The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, November 18, 1915, Page 14

PAGE FOURTEEN e " “Smallpox, fiddlesticks—I said dis- iy grace, Sallle Oarruthers, and the worst Xkind of disgrace—municipal disgrace.” [And as Aunt Augusta named the lague that was to come upon us she ked as if she expected it to wilt us all as into sear and dried leaves. And fn point of fact we all did rustle. CHAPTER XIL “Are we free women ™ ELL us about it” said Nell, with sparkling eyes and sit- ting up in her low rocker as straight as Aunt Augusta did in her uncompromising seat. The rest of them just looked helpless and unde- rcided as to whether to be relleved or not. “Yes, municipal disgrace threatens the town, and the women must rise in their strength and avert it,” she de- ¢claimed majestically with her dark es snapping. ‘“Yesterday afternoon James Hardin, who is the only patriot- male in Glendale, put before the town council a most reasonable and ride bestirring proposition originated &; Evelina Shelby, one of Glendale’s ding citizens, though a woman. She wants to offer the far famed hospital- jty of Glendale—which is the oldest and most aristocratic town in the Harpeth .yelley except perhaps Hillsboro, and prhich i8 not in the class with a vul- garly rich, ‘modern place like Bolivar, % that has a soap factory and street cars and was a mud hole in the landscape when the first Shelby built this very house—to the commission of magnates Wwho are to come down about the rafl- road lines that are to be laid near us. flames ngrees with her and urges that . ;; is fitting and dignified that, when ey are through with their vulgar traf- ficking over at insignificant *Bolivar, they be asked to partake of real south- 'n hospitality at its fountain head, es- ially as Evelina 18 obliged to invite two of them as personal friends. Do Fou not see it in that light?” And ‘Aunt Augusta looked at us with the fuartial mien of a general commanding bis army for a campaign. . “It would be nice,” answered Mamie @8 she turned little Ned over on his ptomach across her knee and began to #way him and (trot him at the same fime, which was his signal to get off fnto a nap. “But Ned said last night subscription that he didn't feel like spending any more money for an enter- tainment that wouldn‘t do one bit of good about the ‘taxes or bonds or any- thing.- The baby was beginning to fret, go I don’t think I understood it ex- actly.” 2L don’t” think you did,” answered lAunt Augusta - witheringly, “That is ot the point at all, and”"— - “But Mr. Greenfield said last night while he was discussing it with father that it would do no good whatever and probably be an embarrassment to the commission, our putting in a pitiful bid like that. .He"— But Caroline got po further with the feminine echo of her masculine opinion former. _“Peter - Shelby put that objection much more picturesquely than Lee Greenfield,” Aunt Augusta snapped. “He sald that licking those men’s hands would turn his stomach after swallowing that bond issue. However, all this has nothing to do with -the gase. I am trying to"— “Polk said last night that he thought it would be much’ more spectacular for all the good looking women intown to #0. when we are invited to Mrs. Hen- derson’'s tea for the big bugs and daz- ~#le ’em so that it would at least put “f3lendale on the map,” said Nell, with “He made me so mad that 1"— “Mr Haley thinks that we should be mmtfl not to feel malice or envy Copyrighy, fvegy " teer that he had lost so much in the bond’ ‘THE NONPARTISAN LEADER Py accident that I interrupted the pro- ceedings of what I take to be an offi- cial meeting. Have I your permission to withdraw? 1 am Miss Shelby’s guest, Miss Mathers, and I can easily await her greetings until the adjourn- .ment of this body.” Oh, Jane, and my arms just hungry for you! “Madam,” answered Aunt Augusta in her grandest manner and a voice so filled with cordiality that I hardly knew it, “it is the pleasure of the chair to interrupt proceedings and to welcome you. Evelina, introduce us all!” It was all just glorious! I never saw anybody get a more lovely ovation than Jane did from my friends, for they had all beard about her, read with awe clippings I showed them about her speeches and—were about ready for her. Sallie kissed her on both cheeks. Ma- mie lnid the baby in her arms with a devout expression, and Nell clung to her with the rapture of the newly pros- elyted In her face.” Aunt Martha made hor wglcome in her dearest manner WIH T seemingly totdily unconscious that she was exploding a bombshell. : “It would, and we will consider it 8o settled,” nnswered Aunt Augusta dom- inatingly. ‘This quick and revolutionary deci- sion gave me a shock. I could see that a woman doesn't like to feel that there is a stick of dynamite between her and a man when she puts her head down under his’ chin or her cheek to his, but advanced women must suffer that. Still I'm glad that the Crag is on our side of the fence. I felt sorry for Ma- mie and Caroline, and Sallie looked ‘a tragedy. In fact, a shade of depression was about to steal over the spirits of the meeting when Aunt Augusta luckily called for the discussion of plans for the rally. Feeding other human beings is the natural, instituted, physlologica) patho- logical, metaphysical and spiritual out- let for a woman’s nature, and that is v iy she is so bappy when she gets out her family recipe book for a called re- hearsal for the functioning of her -hos- pitality. The revolution went home happy and excited over the martialing of their fleshpots. " I'm glad Jane is_asleep-across the hall tonight. If I had had to shoulder all this outbreak myself I would have compromised by instituting a campaign of wheedling the like of which this town never suffered, and then when this glorious rally was finally pulled off the cajoled masculine population would have fairly swelled with pride over having done it. Of course by every known test of conduct and economics their attitude ip the matter is entirely right. Men work to all given points in straight, ‘omopany. ‘owird Bolivar; byt to rejoice at its sood fortune in getting both roads and the shops even if ,it? does mean a loss te us. What is material wealth in this world anyway when we can depend so on”— Sallie’s expression was 50 beau- tifully silly and like the dominle’s that it was all that I conld do not.to give vent to an unworthy shout. Nell saw it as I did, and I felt her smother a glggle. But before Aunt. Augusm could get her breath to put the érux “the mat- ter straight before her feminine tribu- nal Aunt Martha beat:hér to it as She placidly rocked back and forth knit- ting lace for a petticoat for Henrietta. “Of course Gléndale doesnt really ‘mm about the railroad Tn. fact, we would much rather "not have our se- clusion broken in upom, especially as they might choose the route they have prospected,” with a glance at Sallie, “but it is more to show our “friendliness to Bolivar than to the aectual com- mission and our deslre ‘to rejoice with them in thelr good fortune. It would be very mean spirited of us to ignore them and not assist them in entertain- ing their guests, especlally as some of them must be invited. We've never been in such an .attitude as that to Bolivar!” “Exactly, Martha,” apswered Aunt Augusta, with relief. ‘“The thought of proud old Glendale putting herself in an attitude of municipal sulks toward common Bolivar geemed an unbearable disgrace to me. Didn’t we invite them up for a great fish fry on the river when they opened that odious soap factory and ask them to let us help take care of some of their delegates when they had the Methodist coufer- Jane Stood In Our Midstl and Caroline beamed on her with the return of a lot of the fire and spirit of the youth that, hanging on the doled out affections of Lee Greenfield, had starved in her. And it was characteristic of Jane and her methods that it took much less time than it takes me to write it, for her to get all the greetings over with, explain that she had sent me a letter telling me that she was. coming that had gone astray, get everybody named and ticketed in her mind and get us all back to husiness. Aunt Augusta explained the situation to her with so much feeling and elo- quence that she swept us all off. our feet. and when she was ready to put the question again to us as to.our will- ingness to embark on our defiance-of our fellow townsmen, the answer of enthusiastic acquiescence was ready for her. “Of course, as none of you have any official muniecipal status, the invitation will bave to be given informally, in a social way, to the. commission through Miss Shelby’s friend, .Mr. Richard Hall,” said Jane, when Aunt Augusta had called on her to give us her opin- fon of the situation in general and the mode of procedure. *“We find it best in all women questions of the present to do things in a perfectly legal and parliamentary way.” : “Must we tell them about it or not?” asked Mamie, in ‘a wavering voice, looking up devoutly at Jane, who had held young Ned against the stiff white linen shirt of her traveling dress just s comfortably as if he were her own seventh, “Did they consult you before decid- ing to refuse your suggestion?' asked Jane, calmly and thoughtfully. “They did not,” trumpeted, Aunt Au-} ence? They sent one of the two bish- ops to you, you remember, Martha, and I am sure your entertainment of him was so lavish that he went home ill. No man said us nay in the exercising our right of -religious hospitality. Why should they in our civic? 'We must not allow the town to put us in such an at- titude—must not! It was for this that I called this meeting at Evelina's, as she was the one to.propose this public spirited and creditable plan.” “But what shall we do if they don’t want to have it?”" asked Mamie. “I have asked when did the men of Glendale begin to dictate to the wom- en as to whom they should offer their hospitality 7"’ answered Aunt Augusta as she arose to her feet. “Are we free women, and have we or have we not command of our own storerooms and our own servants: and our own time and strength?” And as I looked up at the tall, flerce, white haired old dame of high degree, daughter of the women of the colonies and the women of the wilderness days, I got exactly the same sensation I had when I saw the Goddess of Liberty loom up out of the mist as I sailed into the harbor of my own land from a foreign one. And what I was feel- ing 1 knew every woman present was feeling in a greater:or less degree, ex- cept perhaps Sallie, for her face ‘was a puzzle of sore amazement and a pleading desire for further sleep. .“Have we or have we not?” Aunt Augusta again demanded, and just then a most wonderful thing hap- pened{ Jane stood in our midst! Oh, Jane, you were a miracle to me, but I must go o writing about it all. calmly for the sake of the five! 1 made a mad rush from my rocker to throw myself into her arms, but she stopped me with one glance of her cold, official eye that quelled me and stood attention before Aunt Augusta. .“Madam President,” she ‘sald in her grandest parliamentary voice, ‘it was clear. cut, logical lines only to find women at the point of results waiting for them with unforeseen culminations which would have been impossible to them. And I am also glad the Crag is part- ly responsible for starting or at least unconsclously aiding this scheme in high finance of mine, and he is also in reality the silent sponsor for this un- hatched revolution. tented to go to sleep with that com- forting thought tucked under my pil- 1 low. ‘ { CHAPTER XIll. An Attained Tomorrow. | 'VE changed my mind about a wo- man’s being like a whirlwind. The women of now are the at- tained tomorrow that .the world since the beginning has been trying to catch up with. Jane is that, and then the day after, too, and what she has done to Glendale in these two' weeks Las stunned the old town into a trance of delight and amazement. She has recreated us, breathed the breath. of modernity into us and started the ma- —chine up the grade of civilization at a pace that makes me hold my breath for fear of something jolting us. She and Aunt Augusta have orgunlz- ed ai Equality league, and that wheel came very near flying loose and being the finish of Uncle Peter. He came to see me the morning of the first meeting, and, when I saw him coming up the front walk, I got an as- tral vision of the chips on his shoulder enlarged to twice their natural size and called to Jasper to mix the juleps very long and extra deep. But deep as they were, to the very top of the longest glasses, he couldn’t drown his wrath in his. ‘“Women, women,” he exploded from over the very mint sprig itself, “all fools, all fools from the beginning of time; made that way on purpose—on purpose—hey? World needs some sort of creature with no better sense than to want to spend their lives fooling with babies and the bread of life. Hu- man young and religion are the only things in the world men can’t attend to for themselves and that’s what they need women for. . Women. with no brains, but all heart—all heart—hey?".! " “Why should just a little brain hurt their ‘beart ‘action, Uncle DPeter?" I asked mildly. There is nothing in the world that T ever met that I enjoy any more than one of ‘Uncle Peter's rages, and I always try to be meekly inflam- matory. 4 *They're never sntisfied with using them to run church societies and chil-' dren’s internal orgams, but they want to use ‘em on men and civilization In general. Where'd you get that Yankee schoolmarm, hey? Why don’t she ggtv a husband and a baby and settle dm;vn!;l Ten bables, twenty bab!eu if necessary.’ hey?” ; “Then wouldn’t it be the most reg- ular way to proceed to get an accept- -1 ance of the invitation from the com- mission and then extend them one to pg__pr_esggl;j"__g_mqoupced_ Jane: coolly, (To be contmued) I am deeply con-"