George A. Kyle

“ Stout.
"Not funny," corrected Mrs. Tweedie, "amusing; his wit is of the keenest."
"Same thing, ain't it?" said Mrs. Stout. "Ain't there a play about the taming of somebody?"
"The 'Taming of the Shrew,'" Miss Sawyer responded, quickly.
"That's it. Why wouldn't that be a good play for us?" laughed Mrs. Stout.
"I don't like the name," Mrs. Tweedie replied. "It savours too much of the domineering of the other sex."
"Well," said Mrs. Stout, "we might change the name."
"Change the name!" exclaimed the horrified ladies.
"Change the name of one of Shakespeare's plays!" groaned Miss Sawyer. ”

“ George, the chairman of the school committee. Mr. Flint closed the door, returned to his study, and sank wearily into a chair. Sick though he was, Mrs. Stout had made him realize that there was another side to the question, and he asked himself repeatedly, as Barbara had been doing, have I done wrong? And the answer was the same. No; he had performed his duty as he saw it—man can do no more than that and serve God. But the view-point, there is always more than one, and then his mind wandered to the women on the bicycles. ”

“ Sam had been joked so often about matrimony that it seldom annoyed him, and now that his inquisitor was wholly on the wrong scent he was greatly amused.
"Well," he replied, "most men do marry sooner or later."
"And in your case it's a good deal later," chuckled Mr. Wiggins.
"Yes; but you see I've seen so many blamed fools get married 'fore they'd cut all their second teeth I've kinder hung off," Sam retorted.
"Miss Sawyer's a nice kind of woman," ventured Mr. Wiggins, as he coughed, and looked at a picture on the wall. The grin on Sam's face disappeared. ”

“ Flint, with her eyes [26] find on the ceiling, "would be 'The Manville Anti-Male Club.'"
Mrs. Stout snickered, whereupon the others glared at her contemptuously.
"I feel that it is my duty to object, Mrs. Flint, to your suggestion," Mrs. Tweedie began. "We are all married—excepting one," she added, with an apologizing smile for the benefit of Miss Sawyer, who was blushing with embarrassment. "Would the name be appropriate when we consider that our life companions are of the other sex? Would it not reflect on our judgment in choosing a career in married life?" ”

“ If Miss Wallace was indiscreet, what would you call your two girls when they went in bathin' down to Horse Shoe Beach last summer at the Sunday-school picnic before half the folks in Manville? Miss Wallace's costume wa'n't half as indiscreet as a wet bathin' suit is."
"Custom, Mrs. Stout, excuses many things," replied Mr. George, his face very red.
"Custom is often a mean excuse for not doin' right," retorted Mrs. Stout. "Because it's been the custom since the year one for men to get drunk, and women's tongues to wag about other folkses business, does that make it right?" ”

“ Soon after eight o'clock, the receiving party were overwhelmed with business, common folk usually coming on time, despite their other faults, and Manville society was no exception to the rule. Some of the presentations were not as dignified as many of the Morning Glories desired, Peter Stout being one of the worst offenders. He began by tripping over the white sleigh-robe, which confused him so that he said everything that his wife had told him not to say, and not a word of the speech that she had informed him was the "perlite and proper thing." ”

“ Tweedie, one afternoon as she glanced about Miss Sawyer's parlour to see how many members of the play committee were present.
"All except Miss Wallace," Miss Sawyer replied, when she had counted noses.
"And she will not be here," said Mrs. Tweedie, quickly. "The schools have been opened."
"Ain't it a relief to have the children in school again, Mis' Jones?" asked Mrs. Stout.
"Indeed it is," replied Mrs. Jones.
"Why, Mrs. Stout, Mrs. Jones!" exclaimed Miss Sawyer. "Do you send your children to school merely to relieve yourselves of responsibility? ”

“ Darling.
"We can't spend any money if we haven't got any," squeaked the deacon's wife.
"Assuredly not," replied Mrs. Tweedie. "The question is—"
"Why not settle this money business first," interrupted Mrs. Stout. "Mis' Darling says we've got to spend money whatever we do. I say we ain't, what we've got to buy we can get trusted for—everybody else does."
"Very true," said Mrs. Doctor Jones, warmly, "they do, and sometimes for a long time." The wives of the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker looked as though they would like to say "amen." ”

“ A Wedding and a Sermon
The warm, bright sun of early April made the Sabbath morning beautiful. Here and there patches of dainty green could be seen, and in some sheltered, sunny spots the daring bloom of the crocus had thrust itself into view—purple, yellow, and white. ”

“ Miss Wallace is going to let me take her graduation cap and gown. I've tried them on and the effect is just killing."
"You are very fortunate, and how is Miss Wallace?" asked Mrs. Blake.
"Tired out," replied Fanny, "running around calling on sick children."
"I have heard," said Mrs. Darling, "that Miss Wallace spent an evening at the store a few days ago."
"There ain't a word of truth in it!" hotly replied Mrs. Stout. "She went there just for a minute to get Doctor Jones and Mr. Blake the night little Bessie Duncan died. The way such lies travel beats automobiles." ”

“ Tweedie, haughtily.
"Oh," said Mrs. Stout, and the incident was closed.
"What an unfeeling wretch that Shylock was," observed Mrs. Blake, after the rehearsal had continued without interruption for several minutes. "It makes me shudder to think of such a man. How are you going to dress for the part, Mrs. Tweedie?"
"I shall endeavour to dress appropriately, and as becomes my sex," replied Mrs. Tweedie.
[109]
"Ladies, let us not waste valuable time talking dress," said Miss Sawyer, impatiently.
"What's the harm, I'd like to know; who's got a better right to talk about dress than us women?" ”

“ Ezra did mean it at the time he spoke, notwithstanding sentiments that he had previously expressed to the contrary.
"What'd I tell you, Sam?" said Alick, vauntingly, and turning to Ezra, added: "Sam, here, Mr. Tweedie, has been runnin' women folks down, and we told him it was because he wasn't married."
"And you were right, Alick; a man who is unmarried is not competent to judge women," Ezra replied.
"And a man that is married don't dare to," retorted Sam.
The entrance of Doctor Jones at that moment saved Sam from a severe tongue-lashing from the married men present. ”

“ Those present at the store that morning felt that an explanation was due, and Sam proceeded to "pump."
"How'd you like the show, deacon?" he asked.
"Well," the deacon began, as he drew off his mittens and rubbed his hands, "most of it was good, but there was one young woman—" the deacon paused and pointed a long bony finger at Mr. Blake. Peter dropped his work to listen. "One young woman," the deacon repeated, "who was—er—indiscreet in her—er—what she wore."
There was silence for a moment, during which Ezra seemed to shrivel up within his overcoat. ”

“ Tweedie had set her heart upon having an orchestra, and immediately trained her guns on Mrs. Stout's economical proposition and opened fire.
"Money is not the only thing," she said, epigrammatically. "We must not forget what we owe to art. To my mind orchestral music is an absolutely essential adjunct to a Thespian production." ”

“ You all know better than you did before what kind of a woman she is. Now, I ain't goin' to say all of the hard things that I was goin' to say, and wanted to say, but what I want to know is, what are we, this club, goin' to do to show her that we made a mistake and are sorry, [222] and by doin' it show everybody that we ain't a set of mean, narrow-minded women?"
"What would you suggest?" Mrs. Tweedie calmly asked.
"Well," replied Mrs. Stout, "we can never pay her in any way for the wrong that's been done her, but we can show her that we'd like to. ”

“ Tweedie in astonishment.
"A caucus," replied Miss Sawyer, "is a meeting held previous to an election. The men invariably hold them."
"Then I am very sure that they are not proper," said Mrs. Tweedie, positively. "Do you know anything about them, Mrs. Flint?"
The pastor's wife rolled her eyes skyward before replying.
"I have heard Mr. Flint say that caucuses were not proper for decent men to attend," she replied.
"And my husband," Mrs. Stout retorted, quickly, "says that a caucus is the only place where a vote counts."
[19]
"It surely cannot be necessary in a woman's club," said Mrs. Tweedie. ”

“ Typical Harvard institutions, such as the Hasty Pudding Club, The Crimson, the Crew, etc., are painted with deft touches, which will fill the soul of every graduate with joy, and be equally as fascinating to all college students. ”

“ Blake. "At our work most of us men meet different people, we see new faces and new things, but the women stay at home, wash, sew, cook, care for [94] the children, and never know when the day is done unless they look at the clock—then they're not always sure."
"There ain't any use tryin' to argue with you," replied Sam. "What are they goin' to do at this club that'll give 'em a change?"
"Well," said Mr. Blake, "I understand that they're going to give a play, study art, science, and so forth, and give social affairs that will bring the people together in a way that will benefit us all." ”

“ The passions of these people are vehement, like their tides, but their natures have much of the depth, richness, and steadfastness which characterize their exhaustless meadows.
The action turns upon the wisdom of the heart in discerning truth and love where mere reason has seen but gross betrayal. ”

“ At eight o'clock the hall was filled with the "best" people in Manville, and some of the worst—worst, perhaps, only because they did not have the price of a seat in the front rows. The last person to enter was Sam Billings, who acted as though he did not care to have his presence known. Ezra scowled harmlessly as he took his ticket. Sam peeked cautiously into the hall, then turned to Ezra with a triumphant look and whispered: "Advertisin' pays, don't it?" ”

“ Tweedie has kept me at arm's length, but Fanny has become a real friend, one whom I need and appreciate.
Every spare moment we spend rehearsing the scene that we are to give at the club entertainment.
The Morning Glories are blooming all the time, and the entertainment is expected to be the event of the season. ”

“ The sons and daughters of the clergy seem to be the special prey of gossips. They are supposed to be impervious to temptation, something better than the ordinary human. We forget that the same God made them that made the children of the butcher and the baker.
Late that afternoon, after Barbara had sent the last little urchin homeward, she stood at a window looking out over the fields at the autumn [39] foliage of the woods beyond. She had been there but a moment when Will Flint came down the road and turned into the path that led to the schoolhouse. ”

“ For the moment men and women alike were fascinated, though not many really approved, and for this there was little cause for wonder. Barbara's costume was new to Manville, and a surprise even to the club-women. As Fanny Tweedie had wished, it was "unexpected;" yet it was worn innocently and with pure thought, although that was something difficult for the narrow-minded to understand.
The closing feature of the entertainment was the production of Miss Sawyer's original play, "Yellow Roses" ("First time on any stage") , which withered and died a painless death. ”

“ Stout, "and we're all goin' to be in it. It'll be the biggest thing this town ever saw or heard of."
"You, goin' on the stage?" said Peter, with a grin, and then he gave way to hearty laughter.
"I don't see what there is to laugh about, Peter Stout; ain't we got as much right to give a play as anybody?" asked Mrs. Stout, indignantly.
"Yes, it's all right, and if the play is as funny as the idea, it'll make a hit," said Peter, his mirth subsiding.
[63]
"It ain't goin' to be funny," retorted Mrs. Stout. "It's goin' to be a classic." ”

“ Thomas, the "Tweedie Indian," as he was sometimes appropriately called, declared that "She's the best teacher in town, but when she licks a feller it hurts." Men and women will disagree sometimes—especially about another woman.
[37]
There was no real sympathy between Mrs. Tweedie and her boarder, but Barbara was a college graduate, and Mrs. Tweedie had heard that her family was of the best. Education and blood Mrs. Tweedie worshipped. If the devil had presented himself to her with his family history under his arm she would have welcomed him. ”

“ Alick read the poster through, and then gave a long whistle.
"Well, what you got to say?" asked Sam, who had watched from the doorway for the effect of the poster on Alick.
"Reads like a circus; some of your doin's, I'll bet," Alick replied.
"Yes, 'tis; you don't know a good thing when you see it."
"Perhaps not," retorted Alick, "but I know some folks in town that will appreciate it. ”

“ Blake, "is why Bassanio and Gratiano didn't know Portia and Nerissa, with whom they were in love."
"Portia and Nerissa were dressed as men," replied Mrs. Jones.
"And supposed to be miles away," added Miss Sawyer.
"Well," Mrs. Stout began, "all I've got to say is that most men know their best girls when they see 'em, no matter what they've got on. Goodness!" [115] she exclaimed as she glanced at the clock. "If it ain't twelve o'clock! My Peter's dinner will be late, and all on account of William Shakespeare." ”

“ At that moment they heard the pounding of a horse's hoofs, and the sound of sleigh-bells, coming furiously toward them. They stopped to listen, and as the sound came nearer, Will, thinking that it was a runaway, started into the road, but Barbara clung to his arm and held him back. [207] Love is selfish sometimes, and has a right to be. As the team rushed by, they saw that it was Doctor Jones. ”

“ Tweedie's statement was cruelly disheartening. What a horrible thought, such a dejected-looking gathering of women was never seen before.
"Is it possible!" gasped Mrs. Jones, who was the first to recover from the shock. "Is it possible that in every classic there is a man?"
[84]
"Men wrote most of 'em, didn't they?" asked Mrs. Stout.
Mrs. Tweedie's eyes snapped angrily. ”

“ Thornton, "she's every day of twenty-five."
"Why!" exclaimed Mrs. Blake, "I wouldn't have believed it."
[111]
"Well," drawled Mrs. Stout, "it's a long time since any of us, 'ceptin' Fanny, was that age."
"Mrs. Stout will speak the truth at all times," remarked Mrs. Tweedie, sarcastically.
"Somebody's got to tell it," retorted Mrs. Stout.
"Pardon me, ladies," said Miss Sawyer, "but we have drifted away from the work of the great poet."
"Poet!" exclaimed Mrs. Stout. "Was Shakespeare a poet?"
"Certainly," replied Miss Sawyer, impatiently.
"And is this play poetry?" ”

“ Miss Sawyer, book in hand, took up a position in the centre of the stage.
"'Enter the Duke, the Magnificoes, Antonio, Bassanio, Gratiano, Salerio, and others,'" she read.
"Who's goin' to be the 'others'?" called Mrs. Stout. Miss Sawyer made no reply, and the rest did not laugh because each of them, excepting Mrs. Tweedie and Mrs. Stout, when the name of the character she was to play was read, had a nervous chill. Miss Sawyer waited patiently for some one to enter, but no one stirred.
"Who goes in first?" asked Mrs. Blake. ”