| OCR Text |
Show A STORYdkQitm-e. 7'CVVvV?' dumb bells, -with a ciash upon the fiooi VKW' ' '"The old" cant r-'she cried;- "The..Old SWiM FHPwK " ' shibboleth! ' What' Is this'mission which WWi IXvW-n ' ::" ' " is "served for woman ? All that' Is hum- iftW'iftVf? i We. that-isimean.oh-atlis-.soul-kminK. wffiRW Hsw ' W(r VIA. ' that-aa-80 contemj.it.ible and so ill-paid JUi mVk - " hat none Other Will touch it. . All that M I IX.! I I ' W'fcC '':llll '" ' is-woman's mission.-. And 'who imposed 'I vj- ' (JlTiT" 'I .these , limitations -upon her? ..Who 1 NfC" ' ' 1 1 -x cooped i her -.up -within. . -this -.. narrow JNTFUNaTimm lM.wteTw - Phre?-. Wasit Providence?-. Was -it dumb-.bclls, with a crash upon the floor. The old cant! ' she cried. "The. .Old shjbboleth! ' What Is this'mission which is reserved for woman? All that is humble, hum-ble, that -isimean.-Jthatt is . soul-killing, that -.is so contemptible and so ill-paid that none other will Couch it. .AH that is woman s mission.-. And who imposed .these, limitations -upon her? ..Who cooped i her -.up -withm -this .. narrow-sphere? narrow-sphere? -. Was . it Providence?- Was it also, champions of the lawn, came the short-skirted, muscular widow and her athletic nephew, l.'re- the summer was gone they knew each other in this quiet nook as they might not have done after years of stirter imd more formal acquaintance;" ac-quaintance;" And especially to the admiral and the doctor were this closer intimacy and companionship of value. Each had a void in his jife. as every man must ha.ve who -.with unexhausted strength steps out of the great race, but each .bv.bts society might help to fill uj. that of his ' neighbor. It is true that thev.had nut .much in common, but that is sometimes an aid rather than a bar to friendship. Each had been an enthusiast en-thusiast in his profession, and had retained re-tained all ' his.interest in it. The doctor sjill read from cover, to cover his Lancet Lan-cet and his Medical Journal, attended all professional 1 gatherings, worked himself into, an alternate state of exaltation exal-tation and depression over the results of the election of officers, and reserved for himself a den. of his own, In which before rows of little round bottles full of glycerine. Canadian balsam, and staining agents, he still cut sections with a microtome, and peeped through his long, brass, old-fashioned microscope' micro-scope' at the arcana of nature. With his" typical face, clean shaven on lip and chin, with a lirm mouth, a strong jaw, a steady eye, and two little white fluffs of whiskers, he could never be taken for anything hut what he was, a high-class British medical consultant of the age of fifty, or perhaps just a year or two older. - ' The doctor, in his hey-day, had been cool over great things, but now, In his retirement, he was fussy over trifles. The man who had operated without the quiver of a finger, when not only, his patient's life but his own reputation and future were at stake, was now shaken to the soul by a mislaid book or a careless maid. He remarked it himself, him-self, and knew the reason. "When Mary was alive," he would say, "she stood between me and the little troubles. I could brace myself for the big ones. My girls are as good as girls can be, but who can know a man as his wife knows him?" Then his memory would conjure up a tuft of brown hair , and a single white, thin hand over a coverlet, cover-let, and he would feel, as we have all felt, that if we do not live and know each other after death, then indeed we are tricked and betrayed by all the highest hopes and subtlest intuitions of our nature. : The doctor had his compensations to make up for his loss. . The great scales of fate had been held on a level for CHAPTER II. (CoNTiN-onn). "It wants to get at Eliza." said the youth, in a confidential .whisper. "Master "Mas-ter says she would give him more n he brought." He smiled affably at the two' little stiff black figures, and departed In search of his mistress. "What what did he say?" gasped Bertha. "Something about a Oh, goodness gracious! Oh, help, help, help, help help!" The two sisters had bounded on i to the settee, and stood there with star- Jng eyes and skirts gathered in, while j they filled the whofe house with their j yells. Out of a high wicker work basket I "which Stood by the fire there had risen a flat, diamond-shaped head with wicked green eyes which came flicker- S Ing upwards, waving gently from side ( to side, until a foot or more of glossy, j scaly neck was visible. Slowly the vi- f clous head came floating 'up,- while at I every oscillation a fresh burst of shrieks j came from the settee, i : "What in the name of mischief." I. cried a voice, and there was the mis- tress of the house standing in the door- lr way. Her gaze at first had merely tak- ' en in the fact that two strangers were 1 standing screaming upon her red plush j sofa. A glance at the fireplace, how- ( 'ever, showed her the cause of the ter- r iror; and she burst into a hearty fit of Slaughter. I I "Charley," she shouted, "here's Eliza ' Imisbehaving again." nature.' no. it was the arch enemy. It was man." Oh, I say. auntie! .- drawled her nephew. . . . . .. . It was.-. man. Charles. It was -you and your fellows., ,1 say that .woman is a colossal monument to the selfishness selfish-ness of man. What is all this boasted chivalry these fine words and vague phrases? Where is it when we wish to put it to the test? Man in the abstract will do anything to help a woman. Of course. How does it work when his pocket is touched? Where is his chivalry chiv-alry then? Will the doctors help her to qualify? will the lawyers help her to be called to the bar? will the clergy tolerate her in the church? Oh, it is close your ranks then and refer poor woman to her mission! Her mission! To be thankful, for coppers, and not to Interfere with the men while they grabble grab-ble for gpld, like swine round a trough, that is man's reading of the mission of women. You may sit there and sneer, Charles, while you look upon your victim, vic-tim, but you know that it is truth, every word of it." Terrified as they were by this sudden torrent of.words, the two gentlewomen could not but smile at the sight of the fiery, domineering victim and the big : apologetic representative of mankind : who sat meekly bearing all the sins of his' sex. The lady struck a match, whipped a cigarette from a case upon the mantelpiece, and began to draw the smoke into her lungs. ."..' "I find it very soothing when, my S 1 "I'll settle her,' 'answered a masculine voice, and the young man dashed into I ithe ropm. He had a brown horse:cloth j jin'his hand, which he threw over the i jbasket, making it fast with a piece of itwine 'so as. to. effectually imprison. its1 jlnbatej while his aunt ran across to re- !assure her visitors. ! "It is only a 'rock snake-,'" she,, explained ex-plained ' " ' ' f "' ' .. .. - : j "Oh,;-Bertha!" "Oh, Monica'.'!, gasped jtne popr exhausted "'eworr-cr.-i-'1--- V . imicmng out some -eggs. That - ' lis why, .we h'ave the fire. Eliza always 1 jdoes better when she is warm. She is a t pweet, ;gentfe1ireatAire, but rtd'doHiVH'She '( (thought that you had designs upon her i teggs. Isuppose that you did not touch ' any of them ?" . .- , -. . -' . ; ! "Oh, 'let us'get away, Bertha!" cried ; iMontea;, with her thin, black-gloved t ihands ,-throvsrn forward in .abhorrenfte. , "Nodaway, "but into the next room," i !said Mrs. Westmacott, with the air of lone whose word was law.; "This way, !f ; you please! It is less warm here." She t Jed the way into a very handsomely ap- pointed library, with 'thvee great eases ' of books, and upon the fourth side a long, yellow table littered over with I papers and scientific instruments. "Sit j ihere, and you' there." she continued. ' l-That' is right.-Now let me. see,: which j - of you is Mis Williams and which Miss. , Bertha Williams?" ! "I am Miss Williams," said Monica, etill palpitating, and glancing furtive- i' ly about in dread of some new horror, j ' "And you live, as I understand, over ! at the pretty little cottage. It is very ! nice of you to call so early. I don't sup- pose that wo., shall get on, but still the f Intention is equally good." She crossed her legs and leaned her back against the marble mantelpiece. ' :. "We thought that perhaps we might: t The of some assistance," said Bertha, : (timidly. "If there is anything which we 1 eould do to make you feel more at i home " "Oh, thank you, I am too old a trav- t eler to feel anything but at home whenever when-ever I go. I've just come back from a 1 few months in the Marquesas Islands, I t v nleflsant visit. That nerves are at all ruffled," she explained. ex-plained. "You don't smoke? Ah; you miss one of the purest of pleasures without a reaction." Miss Williams smoothed . out :- . her silken i lap. ... - y "It is a pleasure," she. said, -with' some reproach to self-assertion, .".which ;"E3'er'tha a-nd I .are rather too- old-.fash-iohed to enjoy." "No .doubt.' " It would probably .make. -'- .'.,: "t it -OU'-attempted -it. . By the way, I hope that you will come to some of our Guild meetings. I shall (s.ee that ickets!-,ae-.sept-,yeu.y. 4: 4--" "'Your Guild'?"". " " '' ' ' "It is not yet formed, but I shall lose no time in forming a committee. It is my habitHoy e'stsfbl-isri i:a branch of the Emancipation Guild wherever I go. There is a Mrs. Sanderson, in Anerley i who is ia.lready one Of the emancipated, so that I have a nucleus. It Is only by organized resistance,, , Miss,. Williams, thatwe oan hope to 'hoid""'b'ur own against the selfish sex. - Must you go, then?" . . t'.yi" v.'.V:V -.- "YSs', we have one or two other visits to pay," said the elder sister. "You will, I am sure, excuse us. I hope that you will find Norwood a pleasant-resi-denceV' - S ; .., . "' , "All places are to me simply a battlefield,", battle-field,", she answered; gripping' first one and then tbe othefr with a grip which crumpled up their little thin fingers. "The days for work and healthful exercise, exer-cise, the ; evenings' tp Browning"- aiirf-' aiirf-' high discourse, eh, Charles? Goodbye!" Good-bye!" She came to the door with them, and as they glanced back they saw her. still standing there with the yellow bull pup cuddled up under one forearm, and tbe thin blue reek of her cigarette ascending as-cending from her lips. , .;. "Oh, what a dreadful, dreadful woman!" wom-an!" whispered sister Bertha, as they hurried down the street. "Thank goodness good-ness that it is over."- "But she'll return the visit," answered an-swered the other. "I think that we had better tell Mary that we are not at home." ' ! CHAPTER III. him; for where in all great London could one find two sweeter girls, more loving, more intelligent, and more sympathetic sym-pathetic than Clara and Ida Walker? ;So bright were; they, so quick, so interested inter-ested in all which interested him, that, iif ft were possible for a, naan to be. com-jpens'ated com-jpens'ated for the' .loss , of ..a, good ' wife rthen-" Balthaza'P -Walker might claim to' be so:, .' ,'.' ,"- ''' ''.'" j - C'.ara was tall a:idthi,ai(J; supple, -. 'with a graceful, womanly figure. There I'wa's . .something:,' stiU;ely ;' and distin--:.guisijed' in her' carriage, -"queenly" her ' friends called her,', whire" her critics described de-scribed her as 'reserved. and. distant.. ' Such, as "it was, 'noweVeti It was part'-and part'-and parceltpf er'self;'. fo,r she. was, and had always from Her-fchiidhopd been, different from' any' one around her.'. 'There was nothing gregarious ' in 'her " ; nature... She thought with ., her own mind,' saw with' her own' eyes; 'acted !.from Jher own impulse'. HeY'tace Was :pale striking rather', than pretty, but with two great .dark.-, eyes, so earnestly. questioning so' quick, in'.their 'translations 'transl-ations from Joy to. pathos, so .swiftj "in. I their comment upon every word ' and deed around her, that those eyes alone ' . were to many more attractive than all . the beauty of her younger-sister. Hers 'was. -a strong,. quiet,,soul, and It was her; firm hand which.,had taken- oyer tjhe ' duties of her mother,. had;. ordered the '.house; .'restrained ' the' servants,' comforted comfort-ed her father, 'and "upheld 'her weaker' sister, .from the day of that great misfortune. mis-fortune. . i,; ; , ' Ida Walk"r was hand's , breadth smaller than -Cla'ra,''; but was a little fuller in the face and plumper, in the figure. She had Hght, yellow hair, mischievous mis-chievous Hufr;--eyes with' the light' of .humor, ever--twinkling in their, depths, and a large.' perfectly,, formed mouth, with that slight upward curve . of ,the .'corners which goes', with. a keen appreciation appre-ciation 'of fun, Suggesting even in' repose re-pose that a latent smile is ever' lurking ; at the edges- of .'the.-lips. ,ghe was mod-., era' to the soles-of her dainty little, high-heeled shoes, frankly; fond of dress and of pleasure, devoted to tennis and to comic opera,-delighted with a dance, DWELLERS IN THE WILDERNESS. which came her way.only too seldom, longing ever for some new excitement, and yet Behind all this 'lighter side of her character . a thoroughly good, healthy minded English girl, the life and soul of the house, and .the idol of .her sister and her father. A peep into 'the remaining vi1I,a.and our introduc-'tions introduc-'tions are completed ', .,''. ' ;:'( TO BS CONTINUED.) . OW DEEPLY ARE our destinies influenced influ-enced by the most trifling causes ! Had the unknown builder who erected erect-ed and owned these new villas contented con-tented himself by simply '.'building each within its own grounds, it is probable prob-able that these ' was where I got Eliza. In many respects the Marquesas Islands now lead the world." "Dear me!" ejaculated Miss Williams 'In what respect?" ' "In the relation of the sexes. They have worked out the great problem upon their own lines, and their iso-f iso-f lated geographical position has helped them to come to a conclusion of their ' own. The woman there is, as she Bhauld be, in every way the absolute equal of the male. - Come in, Charles i and sit down. Is Eliza all right? f 1 "All right, aunt." ! "These are our neighbors, the Misses i Williams.' perhaps they will have some Btout. Ybu might bring in a couple of bottles, Charles." "No ne, thank you! None for us. i cried her two visitors, earnestly. "No? I am sorry that I have no tea to offer you. I look upon the subservi- I ency of woman as largely due to her 1 abandoning nutritious drinks and invig- t orating exercises to the male. I do Neither." : She picked up a pair of fif- , Iteen-pound dumb-bells from beside the ! Ifireplace and swung them lightly about jher head. "You see what may be done jon' stout," said she. i "But don't you-think," the elderMiss (Williams suggested timidly, "don t you ithlnk, Mrs. Westmacott. that woman ,has a mission of her own! 1 The lady of the house dropped hei i three small groups or people wouia have remained hardly conscious of each other's existence, and that there would have been no opportunity for that action ac-tion and reaction which is here set forth. But there was .a common link to bind -them tqgether. To single himself him-self out from all other Norwood builders build-ers the'landlord had devised and laid out a common lawn tennis ground, which s. retched behind the houses with taut-stretcned net, green close-cropped sward, and widespread whitewashed lines. Hither in search of that hard exercise which is as necessary . as air or food to the English temperament, came young Hay Denver when released from the toil of the city; hither, too, came Dr. Walker and -his two fair daughters, Clara and Ida, and hither |
