The Topeka state journal., 1919-11-01
EVENING STORY
Best Laid Plans.
BY CONSTANCE sCUDDER.

Every one has silver spoons nowadays.
Diana's had been gold, with a plati-
mum monogram.
If it had been good form at the time
to incrust baby spoons with diamonds,
Mrs. Wilson would have seen to it that
it had them, too. in sufficient number
and of the first water.
Mrs, J. Henshaw Wilson had more
money than brains; but to do the lady
justice we must suggest the thought
that even Solomon would have been
hard put to it, had his wisdom been
forced to stand the same comparison.
At any rate she possessed gray mat
ter in sufficient quantity to enable her
to have her own-~way about things, as
a rule. This story has to do with one
great exception. And, of course, like
everything else in our national and
private life that is out of whack, just
now, it can be traced directly to the
late war.
Diana had been an obedient child
always. She had done just the proper
things at the proper time and in the
manner in which she was hidden to
do 1t.
In her second year ''out" the-society
world threw into the discard the mad
pursuit of pleasure and turned fever
ishly to the rolling of bandages, the
frying of ham and" and personal su-
pervision of the morals of our army
and navy Diana chose the canteen as
Mrs. Wilson did not force Diana to
give up the canteen idea, for two rea-
sons. First, some of our very best
people" were going into it. Second,
she was very busy just at that time
planning for the prelude to the great
event in her daughters life. Mrs
Wilson had married for money. It
had been a high step up the social
ladder for her. She meant to use the
advantage she had gained to boost her
off fr7tr raf hi
Senator Brendon was the star to
which Mrs. Wilson had hitched her
wagon, and. Dianas beauty and wealth
constituted the motive power which
were to land her in the position COW
eted for her by her mother.
Just as Mrs. Wilson's absorption in
her plans blinded her to the risks in
allowing Diana to become interested
in canteen work, so Diana's interest
in the work kept her from realizing
that the engagement was being forced
upon her.
Senator Brendon was a middle-aged
bachelor, large, stupid man who got
by on his family name and pompous
manner. He had money-but not
enough, and was gallant admirer OF
the weaker sex" For him, compe-
tent women women who displayed
executive ability outside their own
homes, did not exist. Mrs. Wilson as
sured him that Diana had no such
talents
To Diana the honor and glory of
being a senator's wife made strong
appeal. But it was all an indefinite
thinG-something that couldn't come
to pass until the horrible war was
over. Meanwhile there were innumer-
able "ham ands'' toy be prepared for
Unsuitable young American appetites.
Diana, busting around In immaculate
apron and cap, was thoroly happy
The senator rarely appeared in person.
he was too busy in Washington. HIS
infreuuent visits left Diana quite
overwhelmed with flattery and gall
lantry.
1t did not occur to the prospective
bride to wonder little that the Wom-
en- with whom she was working daily
were notsmore profuse in their con-
gratulations upon the announcement
of the engagement; but Diana pos
sessed no exaggerated idea OF her own
importance-and of course everybody
was stepped thru and thru with the
one idea.
Mrs. Bard 1g-Scott, who belonged
in the first lumeral column of New
York's four hundred, was working
alongside Diana in the canteen one
day. She watched the girl for a while
and then spoke, in her usual abrupt
way. Child, are you at all interested
in suffrage? ?"
"Why, I never thought much about
it." answered Diana abstractedly.
"Would you like to come with me
to a meeting this afternoon
An invitation from Mrs. Barding-
Scott was similar to that of a queen
One did not decline. When Diana an
nounced to her maternal parent at
luncheon that Mrs. Barding-Scott
would call for her that afternoon
they were to attend meeting in COM :
pany@Mrs Wilson was SO overjoyed
that she quite forgot to ask what the
meeting was about.
But at that meeting the goose of
Mrs. wilson's plans was cooked
beautiful brown. For two hours Diana
sat with burning cheeks and listened
to as thoro a scarifying of Senator
Brendon as the vocabularies of the
five infuriated women who addressed
the assembly could produce. For Sem
ator Brendon had been indiscreet
enough to express publicly his real
reason for opposing woman suffrage,
a reason that che had hitherto camou-
fIaged under a pretended reverence
for states rights. He did not believe,
it appeared at last, that women had
sufficient intelligence!
Mrs Barding-Scott made no COM
ment on the way home. but Diana was
too furious at her fiance's slur upon
her sex to notice it. Mrs. Barding-
Scott dropped Diana at her home with
grim Think it over, child what you
heard this afternoon" And Diana did.
She STAYED off her mothers eager
questionings about the afternoon by
pleading a headache. She would tell
about it in the morning-and couldn't
she please be excused from dinner.
But long before Mrs. Wilson's hour
for. arising. a wrath of Diana. pale
as her namesake. let herself out of
the house unobserved, mailed a letter
to the senator at the corner box and
the first time in her life.
boarded a public conveyance unac-
companied and walked into the can
teen two hours before her regular
shift Help was short. Diana hustled
into her apron.
Two sunnyside up. please" The
order came from a red-haired youth
in o. d. The voice was familiar.
Diana glanced up and smiled. The
young lieutenant to-whom it belonged
was a frequent visitor at the can