And from the way h
told of his labors in drafting q ney
city ordinance, she felt that 1t mus
have been one of the most fasclnat
ing occupations In the world, I'm
til he told her how 1t had drawn hlr
into politics, and then how after a
election pew states attorney had Of
fered him position on his staff 0
assistants.
In q sense, Of course, 1t was tru
that he had, as Frederick would hav
put it, forgotten she was there.
The girl knew he had forgotten, m
her only discomfort came from IN