The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-18

''men's work" and so have no time for
ceremonious calls and visits to become
acquainted with the members of their
own sex. This was brought out forci-
bly, tho other evening in talk with a
| in newspaper work.
81 have lived one of the lonesomest
lives i'll the world" she said, especially
as regards women friends. Twas reared
by a stepmother who believed that the
place for children and girls is home-a
J very good idea when not carried too far.
But in all my girlhood l never thought
of stepping into Il near neighbours house
lit was i'll n small village) without asking
her permission, and when l grew tall
enough to be rather ashamed to ask |
staid at home. | could count on the fin
gers of one hand all the parties, balls
| and festive gatherings which was al
lowed to attend while 1 was a girl at
home. The result of this seclusion was
that when left home to make my OWE
way was almost a stranger in the vii
lage where | had lived nearly all nv
| days. knew my schoolmates, of course.
but the parents of many of them had
never addressed III my life.
81 WAS one of the earliest newspaper
women in my native state. Indeed in
the small city where I began work
was for years the only woman so EN-
ployed. Office hours were many and
my salary small. 1 worked from 8 till
5, with an hour ut noon, and often did
two hours work in the evening had
no time to make or receive calls, and |
presently found that was making no
women acquaintance whatever The
few whom L met at my boarding house
not all of whom were congenial to ne,
were nearly all knew. But the Office
i'll which wrote, being that of the chief
literary paper in town, was sort of
headquarters for most of the intelligent
men residents, who dropped in frequent
ly to comment on the news, consult the
really good library OF speak of new
book
THE result was, of course, that 1 had
good morning acquaintance with a
large number of gentlemen whose wives
and daughters were an unknown guam
tity to me. This may have been my mis-
fortune. 1t surely could not be called
my fault 1t never occurred to me that
any one would so construe it until one
gentleman, good friend whom | had
long known lit is always the good friend
who brings the unpleasant facN, told me
one day, being in a complimentary mood
that l had but one serious fault. This
estimate was so much below my own
that | naturally desired to understand
how he reckoned.
81 never should have thought of it
myself, said he, but the other evening
| was speaking of you TO some ladies,
and one of them said, Eyes, have often
| heard her well spoken of, but how is it
that it is always done by meme WHY
don't 1romen like her better? | don't re-
member that ever heard her mentioned
by woman. Why does sho have no
friends among women?''
Il was thunderstruck. 1t had never
entered my head that amid all the hard
conditions of my laboriouslifc, which cut
me off from all the pleasures and rec
reations dear to the young, would be
the possibility of cruel misinterpretation
and unkind remark. l could only ex-
plain, doubtless in lame enough way,
that l had no time for social pleasures;
that my days We're given to work instead
Of calls and visits.
"All my years since l have heard that
query i'll varying forms, Why does she
have so few women acquaintances?
Why. surely? Only because women did
not come into my line of vision where |
sat at my desk, while men were always
going and coming, with bow, or a good
morning, or Il remark about the wealth
er or the latest Geographic news. Wom-
en- do not call much at newspaper of
fees, and l had no time to seek them.
But many of them are far too ready to
sniff and bride when they hear such a
question asked concerning an independ-
ent sister, who perhaps lives life MS
utterly single and blameless as mine
was. have 10 doubt that 1 have been
bitterly censured, perhaps condemned,
because | attended to my own affairs
and improved every hour for which |
was paid, instead of stealing time for
calls and visits among women.
'As time went ON began to feel that
was the most solitary of beings. The
old schoolmates were scattered. Nv few
relatives were in remote towns or even
distant states. | took few vacations,
and found no new friends, excepting
the accidental acquaintances of my
boarding places. My friends, the news
papers, kept telling me: No woman need
be unloved, even when she grows old.
If she deserves love, she will find it.
might not deserve the love of my kind,
but l surely desired it. was and am
eminently sympathetic. cheerful, help
full and, believe, kinder hearted than
the average. Yet here was, growing
old in solitude, with no human being
| A.i1lI-