The Coolidge examiner., 1932-08-12
LOVE OR A
CAREER?
By FANNIE HURST
(G BY Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate)
(WNU Seryice)

/ n
IL had heard the bright patter
about economic independence of
women.
1t was wonderful to belong so ir-
refutably to a world of women
which had asserted its right to ven
ture unchallenged into certain fields
of work-a-day activities hitherto re
served for the exploits of men.
If anyone had out and out asked
Emanie if she were a suffragette,
her reply would have been evasive.
non-committal and unconsciously
not quite honest.
One did not have to be so stern
and uncompromising an advocate
as that! Emanie did not intend to
let herself get strong minded"
about it. Those were the sort of
women who defeated their own
cause; antagonized the men and
alienated the women.
Emanie was not particularly con-
cerned about the vote. even as a
symbol to this much heralded
emancipation. Women's party mem
bership. Not much. All very well
and good for those women who
wanted to risk their looks and their
charm and their desirability, catch
ing trains for Washington to get
bills introduced and abuses defeat
ed. OF course some one had to do
It and certain kinds of women were
magnificent for the job.
Economic independence to Emanie
was just a pleasant isolated fact.
FOrty-five dollars a week as conf
Dental secretary to life insurance
company's vice president, who sell
dom came to his Office more than
three two-hour mornings week,
and who placed implicit confidence
in his secretary's competence to
cope with the honorary duties Of
his largely honorary position, left
Emanie free to enjoy TO their full
est the economic advantages of a
good salary, an extraordinary
amount of leisure and a pleasant
apartment in which she had the
time, taste and money to entertain
with judgment and skill.
1t was not surprising that
young woman in her position. good
In ElA n fraA
slender and efficient sort of way,
chic because she could afford to
dress well, alert because she had
leisure and money for lectures.
books, concerts and theaters, should
think twice, nay, thrice, before she
considered anything so drastic as
marriage.
Marriage, even into conditions
which bettered hers materially, was
something at which to look askance.
Her position was so right. So Sc
cure. So free. Even a marriage
that bettered materially, was grave
ly liable TO pitfalls.
But ii so happened that the op-
portunity of marriage which pre-
sented itself to Emanie was not
one to better her position in the
worldly sense of the word.
Thomas Maugham's earnings were
about the same as Emanie's, and
his work In a large Middle West
city would have made it impossible
for Emanie TO continue hers in the
East. Besides, Thomas, In that Gu
riously gentle way of his, was out
and-out about what he wanted
where Emanie's activities were con-
cerned
All well and good for women to
go out into business and careers
after marriage. Thomas was the
last person to have an attitude
about it in general, but he wasn't
going to make any bones about his
attitude in particular. Let the
future take care of itself. But for
the first year or two or three, at
least, Thomas wanted Emanie in his
home-after that-well, time to talk
about it.
Neither was Thomas the one to
bicker about the fact of children.
He wanted them, and he wanted
them while he and Emanie were
still young enough to enjoy youth
with their offspring. All in all, it
looked as if Thomas idea about the
future, which he was apparently so
willing to let take care of itself,
was pretty well laid out.
Life in a Middle West city, as the
wife of a young salesman for an
automobile firm, was not the
glamorous picture Emanie had
drawn for herself on those occa-
sions when she let her mind reach
into the future beyond her SNUG
present. And that salesman one
who had certain reactionary views
that were rather frightening.
In the abstract it could scarcely
be said that the opportunity to
marry Thomas Vaughan was the
rosy one that should have attracted
her response, except for one great
factor.
Emanie was in love with Thomas.