Patience Sparhawk and Her Times: A NovelAtherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
General
Patience Sparhawk and Her Times: A Novel
Atherton, Gertrude Franklin Horn
American fiction -- 19th century
Patience went slowly downstairs, feeling as if she had been sent out to
discover the North Pole with a chart and a row-boat. When she reached
Cooper Union, two hours later, and found herself for the moment an
integer of one of the many phases of current history, she forgot the
agonising travail of the “news sense,” and became so deeply interested
that she observed the many familiar faces abstractedly, and, later,
“faked” their costumes.
She hurried to her room before the meeting was over and wrote her
“story.” It concluded thus:—
“Some four hundred women were present, at half-past eleven in
the morning; the hour indicating that they were women of
leisure, which in its turn presupposes the large measure of
education and refinement, and a general superiority over the
toiling millions. They were very enthusiastic. When Dr.
Broadhead entered the applause was deafening. They interrupted
him every few minutes. When he sat down, and Mr. Lionel Chambers
came forward he, too, was warmly welcomed, for his popularity is
well established. He smiled, and began something like this:—
“‘Ladies: Dr. Broadhead has left me little to say. I being
somewhat versed in politics, however, in other words, in hard
fighting with the enemy, he believes that I may be able to give
you a little useful advice.’ (Applause and cries of ‘Yes! Yes!’)
‘Now, ladies, there are several points upon which I must ask
your attention.’ (No man ever had more serious attention.) ‘I
will check them off in detail. First of all, ladies, my advice
to you is to—’ (every ear went forward)—‘is—to—pray.’
“He paused. There was an intense and disgusted silence, with the
exception of one or two muttered exclamations of impatience.
_There were just four hundred women in the city of New York who
were beyond that sort of thing._ He saw his mistake at once,
blundered on confusedly, recovered himself, and gave them much
sound, practical advice which they received with every mark of
gratitude.”
She hastened down to the office, her eyes shining with the proud delight
of authorship. Steele looked busier than any one she had ever seen, but
he asked sharply:
“Got anything?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see it. Skip the descriptive part.”
She handed him the latter part of her story, and he ran his eye hastily
over it. A gleam shot from his eyes, but he compressed his lips.
“That’s not bad—but I don’t know that I dare print it. The religious
hypocrisy of this country beats that of England, strange as it may
appear. However, I’ll think it over. Come down to-morrow morning.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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