Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-04-18
Counting a Strong.minded Wo-
man.


man.
By IT'LL A BACHELOR.
To confess the truth I must say that
I have long since entertained rather an
unfavorable opinion Of what are usually
termed strong-minded women"
l don't mean a woman of education
and culture, who is able to entertain
company, play on the piano, sing, play
whist, read poetry, talk over tho topics
of the day; no, that is not the kind I
have reference too, for am always de-
lighted to meet such as those, but it is
that class who are continually harping
on politics, woman's rights and such
stuff as that which elicits my indigna-
ton.
Now am an old bachelor of rather
social habits, and have not entirely CIV
en- up the idea of getting married, pro-
vided I can find my affinity, and I ac-
tually thought few years ago had
found het, bni I got the confoundest
setback that any poor mortal could
possibly have more than once in life
time and live.
Another thing I do believe, although
it may be egotism in me, but I have al
ways been able to make myself agree
able enough among ordinary women,
but I have no confidence in my ability
to win q single trick with one of the
" s!rong-minded."
1 think it will do me good to relieve
my mind of the burden it has carried
for " 10! these many years"
The way l was brought in contact
with her was this: She was keeping
house for well-to-do farmer, and I
took job of work for him that would
take some six or seven months to ac-
complish.
was warned before going there to
be on the alert, for there was a strong
minded widow there who might capti-
vate me.
l CLEANED all the items I could con.
cerMng her from those who were will
ing to gossip about their neighbors.
l soon found out she was grass Wid-
or, and claimed to be strong-mirded
enough to want to vote. Now these
were items sufficient for me to go to
the house with a deep-set prejudice
against the strong minded women.
Strong minded women on the Pacific
Coast half dozen years ago were
not so we'll understood as at present,
and it was not very clear to my mind
what was meant by the appellation,
but one thing had made up my mind
to assert my rights at all hazards, that
if I was deficient in knowledge I would
make it up in presumption; that 1
would not be brow beaten by any wo-
man in the world.
With that kind of feeling I arrived
at the house, and stopped at the yard
gate and took survey of the situation.
I could see the hands out in tha field
at work, and rightly surmised that the
strong-minded" was in the house
alone; stood looking and cogitating
in my own mind whether 1 should
knock at the door and address her as 1
would ordinary mortals, or whether
should get up an impromptu speech,
use some high-faluten words inter-
spersed with poetical quotations; pas
sages from Shakespeare, Pope, Dryden,
Moore and Byron, rushed into my
head in great abundance, but I didn't
know who her favorite authors were,
and in fact, I thought it hardly pru-
dent to quote from any" male for fear
of giving offence. Although I had
read Mrs. Heraans, Mrs. Browning and
some other female poets, for the life of
me could not think of a single line
from their pens.
While thus soloquizins the door
opened and out came the "stronc.
minded woman" with o dish of dough
to feed the chickens. I forgot poetry
and almost everything else just then;
she stopped and looked at me, didn't
run, but stood and looked at her with
as much curiosity as would at the
Car of Russia or Sultan of Turkey.
l might have been standing there
yet for all I know, if she hadn't spoke
and asked me what I wanted. That
kind O brought me to, and I raised my
hat and hammered out that I wished
to see the landlord. Well, she said he
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