Show t I r fr 11 4 y t fM 1 n By B ZO Zoc x Gale Ga le 1 k 1 G before the at one end of the long i S SITTING studIO table taule Mrs J rs Alward ca eagerly erl the approach of the woman to whom she had just listened 0 Of f the clubs studio this had been the hc first to interest her thought though she night might have hae been Ju justified In in wondering whether her in inter interest ter terest t was centred m in what hat Mrs Irs had been saying or m the he exqUIsite look of the woman ls h Pa at last came for her tea Mrs Irs Alward I prettily detained her herI I Pray a let me ask you something she said with a humility which less popular women would have given much to assume there was she hesitated some something something thing in your paper that I do o so want to know about Mrs took the vacant chair beside her hert t Yes Mrs Ahard she said sacrificing the face of this chance acquaintance to her own scrutiny a habit that belied h her r easy recollection of the thc 1 lection less instinct one would have said than pro profession sent s nt a quick gla glance ce to the clubs president dent who combining the practices of a hostess with those of a bee might be expected at any to come buzzing after her guest or of honor loudl loudly staking making honey on the wa way Wl was to be said must be beI I said aid immediately in conform conformity l with the social idea of the Conversational is the more scraps the more skilful work Ah h I am so 50 serious urged Mrs I rs Alward hurriedly t jr II Do you recall your sentence about the independence of women consisting of far subtler and more important things hins than the franchise Will you Oll explain your our mean meaning m ing to me mei i frs eyes met her own in perfect com comprehension comprehension Gladly she said setting selling her cup on the table m in the delicate flatten of her undivided interest I mean that f while thousands of women are arc begGing to be allowed to tot be present at the polls their independence is really be bc g t ins ing restricted in ways was which it never neer occurs to them to toi i resent Mrs always gave her theories royal birth so that the they left her lips crowned and wearing purple Therefore when the theories were sound they the were hailed as divine and when they were infirm tile still won m instant t pt ho homage age a as does decre decrepit it royalty Ir Alward s r es was like an affirmation II The Thc instance the older woman went nt on evenly which lest I be misunderstood I hesitated to cite m in m ml talk is is apparent It is is that hat no woman of conscience feels free as things arc now ordered for her to 10 use her day quite IS as she and to use her own about relating all its details to her husband For If she indulges in in any innocent dier ion ot of which h she do does s st t i t J lJ him she he has been taught th that lt she has committed a bre ch of honor But I affirm that i S al i nos t no woman who does not practise a certain justifiable amount of concealment though thi this slue she continues to tot t rc ard as unjustifiable le And thus s she continues to sub nut to the false that she is sacrificing her honor honorI I by so doing until she really has no honor The standard is fal false e but so long as s she sU submits to tJ it her departures s s 3 really It IS is against a accepting this tIus fal false e standard therefore that I 1 would havo women guard suard Is it not important Hovering Hoering before bonnet after bonnet the hostess bee had busied her herself elf across the floor and now poised he side them in time to sip the lat last words Ah such cowards dear mc etc are we not noL she cried f with that ability to converse without hearing what other i people have hae s said id that describes man many women without I distinguishing them themI t Mrs I rs P geP looked at hc her in bred recognition r of distraction she was wise wise enough h however to tot t r know hat a guest can never neer put her hostess at ease without seeming seeming to steal her weapons front rom her and detected She permitted herself to be bel l borne away with one last dictum to Mrs Alward 1 1 am convinced she said aid that individual effort is isI I our only salvation Ones husband cannot be expected to realize this at once The pioneer in her own house l I hold must not only y dare to live lie the truth she must r dare to teach ita far harder matter E rE Driving down the Avenue alone after the meeting r airs Irs Alward was conscious of a pleasurable stir less lessof lessof of emotion than of adventure She was indeed not of ofa a sort to take pleasure in her emotions s or to be con conscious conscious of them Lile all women of slight imagination who attach allach to events only the thc importance of their re rc suits stilts she lived honest honestly h enough ill III those results A new nets belief was not sufficient to s stir ir her perhaps because it itt t was so 50 easy for her to aC acquire Juire new beliefs but an tin 1111 was a delight anti and Mrs Irs P had ret re revealed t to Mrs I rs Alward a i ol rs Alward had been married the year before after a brief wooing to a young broker whom she met abroad He was an American also resting his l nerves after a furious light fight on the Stock Exchange and andr r the nerves were the more readily pacified that the lie con conI I I t tut l had been of his winning She havin haying l lived cd tent twenty eiGht carefully guarded years ears chiefly in America had just found herself at her mothers death alone in in the thc world After sL six months of tasting the discreet joys of hein being consulted in the details of the estate she had j one abroad all companionship hip t I Ibis hi action she innocently a agreed reed with her friends in ini i I believing to be a proof of h her r grief in reality it was f lar largely cly complacence in hein benig her own mistress f She was still unconscious of her keen in in f her liberty when in Italy Itah she met Martin Iward Alward t In Inthe Inthe the haunted ways about Florence ill in early sprinG the thet t young stockbroker broker restless in iii hi exile threw himself r f into the courtship of Betting Mennis who in in spite of h her r was yet et just lonel lonely to be glad of Ills his devotion In a few months the of the theone theone one and the palling liberty of the other were re wearing site guise tuise of love and when sh she hd had barely tasted her independence Bettina Bellina willingly p parted with it The result was the usual lI ual one In six six months Mrs Irs Alward was chafing delic at restraint forg forgetting that the thc breeding of American had it been planned to induce rebellion after ailer marriage could have contrived and that therefore Been 1 11 no more t v t she was experiencing ts wu tt Za not a desire but so to toJI tf skill to find a solution in inand JI f M k a disease sc the s either compliance or illusion and wIthout the knowl knowledge edge that she would sorely hc have missed chattering out outes outa es a nightly account of her day 11 Mrs I rs AlWArd had ac accepted the situation e to r resent it She Shew w as s not able to feel the matter an issue or even In an 11 in injustice justice II tk indeed it was not jl j i the realm of at atall all her bel realms realm of s r g of thIngs wicked 1311 nd Id forbidden It WR was it and Mrs Irs Pa Price had shown her that to r remove oe at it she hf had ut tint i n I institute ute a l reform oat k to point tl out abuses abuse that existed In this thi natural analysis ls of the f inin ni me mind will never he be far removed front from lint of tnt the i proCessional r Leaving tg the florists ts i id I Iy Mrs J rs was ree gd d by a little lilile Woman of o so D cx exactly lv h her r own type t tai seeing th together one arc would have h e believed Ula thc they had sought each cath other out on the grounds of o f tit th Icat re Busts of ver very many warm friend O a trine more it h Mrs I f Ethan was I Clan n Mrs Mr Alward given to pretty dIstresses and t the tt c kinS of delight delightful ful She par td d I her r h life ft by bv elevating o dc l c te twist incidents She hr hl Jd v i to leU 53 S a age house housewife w wife r git 7 ne tt t to hr Or d day by h f for the In iny sten of f she h loss Ion f vr or t the or of a bat the do clos tp r eJ L 7 I Bettina Bellina cried Mrs Osgood warmly Ive been longing to see you Send your nag home and come with tee Its Ctrl early yet Cant we do something II I wi wish h we cou could d said taid Mrs Irs Alward as they drove awa away Ive been hearing such a helpful talk lalle by Mrs Pa doing amusing things for oneself she ended vaguely guc settling her Mrs Irs Osgood had no disquieting sense of humor She always saw exactly what was meant without insisting on its comic inference Her eager support of the re recital recital cital of what Mrs had said was a foregone conclusion and she only interrupted her own disquisition tion to stop the victoria impulsively at a little shop on lower Fifth Avenue A II Y You have hae time you she asked aked II The chocolate is delicious and the china and linen are arc so good that the place i is doomed Lel it he be my treat lie he begged II There are sonic some cakes that I think arc han When Mr Ir Wintield Penn who waS Mrs 1115 cousin had explained his presence there by the purchase of an old pewter mug and the later temptation of cakes th they y sat in the red burlap corner and were served b by a little maid And now note let us talk about our friends said Mr Penn pleasantly Since you yon have hae been to the studio tea you must have hae heard about Miss Light The They had not but they forthwith guessed his news rang rangI I 1 was looking for or a note on the pincushion he said gathering her in his arms behind hind the library curtains Martin Marlin said Mrs Iward Alward adoringly adoring how won wonderful you look in that kind of collar Dont Bettina said h tier r husband It embarrasses me etc that you OU arent wearing today tody Its horrid scratchy scratch stuff Im m sure she s said id Do you ou know Martin 1111 thinking of having a yellow din dinner ner lieI gown to wear with m my topazes So the thc happy talk ran tut n until when his veil was thrown back Martin turned to her with What a beautiful color you h have ve Bettina Where have you ou been en enIc 7 Ive Ic had such a nice nice day dear said his wife busy with the tea things to the studio the fourth you ou afterward She stopp stopped d abruptly Memory of Mrs Pa paper swept swept up at mention of the and the afterward was part of the secret Mrs Osgood drove droe me home she fin finished finished handing his cup Her husband poking about with the tongs for another lump of sugar did not notice What absurdly little muffins he complained Mrs Alward was conscious of a l ague disappoint disappointment ment II was the use of knowing anything she reflected II if no one else was to know that he I to feel cd guilty guilt if I dont She waited hopefully for her husbands words They carte with great gentleness I am am sorry he hc said Iid clearly that this issue has arisen between u us It seems seem to me vcr very unworthy and cry ugly But I se our point ll I beg cg your pardon rd n It shall be quite is as you vou wish wih Thc They made a mere pretense at dessert and trailed silently out of the pretty room where the fire smiled and the conservatory slept its green sleep just a as alluringly alluringly as an hour before As they crossed the hall Ben Bennett nett hin having admitted a messenger bo boy shut him out in time to hand a note to Mrs Alward as she preceded her ber husband to the thc library Its though it was one which Mrs Alward did not recognize was evidently masculine Mr r Alward after hi his involuntary glance at the letter withdrew with a useful but icy suggestion Bennett should have kept the boy lie he sai said II for a reply Following their late discussion the sprawling signa signature ture turc of Winfield Penn at the bottom of the page was like an accusation on Dar Dt ar Mrs Award lie lIC had written I regret taint Illat I 1 shall Bove to 10 keep 0 our 1 at tomorrow instead of I 1 do doo o gi cJ and I shall hope to 10 be allowed to 10 y tit y tt r Jr Y l Y 1 I tr 6 5 r rp rr r bra r y p i r 4 C Ct Di l 41 J t i t tM t f c I r 1 M y a i 64 45 fF aw 1 rp r aY t ta Y y Y j i iu q u a fR 2 l t e q n ay r rs ti P PArT Pa s f t 7 41 s 4 h a w Yom ArT 1 ul y N h j t t r wl N t I Iw f i Jf F s i t 4 w r M a y r v 1 S SY t a N r rf fk f tv 1 R rH p c t v t f is Ia w t t r f fi t y a h 3 Z S SS S s x t RJ ti Sf r S a JJ i l S q t Jf r t tl SlI 4 J 41 a K r I yf 13 A AJ J l 4 rw i W y Y gl um t es WHEN ms MRS AT LAST CAME fOR mr LIEF TEA MRS ALWARD DETAINED HEr IER with that fine fino feminine instinct for recognizing the aroma of unspoken wor words s She Stu is is affirmed Mr Penn To Tommy her cousin The marriage is to lo take place next ne month Marion Light I sail saId Mrs Alward in low tones h she has lived alone for t ten 1 years doing her wonderful miniatures Do you yon think she can ever ot ottic tic the down Settle Se tl down Queried i Mr r P in amusement J is s miniature something frivolous And hate I missed sed it No said Mrs Irs Alward pensively hut site she has lived alone for so O long and she he has tad nil all her time for her own and nobody to telephone to if she was not coming home for fer dinner r and now Mr ir Winfield Penn listened in Crank to the discoursing that followed wherein thc two women tried solemnly to shots how him how tow mu much h coura courage e eit it takes to give anyone the thc right to know what one IS doing hour tour hy by sour and not to make guilty concealment of perfectly innocent affairs 1 He had observed notch much of such dollHouse life this pretty relegation of welcome duties s to tic thc realm of di distresses tresses for or lack of more whole sonic some excitement hen presently h An idle imps ce e came to him he gave way to it h half lf in idleness half from a nat native e desIre to I Let us IS form a club h he suggested agreeably for forthe forthe the Carrying on Oil of Crime by Day Let us have chocolate together when we like and take ferry Crt rides Iud and tele telephone phone to one another whenever we choose nth And let it be secret And AutI suppose e a a first l ceremony he added yon both run away with me to morrow morning Homin in my lIew car tip lip the for luncheon their eager er a assent h he amiably imposed cd tine thc cott for which he be supposed thew we were longing tl that no one bf be told of the t tip and that to 0 no one should their chance meeting of that da day be mentioned Jr 1 Peon Wl was as as if he had been playing with children and he received their delighted assent ac acif co coir ir if it had been a decision d to steal gingerbread Not until they had driven away did dd there coats to o him strolling up the avenue a d disturbing recollection By B the way ya he f I Id d au an ap with tomorrow Ill haV to put the motor party ofT off for h half an hour And Oho Oh Mrs Alward was Va saying Aini in the victoria this thi is wc wonderful T I r s I used wen there was wa wain in to O be a big ou know Martin Partin dance Martin Alward had r reached a feiy cv minutes earlier r with exultation for the thc 1 of merely reaching home had never him f He ie was just ut returning from an inspection tion of whet ni Ins wife D lOOt r know what you knew The They were dining alone and Bettina therefore put on her prettiest gown It was white and she sat in her ter solemn high oak chair looking like a little white flower growing alone on a 1 solemn tree There were candles It at each end of the table and a alow alow low bowl of gardenias in the middle A tire firc was shining oil the thc hearth and the conservatory door stood tood ajar yielding a glimpse of green a and ld a sweet breath Martin Marlin took hi his place at his left with a sigh of content and smiled into info her eyes for or a moment in silence before the soup was teas |