_The_ Teacup Club BY ELIZA ARMSTRONG [Illustration] _CHICAGO_ WAY AND WILLIAMS 1897 COPYRIGHT WAY AND WILLIAMS 1897 NOTE A portion of the matter in this little book originally appeared in _The New York Journal_, and is used by the courtesy of W. R. Hearst, Esq. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I THE TEACUP CLUB IS FORMED 9 II THE CLUB DISCUSSES WOMAN IN POLITICS 39 III MAN’S REAL ATTITUDE TOWARD THE PROGRESS OF WOMAN 65 IV CONCERNING THE HEROINE OF TO-DAY 89 V THE CLUB SETTLES SOME CURRENCY PROBLEMS 112 VI THE PIONEER NEW WOMAN 136 VII WOMAN IN LEGISLATION 159 VIII AN EXECUTIVE MEETING 185 IX ON THE USE AND ABUSE OF POLITICAL POWER 210 X WOMAN AS A PARLIAMENTARIAN 236 XI THE CLUB INVESTIGATES THEOSOPHY 261 XII A DISCUSSION AND A SURPRISE 285 Chapter I The Teacup Club is Formed “You can never be sure of pleasing a man,” sighed the blue-eyed girl, who was calling on her dearest friend; “that is, if you try to please him,” she added reflectively. “I suppose not,” replied the girl with the dimple in her chin, “unless you succeed in concealing from him the fact that you are trying to please him.” “H’m; yes, I suppose there is something in that. However, we ought not to be hard on the poor things. The whole truth with the sterner sex is that they are never really practical. They—” “How clever you are!” cried the girl with the dimple in her chin, admiringly. “Sometimes it does seem a pity that you are to marry Jack, instead of studying law, or—theosophy or something like that. Really, a very little study would fit you for the bar, but of course Jack—” “I don’t intend to marry Jack,” said the blue-eyed girl, calmly. “O, my goodness, does he know that?” “I don’t know whether he knows that or not; but he does know that I’ve broken my engagement with him. I sent back his ring, and—” “Dear, dear; that ring must have already cost its real value in messenger fees alone. Let me see, how many times have you sent—” “And you may know that I am in earnest when I tell you that I am to pour tea for Nell to-morrow, and everybody will comment on its absence.” “Do you want me to come over and stay with you to-night, dear?” queried the girl with the dimple in her chin. “No, thank you, dear. I can just as well talk it over with you now. Of course it was Jack’s fault.” The girl with the dimple in her chin was silent. “Well, Emily Marshmallow, I did think that you, of all people, would sympathize with me, and—” “Look here, Dorothy; of course I sympathize with you, but you remember when you quarreled with Jack the last time I—”