Life — January 10, 1895 — page 12: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

GOOD CAUSE FOR TAKING A FENCE. A STARTLING CONFESSION. HERE was silence—deep, heavy, oppressive silence—in the Executive Chambers of the Advanced American Business Women’s Union. ‘The President and Secretary of the Union were in the room, but they were both Advanced American Business Women and the silence had been undisturbed for nearly fifteen minutes. The Secretary was carefully writing up the minutes of the last meeting, and conscientiously trying to keep from slipping into them unawares any reference to the gowns of the different speakers or the Paris hat Mrs. Uptodate had worn when she made her eloquent plea in favor of the motion to amend By-Law XXVIII. ‘The President was buried in gloomy thought. Things were not going as well as she had expected. . It was one of those sad moments of doubt and depression which come to even the most cheerful and courageous spirits. Moments when all efforts seem futile. When the results of a life work seem to turn to dust and ashes at the touch, and the prospect shows only failure—gloomy, utter failure—in every direction. ‘The President vainly endeavored to dispel the cloud of pessimistic (ancies and forebodings from her mind. She tapped the point of her little shining patent leather tie impatiently on the Royal Persian rug “Oh, dear!" she broke out disconsolately, when she could contain herself no longer. **1 do get so discouraged with women sometimes !” ‘The Secretary dropped her pen aghast. Could she have heard aright! Could it be possible that the calm, collected, masculine-minded President of the Union had given utterance to this heretical sentiment ? That the learned author of the brilliant and much-admired pamphlet on the “+ Relative Unimportance of Man in the Social Scale” had struck her colors ? ‘Timidly the Secretary realizéd that something was about to occur. That a still more portentous utterance was about to follow this startling statement. “Why,” she asked timidly; ‘do you feel discouraged with the members of our sex ? ‘The President shook her head sorrowfully. The words would not come at her command, Finally, as though torn from. her by some mighty, irresistible power, the truth came out in a burst of despairing but magnificent passion. ** Because,” she said, as she bit her lips impatiently, “¢hey are so hopelessly Seminine!™ Harry Romaine. THE EXCEPTION. HOUGH in this rapid-transit age To shorten all things is the rage : ‘Though novel, sermon, poem and play Grow briefer with each hurrying day, One bulwark still defies endeavor— A kiss is just as long as ever. THE TEST IN BOSTON. fs I ADORE you,” said he. “How much do you adore me?” Miss Bekonstreet, calmly. Enough to join our Browning Society this’ winter?” He struggled within himself and he whis- pered, “even that!” Miss Bekonstreet smiled tenderly upon him and murmured: “One thing more; will you take me to the symphony to-morrow in my new bloomers ?" But he had fled and they are no longer platonic friends. 6 UT in Oregon,” said a man from that State, “the air is so clear that you can see the peak of Mount Shasta, in California, from the peak of Mount Hood, in Oregon, a distance of 276 miles.” “Here in the East we can see much farther than that.” “O, come now, “It's a fact. The moon is 240,000 miles away, but we can see it on a clear night.” HER BEAUTIFUL TAPER FINGERS WERE THE ADMIRATION OF ALL WHO SAW HER. comicbooks.com