Kansas Women in Literature | Page 4

some work in package libraries.
Just now she is contributing prose to some of the newspapers and doing some splendid feature work.

MARY VANCE HUMPHREY.
Mary Vance Humphrey of Junction City, Kansas, has written a series of short stories on the property rights of women in Kansas, a subject that was and is, still, of vital importance to the women of the state. ``The Legal Status of Mrs. O'Rourke'' and ``King Lear in Kansas'' are two of the series.
When young in heart and experience, Mrs. Humphrey wrote a number of poems. Her work in later years has been only prose. Her novel, ``The Squatter Sovereign'' is an historical romance of pioneer days, the settlement of Kansas in the fifties.
Mrs. Humphrey is one of the founders of the Kansas State Social Science Club and the Woman's Kansas Day Club and the founder of the Reading Club of Junction City. She has served as President of the State Federation and as Director of the General Federation of Women's Clubs and President of the Woman's Kansas Day Club. Her work as member of the Board of Education has done much for Junction City and her interest in libraries has done equally as much for the State of Kansas.
Of her record as an official, Margaret Hill McCarter has written: ``Her whole soul is in her work. She is the genuine metal, shirking nothing, cheapening nothing, and withal happy in the enjoyment of her obligation. She stands for patriotism, progress and peace. Something of the message of the shepherds heard out beyond Bethlehem that Christmas morning long ago sounds in the chords she strikes.''
As the wife of the late Judge James Humphrey, she proved herself the able companion of such a worthy man.

KATE A. APLINGTON.
The Kansas State Traveling Art Gallery owes its birth and much of its success to Kate A. Aplington, the author of that typical western story, ``Pilgrims of the Plains.'' Since Feb., 1907, the Art Gallery has been a recognized state institution, and as its Vice-President and Superintendent and as the writer of the art lectures that accompany the work, Mrs. Aplington's broad-minded, artistic temperament and student's persistency have made the gallery truly a work of art.
At present, the Aplingtons are living at Miami, Florida, but for a quarter of a century, Council Grove, the most famous spot on the Santa Fe Trail, was their home. Special investigations and researches on the subject of the old Santa Fe Trail days and lecturers on educational and literary topics resulted from years spent in that historic place.
``Pilgrims of the Plains,'' which came out in Feb., 1913, is worthy of a place in the front rank of western stories. In July of this year, Grossett and Dunlap will bring it out in their ``Popular Edition'' of novels.
Mrs. Aplington is now working on a book on ``Art-Museums of America'' and judging from the comments of prominent Museum Directors, this will be as great a success as her novel. ``Florida of the Reclamation,'' a character story with scenes laid in and around Miami, Florida, is also in preparation.

EMMA UPTON VAUGHN.
The author of that versatile little book of short stories, ``The Lower Bureau Drawer'' is Emma Upton Vaughn, a Kansas City, Kansas teacher. These heart stories, showing keen insight of human nature--especially woman nature--deal with every day life, each one a fascinating revelation, of character and soul.
Mrs. Vaughn was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her early life was spent in Kansas. She is a graduate of the Kansas University, and has taught in the public schools of the state.
She wrote the ``Bible and the Flag in the Public Schools'' and has contributed both prose and verse to the leading magazines and newspapers. Feature articles and many good essays appear over her signature. Her ``Passing From Under The Partial Eclipse'' did much to give Kansas City, Kansas her recognized place commercially on the map. A novel, ``The Cresap Pension,'' exposing a great pension fraud, is ready for the press.

JESSIE WRIGHT WHITECOMB.
Jessie Wright Whitcomb, a Topeka writer of juvenile books is a lawyer in active practice with her husband, Judge George H. Whitcomb and a mother of a remarkable family of five boys and one girl. The oldest son gained his A. B. in 1910 at the age of eighteen; in 1911 was appointed Rhodes scholar for Kansas; and is now a student at Oxford. His father and mother are in England at present visiting him.
Mrs. Whitcomb is a contributor to the magazines and in addition, has written ``Odd Little Lass,'' ``Freshman and Senior,'' ``Majorbanks,'' ``His Best Friend,'' ``Pen's Venture,'' ``Queer As She Could Be,'' and ``Curly Head.''
She is a graduate of the University of Vermont and the Boston University Law School and was the first woman to lecture before a man's law school.

MYRA WILLIAMS JARRELL.
Myra Williams Jarrell, the daughter of the late Archie