Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27
eCu1iar ClrCumStanCe BY Fuuule Hurst

During the next five years word of Alice's
accomplishments In foreign lands, tidings OF
her presentation at this and that court. and
Of her manner of projecting her home city into
international prominence came noatng Dack.
But there was something In distance that
seemed to ease the hurt In the heart of Marion.
Besides in that period of five years, three
children were born OF the Fred MarcuseS,
new home had been planned and built, ana
the affairs of life had flowed in blSily and hap
PLY 1t was not that Marion forgot; 1t was not
that her curious capacity to stumble across EVIL
dences of the success Of Alice Laidlaw had In
any way diminished; 1t was simply that dis
lance had dimmed the picture and time had
mitigated it.
A LsO, in that interval. even with the birth
of her babies Marion had tried to keep up
contacts. She was member of several women's
clubs, and while never an executive, her stand
ing locally was that of an able woman. She
was a member of important organizations, Of
the mayors reception committee and had
created in her home the air of culture and
camaraderie that made it a focal point for
social gatherings of distinction.
Ironically enough, the most important event
I'm which Marion was called upon to participate
as member of the mayors reception committees
was the return of Alice Laidlaw after an alb
sence of five years.
1t seemed to Marion that this was the straw
that broke the camers back Nothing in the
world could save her from the ordeal of stand
ing in line to welcome back into the fold the
triumphant figure of the returning native except
the plea of illness And deSpising herself,
hating herself berating herself Marion re-
manned at home the day of Miss LaidlawS
arrival on that very plea
1t was mere than she could endure to behold
this woman who mad succeeded in walking the
paths she yearned to walk, return in triumph.
Triumph it was.
For two weeks after her return, the local
newspapers carried stories of this or that
opinion exploit or happening connected with
Alice Laidlaw
While sitting in the railroad station one day
waiting for the return Of her husband Fred,
who had been away on a business trip, Marion'S
eye, with its usual cruel capacity for overlook
ing printed word that had to do with Alice
Laidlaw, Lit on article in a newspaper held
by the man in front of her on the waiting
room bench. Sitting there with her fingers
clinched. as always under such circumstances,
Marion f1agellated herself by reading the article
from end to end.
It was a feature story in which Alice Laidlaw
related to a woman reporter her idea of AN
ideal woman"
How could Marion refrain from reading such :
an article? What Alice LaidlawS idea of
an ideal woman"-Alice Laidlaw who was
herself an ideal woman to so many others,
Alice Laidlaw, who had always been a leader
since her earliest school days, who was the SUBJ
ject of so many conversations, who had won q.
international prominence and for whom every
body worth while in the whole town turned
out to welcome home?
Marion read on excitedy. The ideal woman"
was mother and homekeeper; she was in
diligently interested in civic affairs, but to
her. home affairs came first; she had not one
child but several; her home was the focal point
for social gatherings of distinction.
At the conclusion of the article, Alice Laid
law cited local figure to typSfy woman whose
life activities and characteristics embodied all
the fine qualities that went to make up Alice
Laidlaw's composite version of the ideal woman.
The figure whom she had chosen from the
local community as her symbol was Marion
Copyright, 1922