Red Lodge picket. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1889-1907, 1893-02-18
WAS 1T RIGHT?

A woman sat at her desk in the
corner Of room; behind her burned
a bright fire.
Presently servant came in and
gave her card
Say ! am busy and can see &c
one now. have to finish this ar
ticle by o'clock.
The servant came back. The
caller said she would only keep he1
a moment-it was necessary she
should see her
The woman rose from her desk.
Tell the boy to wait. Ask the lady
to come in
A young lady in a silk dress, with
a cloak reaching to her feet, entered.
She was tall and slight, with fair
hair.
Il knew you would not mind !
wished to see you so!'
The woman offered her seat by
the fire. May l loosen your cloak
The room is warm"
Il wanted SO to come and see you
You are the only person i'll the
world who could help me! | know
you are so large and generous and
kind to other women!' She sat
down. Tears stood in her large blue
eyes; she was pulling off her gloves
unconsciously.
You know Mr.. -" She men
toned the name Of q we'll known
writer. II know you meet him often
in your work. want you to do
something for mel"
The woman on the hearth rug
looked down on her.
Il couldn't tell my father or my
mother or any one else, but | can
tell you, though l know SO little of
you. You know last summer he
came and staid with us month. /
saw a great deal of him l don !
know if be liked me; / know he
liked my singing, and we rode to-
getber-1 liked him more than any
man l have ever seen. Oh, you know
it isn't true that a woman can only
like a man when he likes her, and
thought perhaps he liked me little
Since we have been in town we have
asked, but he has never come to see
us Perhaps people have been say
ing something to him about me.
You know him; you are always
meeting him; couldn't you say or do
anything for n1e?" She looked up
with her lips white and drawn. Il
feel sometimes as if l were going
mad. Oh, it is so terrible to be a
woman!" The woman looked down
at her. Nov l hear he likes an
other woman. l don't know who
she is, but they say she is very
clever and writes Oh, it is so ter
:iole I cant bear it."
Tho woman leaned her elbow
against the nsantelpiece and her face
against her hand. She looked down
into the fire. Then she turned and
looked at the younger woman. Yes,
she said. 1t is a very terrible thing
to be a woman" She was silent
She said with some difficulty: Are
you sure you love him2 Are you
sure it is not only the feeling a
young girl has for an older man who
is celebrated and Of whom every one
is talking2"
81 have been nearly mad. l
haven't slept for weeks!" She knit
her little hands together till the pearl
rings almost cut into the fingers
He is everything to me; there is
nothing else in the world. You, who
are SO great and strong and clever,
and care only for your work and for
men as your friends, you cannot un-
derstand what it is when one person
is everything to you, when there is
nothing else in the world!'
And what do you want me to do2'
''Oh, don't know!'' She looked
up. "A woman knows what she
can do. Don't tell him that love
him" She looked up again. Just
say something to him. Oh, it's SO
terrible to be q woman: can t do
anything You won't tell him ex-
actly that l love him9 That's the
thing that makes man hate wom-
an if you tell it to him plainly"
IF l speak to him must speak
openly. He is my friend. l cannot
fence with him. l have never fenced
with him in my own affairs She
moved as though she were going
away from the fireplace; then she
turned and said: Have you thought
of what love is between a man and a
woman when it means marriage?
That long, long life together, day
after day, stripped of all romance
and distance, living face to face,
seeing each other as a man sees his
own soul2 Do you realize that the
end Of marriage is to make the man