Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-08-12
Bah Having a Pleasant Time
Out in the Woods.
MANY BRIGHT PEOPLE THERE
Those Who Have Hearts and
Brains.


like you and ME, who are only average.
lot Of good once in awhile to get among
people who are decidedly above the average
and who permit you to enjoy their wit and
wisdom without appearing to condescend.
When women, or men either, Tor that
matter, condescend to make you appre-
ciate them, YOU can make up your mind
that whatever wit or wisdom they have is
decidedly ON the surface. But the real
people, the people who have hearts and |
brains, are worth getting in touch with. |
Being with them is like getting close to the |
heart OF nature. It's good for all of us,
A couple of nights ago sat watching the |
sun set and listening to four women. They |
were all writers, and what they said may |
convince the lady who is a failure in dress |
making and housekeeping that all is not
gold that glitters in the way of journalism. |
They were going over experiences Each |
OF them was telling about the hardest work |
she had ever had to do One Of them,
bright Western woman said
Two years ago my husband lost his
position. Heis, as you know, very deli
cate man, and the railroad company that
invited HIM to send in his resignation knew
when they did this that his chance for
getting another situation was very doubtful.
AS be entered the door one evening, he
greeted me with this news. [ consoled him
as well as could, made him feel that things
were not as bad as they looked and was try
ing to keep from crying when we heard the
postman's whistle. To create diversion
from the letter box.
THE first letter | opened told me that my
services were no longer required on paper
which had paid me the largest part OF my
income. Understand, they didn't object to
my work. 1t was only that during the sum
mer months they had concluded to close up
that department. For minute ! thought
/ should faint but didn't laughed. tore
up that letter, made some light remark and
never limited at its contents. The next letter
had mis- a nH nHN n nd Imam nh
ing me all round the city. 1t was "A request
from an editor that ! would write him
detective story. He said he knew | could do
it, and he must have it within week.
That was all right. but ] happened to glance
at the date, and saw the week was up the
next day. The situation was not "a cheerful
one-husbalid without position and $50
week right out of my pocket for | didn't
know how long. never knew how | wrote
that story and don't think anybody ever
realized why made the villain an editor. |
worked all night over it, and when the
morning came | sent it down to the people
who had asked for IT,.
THE days were pretty gloomy after that,
but the detective story caught on, those
people employed ME regularly, and the
other newspaper re-engaged me in the fall.
What's that somebody said You would
not have gone to them Oh. yes. you
would when it meant $50 week and you
had an invalid husband. | tell you none of
us knows what we will do until the time
comes. But ! shall never forget the long,
long night that | sat writing that story. /
couldn't think of the story itself. ] could
only think of my trouble, and, though am
first to laugh about superstition. / give you
my word that | shall always believe that
that story was written for me by some
angel; that it was simply my hand that
held the pen and hers that told IL what to
say
The tall, fair woman said: MY writing
days are all sad ones. Yet people tell ne
and am happy in knowing that the chill
dren all over the country laugh at my
merry verses and are delighted with tht
fairy tales | write for them. My brain vii
spin out fairy tales with happy endings
funny rhymes that are laughably foolish
aud yet ii is only when | am among thos,
who love me that ever laugh. You al
know what do the work for"
And we all do. We know that away of
IN penitentiary- think of it lis
young man who in foolish, silly quarre
about a bad woman struck his friend ani
struck him almost unto DEATH who wa
sentenced to stay where he is for 20 years
who will be all old man when he comes out
for prison life doesn't keep men young, bl
this one woman writing her merry stories
is working and saving thar she may hay
money enough when her brother comes on
into the world for them o 90 to new pac
and among new people whore his past ca
never be thrown up to him and where t.
gether their last days may be spent IN peaC
and contentment
My hardest hour ?" said small wona
whose work on newspaper aud magazine
Known far and wide. ''l'll tell YOU abOl
it. My husband was dying. He was
years old, and | WAS ~, and we wei
strangers in Il strange land. Because "
were so poor | had been doing some 81
sketches here ana there for tue newspaper
for gentlefolk don't beg; they work. liner
beside the bedside of my husband expec
ing every hour would be his last a me
senFer came from an ONCE down town wit
a request that | would write them funn
article OF about q Thousand words az once
] looked at my husband, ana then &c
help me, | looked at my purse, and col
cluded that had to write that article :
while the boy waited held my diving love
hand with my left Que and wrote with m
right and wrote funny article. ".
about al hour and II half doing IT, al
when think Of il now I see those IN
dark brown eyes looking at me in an Il
quirlng way, | see that messenger waltz
with an expression that was half Curosit
half sympathy, on his face and see III
sell, with tears rolling down my check
working out the funny article. Weeks ait
that, when | WAS all draped in muHrnii
and the man | loved slept that quiet set
which knows no present Weakening, m
the editor of that paper, and he said to m
That article OF yours WAS funny cnoug
TO kill. And ! said: Was il? We'll
nearly did Bat to this day he doesu
hIbN hllitI NHNN NltNNlllNltI4tBs II W
written or that the SIS that GOT Tor it we
to help to pay for a resting place frr I,
one that loved"
Then we all sat quiet in the dim twlig
and thought how, though the dark hou
come, there are always morning after mig
and sunshine after rain. The woman w
thinks in an idle, frivolous way that she e.
write when she cant doanytlHng else is II
the woman, my friend, who is gong
make success with her pen. The wom
who wants to succeed with her ben mi
enter the working school of journalism
learn much. Sheuust learn that what SUI
one editor doesn't suit another, She mi
learn that to succeed she must feel the pII
OF her audience, and she must also lea
that. though it is the Womauliness OF i
work that makes IL valuable, womanlin
and weakness are not Synonymous. VIII
an edi5ur wants IN article from q womi
he prefers it should bear the stamp of |
sex, because then he's sure both men d
women will like it, Once in while ey
the woman writer likes to tell something
her personal experience and heres Il bit
my weakness coming in, the school
journalism Is one where women the ru
kind of women, get to know how good N
are. In all work there are bad mca and b
woman. but from personal experience
would like TO say that / think there .
more kind men, more sympatAetlc ms
more generous men and more GOOD III
among the newspaper fraternity than
any other profession. They sre SO much
real life that they can syuyaihile win
real sorrow and are not tHulrd BIZ n sha
They see So much Of weakness that tleyC
thiGkoi tue temptation AS well as the sina
be ready 10 forgive and with il all tbpv