The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-02-14

out. "As if the home weren't just as
much labor as the Office"
Leila attacked her from another di-
rection. "FOr goodness sake, Daphne,
don't lose your head. Don't you inn
agine for moment that husband
will be happier and love his wife bet
ter because she earns wages. The
harder you work for men, the better
they like somebody else. The harder
man works for you the better he
likes you. Best of all, he loves the
woman that tries to break him."
Daphne's answer was a. snappy: II
don't believe it! I'd despise a man
that, felt that way"
| The three women wrangled with
wise saws and modern instances, and
they were in a perilous state of dis
fsension when the telephone rang. Leila
answered it and her outcries of indig-
nation alarmed Mrs. Kip and Daphne
till they learned the cause.
Bayard had called up to say that
the luncheon party must be postponed.
| Outrageous business had made anoth-
| er 1nSlQlOuS attack on love.
Y Leila came from the telephone, in a
state of desperation mitigated by the
fact that Bayard had asked her to
take his mother and Daphne shopping
and buy them and herself something
worth while as an atonement for his
abandonment.
So they set forth again on another
onset against the ramparts Of beauty.
To the silent horror of Daphne and
her mother, Leila was persuaded to
buy a new coat and new hat and to
pay for them by the convenience of
opening two new accounts at the sug-
gestion of two soapy statesmen. Bay
ards surrender after his first battle
had already accomplished the expect
able result.
Everything was the very latest thing
and yet was marked down. But Daph-
ne priced things now with new soul.
She was thinking in the terms of
wages and toll.
| She was going to earn fifty thousand
a year some day, but she supposed
that at first she would earn very little
TWENTY-FIVE dollars week, perhaps.
For the first time in her existence
she wildly understood how all these
fairy tissues were the products of hui
man labor, paid for with wages and to
be sold for other wages. Pearls were
drops of sweat; perfumes were the
signs of weary men; soft fabrics were
/ the hard spinning of human silkworms.
Bayard was even now racking his
brain to accumulate what three wom-
en- were squandering.
So Daphne meditated as she had
never meditated before and might not
often mediate again. She refused to
buy a thing. Her mother could only
explain her mood as symptom of an
illness and advise her to get home to
bed. There was something suspicious
in the condition of a girl who could
look with Qualns of conscience or ap-
petite on such a banquet.
At length fatigue and faintness re-
minded hrs. Kip, senior, that she had
not eaten and the hour was late. She
called for her luncheon and they went
together to a tearoom. Here Daphne
had another attack of eccentricity; a
stubborn determination to go home
and send back to Dutilh the wicked
gown that she had bought of him on
credit.
She had left the house without re-
turning it and she was afraid that
there would be difficulties if she de-
layed. Fortunately there had been no
alterations in the gown.
Perhaps there is no form that satan
takes Oftener than that of a fashion
able gown. In that shape he offers
women the conquest of the world. But
Daphne resisted him and said to Leila I:
Get thee behind me, satan I'm go
ing to return this gown and let Dutilh
give Bayard credit for it. won't look
at another gown till 1 can pay for it
out of my own earnings. I'll not get
married till can buy the rest of my
trousseau myself. I've decided that
an Independent woman must buy her
own trousseau."
Even in the eyes of ambition this
promised TO require Talrly long
period-a period so lengthy that she
wondered if Clay's love would outlast
it.
She did love him and the thought
of losing him alarmed her more than
the thought of losing the precious
gown.
Leila woke from her meditation with
sudden "Come along; we must dress
for the tea-fght."
Mrs. Kip, senior, amused the young
Kips by thinking aloud: Il wonder if
that nice Mr.. Duane will be at the
tea"
"Oh! shamie shame!" cried Leila.
"It's regular intrigue. No, he won't
be there. Telephone him at the Rae
quet club and he'll come to you. He's
usually there"
She did not see the start the artless