Louisa C. O. Haughton, founding member and eventual president of the Woman’s Literary Club of Baltimore, certainly left her mark on a few distinct aspects of the city’s history. In spite of this, I’ve been able to find practically nothing about her private life.

Born to Henry Osburne Haughton and Sophie Alricks of Connecticut, her family moved to Baltimore around the turn of the 20th century. Her father’s obituary refers to him as an exporter of cattle and an “anti-vivisectionist.” Her full name was Louisa Courtauld Osburne Haughton—exactly her grandmother’s. She and her sister Maud formed Haughton and Haughton, and together they ran a successful business as dressmakers. She died in 1951.

But Haughton is primarily remembered for her involvement in the WLCB. Following the death of the celebrated poet Lizette Woodworth Reese, she (co-)founded the Lizette Woodworth Reese Memorial Association, which collected much of her materials that would eventually be donated to Enoch Pratt.

She wrote stories and plays. So far I’ve recovered two stories: “Ever-Ready Edgar,” published in the Ladies’ Home Journal, and “The Malachite Collar,” in the New York Tribune. Dr. Cole and I have located copyrights for two plays of hers: The Dancing Delilah, and The Decisions; or The Vacillations of Amelia.

I can’t speak for her plays, but her stories seem fairly standard for the popular fiction of her day, albeit both stories I’ve located feature strong, female protagonists.

“Ever-Ready Edgar” is a revenge story, in which four women team up against a playboy. Edgar Morris courts and seduces three women in the U.S., France, and England. All of them—Ethel, Elsie, and Eva—have the same initials. He gives each of them souvenirs—a match-box, a set of tablets, and a cardcase.

A fourth, Eleanor, who he meets on a ship coming back from England, almost falls for him. She holds out until she makes it back to the East Coast, and reconvenes with her group of friends—a group that consists, of course, of Ethel, Elsie, and Eva. They all conspire against him.

They invite him to a party, and Eleanor rejects his advances. Here’s the final moment of revenge:

He tried to take her hand, but with a swift movement she drew it away and switched on the piano lamp. On the music-desk in a row before him were the gold match-box, a set of gold tablets, a gold cardcase, and slowly she drew from her belt a gold pencil and put it beside them.

“This is my answer,” she said, rising.