Custody of children -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction; Women -- Fiction
"It was only a sinking spell," the nurse said soothingly, adding to Mrs.
Pennybacker in an aside. "She is liable to have them at any time now."
"Well, what did Mrs. Mary S. Belden want?" It was in the library a half
hour later. "To secure you for her club?"
"No," said Margaret, "she came to tell me of a meeting to be held the
last of the week in the interest of some 'movement' or other and to see
if she could secure my co-operation."
"What movement?"
"Oh, I don't know. I declined so promptly that she had no chance to tell
me. I think I offended her, but I can't help it. I have no patience with
all these women's meetings."
Mrs. Pennybacker pursed her lips, but said nothing.
Everybody must have observed from his own experience that when a new
word or thought comes to us with sufficient force to make an impression,
we invariably run across that word or thought again within twenty-four
hours, and so often thereafter that the wonder arises how we could have
missed it all this time. Taking up a _Post_ the day after Mrs. Belden's
call, Margaret saw a notice of a meeting to be addressed by Mrs. Greuze
on a subject of great moment to women. Walking down F Street that
afternoon with Bess she overheard two well-dressed ladies discussing
it--at least she supposed it was that. One of them asked. "Are you going
to the meeting?"
"Yes," the other replied, "it was made very clear to us at the Pro Re
Nata that we ought to do whatever we could to help the movement along.
You see--" they had passed and Margaret missed the rest. Their
destination was a milliner's establishment,--their object a winter hat
for Bess.
The milliner's girl was trying it on her, and Bess perking her head this
way and that like a bird and turning it up, down, and around to find a
possible objection, listening meanwhile to an occasional suggestion from
Margaret and a succession of compliments from the saleswoman, when
Margaret's ear caught a fragment that floated to her from the other side
of the store.
"I do hope, ladies," the proprietor, a woman, was saying earnestly,
"that you will give it the support of your presence at least. The
movement is a most important one for women in trade. The present laws--"
"Margaret, how is this? Wouldn't you like this feather tipped a little
more?"
Margaret wanted to hear what it was about the laws, but when the
question of the feather was decided the ladies were gone.... How could
the suffrage movement help a milliner?
The thing pursued her even after she got home. Mrs. Kirtley came in
toward night for a call, and said in the course of the conversation,
"Margaret, do you know anything about this movement the women are
interesting themselves in so much just now? Mrs. Delamere was telling me
about it yesterday, but it was just as I was getting off the cars and
she hadn't time to explain it to me. She urged me to go to the meeting
to-morrow evening--said I would find out all about it then. Have you
heard anything about it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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