Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-06-12

ping down the outside steps and int.
. the furnace room.
, "Oh, Marcia" trilled a rich con
tralto voice. 1t was the voice of Mrs
AnSlee.
Forgive my costume" Marcia said
noting Mrs. Ainslee's glance at he.
damp pink morning dress, but l an
laundress today"
Forgive my searching for YOU" Mrs
. Ainslee replied, but as l rang twice
without result l thought the bell mus
BE- out OF order. Then l heard The
rumble of the machine and here l am.
Mrs. Ainslee was middle aged, dark
pretty, plump. with a manner which
held more than a touch of patronage
The daughter OF n college president
sister OF another and wife of a professor
not only prominent but rich, she haC
no doubt of her Importance in uni
verSity circles.
i ran in on purpose to tell you that
you must come to the meeting of the
Quadrangle club today"
The Quadrangle club, composed of
the wives, mothers, sisters and daugh-
tiers of faculty members, had been one
of Marcia's chief pleasures during the
first two or three years of her married
life But as her family cares increased,
she had fOregOne attendance. She
answered Mrs. Ainslee's reproachful
look.
You see, 1 have no one to leave the
children with"
My dear. you could get a student.
J And oil utnrr yot, typnuy
Il don't know any student that the
children are used TO-" she said slowly,
but perhaps l can ask Walter to look
after them for this afternoon"
Mrs. Ainslee smiled brilliantly.
DO, dear. I'll call for you so as to
shorten Walters nursery maid duties;
and I'll chauff you home"
After Mrs. Ainslee went, Marcia con
tinued her work abstractedly, it was
too bad to ask Walter to give up n
of his precious afternoons. Oh. well.
it could not be helped. When one is
q junior member Of a department, the
wishes of the wife of the head are
sometimes imperative. Also, Mrs. Aims
lee was right, she should not drop out
OF everything or she would have o
much less to give Walter.
Shortly after two o'clock Marcia
heard Mrs. Ainslee sounding her horn.
The baby "a asleep and the other two
children were playing on the porch
while Gordon corrected papers, a mat
ter he said he could attend to with
half his mind.
Seated beside Mrs. Ainslee was a
dark sparkling young woman in a be-
coming hat; Aida Conklin, wife OF the
instructor who ranked just under Cor
don. The Conklins had been married
almost as long as the Gordons but
they had no children. Aida Conklin
had once said to Marcia that she would
not give hostages to fortune till the
Conklin salary stood at thirty-five
hundred a year. Seated in the back
of the a as they sped towards the
Presidents house where the meeting
was to be held, Marcia reflected that
three fine children versus smart clothes
and a perfect complexion were riches
versus poverty.
AS they entered the presidents
house, it gave Marcia a pleasant thrill
to hear the vibrant sound of mingled
voices, to catch the perfume of flowers,
to see a background of harmonious
color. She enjoyed a sense of spa
ciousneSs as she descended the wide
staircase and entered the living room.
The presidents wife shook hands with
her cordially, and then she was passed
down a receiving line of who
scarcely knew her.
AN incOnspicuous member of a
she thought, un~reSentfully.
The presidents wife came first, then
the wives of deans; then the wives of
head professors and of assistant pro-
fesSOrs. The rank and file were the
wives of instructors whose husbands
received not less than sixteen hundred
and not more than tWenty-three hun
bred a year. They looked like the
rank and file, Marcia thought, because
If their youth and their modest
Here and there was a young
woman, beautifully dressed, and with
assurance than the others. That
meant that either she or her husband
had independent a
Some one gripped Marcia's arm, and
she turned to look into the pretty, care
worm face of Lois Parcher, wife of one
If the instructors in Gordon's depart
nent. They scarcely ever met, but
hey liked each other.
Il am glad to see you," Lois said;
I feel like a cat in a strange garnet.
Did Mrs. Ainslee rout you out?"
Marcia nodded. She talked to me
ike a Dutch uncle" Lois continued,
said or implied that if / never made
an appearance it would tell against my
husband professionally. What she
didn't say was that we shouldn't have
married, Ralph and l. on sixteen hun
bred a year. What l say is that either
the university should pay us larger
or else no more should be ex-
pected of us than of a clerk and his
Why do we have to look like
five or ten thousand dollars? Why
can't we be frankly poor?"
Marcia understood that Lois felt i'll
at ease in her cheap dress and shabby
hat. Her own experience vas that
there was very little real snobbishness
in a university circle. The senior
wives in q department always called
the Juniors. There was a COM
of interests, a sense of loyalty,
a sense of belonging to a privileged
group which seemed to Marcia to give
sufficient social security.
Marcia sighed, and Lois said quick
ly, There, don't let me spoil your
lovely afternoon. What's wrong with
me is that | have been hunting a job
and have been turned down eVerV-