A MAIDEN SPEECH
Nevertheless Jack looked very young, attractive and frightened. Her
color had vanished, her wide gray eyes held an expression of appeal for
patience and understanding.
She was dressed in the costume she ordinarily preferred in the evening,
a black tulle over black silk, cut with a square neck and with elbow
sleeves, and, although of exquisite material, made in a simple fashion.
Usually caring little for jewelry, to-night she was wearing a pearl and
amethyst star which her husband had given her years before.
As her glance now swept the audience she beheld the faces she especially
wished _not_ to see, Jim Colter's, her sister Frieda's, and her
neighbors, Senator and Mrs. Marshall's. Not far away and staring fixedly
at her was the somewhat grim countenance of her former acquaintance,
Peter Stevens.
Upon Jim Colter's fine, deeply lined face--his coal black hair was now
turning slightly gray--was a look with which Jack had been familiar
since her girlhood. The look said more plainly than words that Jim was
always there to fight her battles and whether she succeeded or failed,
she could count upon him. Frieda's face was set and white and miserable,
her blue eyes open to their fullest extent, announcing as plainly as her
lips could have stated:
"Why, why did I ever permit Jack to make such a spectacle of herself?
Have I not warned her that she could never make a public speech? Yet
after all, the fault is partly mine, as I should never have allowed her
to undertake such a task!"
It was Frieda's honest conviction that, as she had a great deal more
common sense than either her sister or husband, it was not only their
duty but their privilege to yield to her judgment in practical matters.
The expression with which Senator Marshall regarded her, Jack believed
she recognized as one of amused tolerance, not unmixed with
satisfaction. He had talked seriously to her of the mistake she was
making in her present ideas. He also thoroughly disapproved of women
attempting public speeches under any conditions whatsoever, and of this
Jack also had been kindly informed. Mrs. Marshall's attitude did not
affect Jacqueline Kent in any fashion. Long before she had accepted the
fact that Mrs. Marshall did not like her and resented any influence she
might have gained in the neighborhood. Especially Mrs. Marshall had
seemed to dislike her stepson John Marshall's boyish friendship and
admiration for his neighbor. If John had come to hear her speak to-night
he was not seated with his parents, for Jack's subconscious mind was
registering these small and unimportant impressions even as her lips
moved almost inaudibly in the address she was endeavoring to make.
However, the one face which seemed to arouse Jack more completely than
the others was that of her former acquaintance, Peter Stevens. In the
past year Peter Stevens had become more than an acquaintance. If they
were not friends he appeared to enjoy calling at the Rainbow lodge, for
one could count upon seeing him there probably once a week. His
expression at present was undoubtedly one of pleasure at her failure.
Jack felt distinctly angry.
"Louder," some one called from the back of the hall, and hearing the
call, she paused and an instant remained silent. Speaking again, it was
apparent that both her manner and voice had changed. The self-command
which had in a measure deserted her was slowly being regained.
"I am sorry, I fear a good many members of my audience have not been
able to hear what I have been saying," she answered, speaking in a
fashion which seemed to take the men and women who were her listeners
into her confidence, making the greater number of them her advocates
rather than her critics. "I suppose it is scarcely worth while
confessing that I have never made a public speech before and have no
idea how much one should raise one's voice. Yet the subject I want to
talk about to-night is such a simple and direct one that I really and
truly don't see why it should be discussed in any public fashion. I am
only here because some of you felt it might be wise for me to state my
opinion. Nevertheless, I am sure I agree with any of you who feel my
opinion may not be valuable.
"Most of you know that I came back from England more than a year ago and
because I loved my own country better than my adopted one, I have
resumed my American citizenship. Yet when I speak of loving my country
I think I mean first of all that I love my state, the state of Wyoming,
where I was born and lived as a girl, and that the parts of Wyoming I
love best are her great and beautiful ranches.
"On my return, to my surprise I discovered that instead of the ranches
in Wyoming having increased in the last few years and the quantity of
livestock become greater, they now cover less acreage and the livestock
is smaller in number. I was sorry; our state is so lovely, with its
broad stretches of fertile prairies, our rivers and streams, and our
hills set like a rim of jewels about them. So first I began talking to
the men on our own ranch, the Rainbow ranch, asking them if it would not
be possible to increase the number of our cattle and sheep. Since the
close of the war we have heard of nothing but of how hungry the world
is, at least the European world. So I did not dream there could be any
objection if I talked to other ranchmen beside our own and asked them
what their plans for the future were to be. We all know that many of the
men who are now working on the ranches in the United States intend
owning their own places as soon as possible. Many of them are soldiers
who, having returned from the war in Europe, now wish to lead an outdoor
life and enjoy the freedom and the independence which the ranch life
offers. And wherever and whenever I have talked to the former soldiers
who have come to dwell in Wyoming they have seemed to agree with me.
"The views of the people who oppose the idea of increasing the number of
our ranches and the supply of our livestock I confess I am too stupid to
understand. They seem to feel that Wyoming's future lies in her cities,
in her mineral deposits, and even in her recent large manufactories.
"They believe we will receive less for our cattle and horses if we raise
a greater number. Yet say this is true, and I do not accept its truth,
how will the ranchmen be injured if the cost of the increase in his
expenses is covered by the greater number of his stock? And this we have
found to be the case in the past years' experiment with the livestock on
the Rainbow ranch."
Jack paused again, but this time not because she was either frightened
or embarrassed. She had given up the effort to make a speech after
having undertaken it, having discovered that she was not being
successful. Since then she had been talking to her audience in the same
fashion that she would have spoken to any single individual who might
have expressed an interest in her subject.
"I wonder," she remarked clearly and distinctly, "if there is any one
present who is entirely unprejudiced and is willing to state the other
side of this question, to explain why the state of Wyoming should cease
to be a great ranch state. Perhaps Senator Marshall or Mr. Peter Stevens
will speak upon the subject."
As Jack ceased there was a momentary pause followed by a ripple of
laughter. The word "unprejudiced" had amused her audience. Peter Stevens
was known to be employed by the interests who wished to decrease the
supply of cattle in the state, while Senator Marshall's political party
advocated the same point of view.
However, Senator Marshall so far accepted Jacqueline Kent's challenge as
to arise in his place. Bowing, he said blandly:
"I never argue a point with a woman."
And first his retort was greeted with a murmur of indignation and then
of renewed laughter.
Gazing directly into his face, Jack protested:
"But, Senator Marshall, do you not consider that the day has passed for
failing to argue points with women? We are voters and if points cannot
be argued, at least certain questions must be made plain. To-night we
are in a Woman's Club built largely with the idea of offering women the
opportunity to find out some of the problems they intend to understand."
A few moments later, having received no reply from Peter Stevens, who
seemed to have chosen to ignore her request, closing her speech more
eloquently than she had begun it, in the midst of friendly applause,
Jack bowed and withdrew from the platform.
A little later amid a group of friends and acquaintances unconsciously
she still held the center of the stage.
"You were not so bad as I expected, Jack, although I was a little
disappointed in you," Frieda found time to murmur, feeling in the midst
of her pessimism a great sense of relief. Not only was the speech over,
but in spite of it Jack was looking extremely pretty and no less
feminine than she had previously.
Jim Colter simply nodded his head to reveal his satisfaction, while her
brother-in-law, Professor Henry Tilford Russell, shook hands, announcing
frankly:
"You did yourself credit, Jack, not to _attempt_ to make a speech. It is
better to talk simply upon a subject until you know more about it, and
afterwards for the matter of that."
But outside Jacqueline Kent's own family, many of her friends were
enthusiastic.
"I do not see why we should not ask you to run for an office in the gift
of the state of Wyoming some day, Mrs. Kent," the President of the
Woman's Club declared in a tone sufficiently loud to be heard by a large
group of persons. "No one denies that an American woman, Lady Nancy
Astor, is making an excellent member of the British Parliament. Why
should we be so much more conservative than England? Moreover, Lady
Astor is an American woman."
In return Jack laughed, failing to attach any seriousness to the
suggestion.
"Yes, but unfortunately I have none of Lady Astor's gifts," she
responded. "Nevertheless there may be some one in Wyoming who has, and
perhaps it would be interesting if Wyoming, one of the first states to
give the vote to women, should be represented by a woman in Washington.
You would dislike the idea very much, wouldn't you, Senator Marshall?"
Senator Marshall, who had come up to shake hands with Jack, nodded
vehemently.
"I should indeed dislike it; I still am sufficiently old-fashioned
enough to believe that woman's place is the home."
A voice behind his shoulder interrupted.
"Nonsense, father, you are simply afraid of Mrs. Kent as your possible
rival, for if ever she is elected to Congress the next step will be to
defeat you for the United States Senate."
The voice was John Marshall's, the senator's son and Jack's devoted
friend.
"Thanks, but don't make the Senator disapprove of me any more than he
does at present. I must live in peace with my neighbors."
A little to Jack's surprise Peter Stevens made no effort to shake hands
with her or to speak to her, although she remained half an hour in the
Woman's Club after her poor effort at speech-making was concluded. Peter
Stevens was there also talking to other friends.
She was standing alone out on the sidewalk waiting for Jim Colter to
drive up with the car, Frieda and her husband having moved a few feet
away to speak to some one, when Peter Stevens' voice said unexpectedly:
"Good-night, Jack. I suppose it would make no difference to you to
realize how intensely I disliked your speaking in public this evening."
He and Jack within he past year had returned to their youthful custom of
calling each other by their first names.
However, Jack's answer surprised him.
"Oh, I don't know; perhaps you are right. I might consider you an old
fogey, Peter, to object to girls and women speaking what they believe to
be true, but it is probably true that at least no one should speak in
public who has no more talent than I possess. You were kind not to make
me appear worse by displaying your learning and eloquence afterwards.
No, I am not being sarcastic; every one says you are learned and
eloquent. Yet in spite of your reputation, I have the courage to think
you are mistaken about a number of matters. But here is Jim with the
car, so good-night. Why, yes, of course I'll be glad to see you at the
lodge; differences of opinion need not destroy friendship."