The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-15
Bah Seeks Sermons in Stones and Be

am out in tile woods, where there is
no end of bright people / am en-
loving myself by looking on and lis
teniDg. 1t does people like you ana
me. who are only average, a lot OF
good once in awhile to get among people
who are decidedly above the average and
who permit you to enjoy their W.T. ana
wisdom without appearing to condescend.
When women, or men either, Tor thal
matter, condescend to make you appre-
ciate them you can make up your NINA
that whatever wit or wisdom they nave
is decidedly on the surface. But the real
people. the people who have hearts ana
brains. are worth getting in touch with.
Reing 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 writer's, and what they
said may convince the lazy who IS tall-
ure in dressmaking 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:
1.-TWO years ago my husband lost his
position. He is, you know, very dell
cate man land 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 he entered the door one
evening he greeted me with this news
T consoled him as well as | could, made
him feel that Things were not as bad as
they looked, and was trying TO keep from
CRYING, when we heard the postman
whistle. To create a diversion l asked
my husband to get tie evening mail from
the letter-box.
A STORY IN A HURRY.
1.-THE first letter / opened told me that
my services were no longer required on
a 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 summer months they
had concluded to close up that depart
ment. For a minute / thought | should
faint, but / didn't. l laughed, tore up
that letter, made some light remarks,
and never limited at its contents. The
had been chasing me all around the city.
1t was a request from an editor that L
would write him detective story. He
said he knew / could do it, and he must
have it within a week. That was all
right, but / happened to glance at tAe
date, and / saw the week was up the
next day. The situation was not a cheer
full one-husband without a 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 newspapers 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. l tell
you none of us knows what we will do
until the time comes. But l shall never
forget the long, long night that l sat
writing that story. l couldn't think of
the story itself. could only think of
my trouble, and thous-- / am the first to
laugh about superstition, l 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 it what to say"
SAD DAYS OF WRITING.
The tall, fair woman said: "My writ
ing days are all sad ones. Yet people
tell me and l am happy in knowing that
the children all over the country laugh
at my merry verses and are delighted
with the fairy tales / write for them.
My brain will spin out fairy tales with
happy endings, funny rhymes that are
laughably foolish and yet it is only when
/ am among those who love me that
ever laugh. You all know what do the
work for"
And we all do. We know that away
off in penitentiary-ju think of i'll
is young man who, in foolish, silly
quarrel about bad woman, struck his
friend, and struck him almost unto death,
who was sentenced to stay where he is
for twenty years; who will be an old man
when he comes out, for prison life doesn't
keep men young. But this one woman,
writing her merry stories, is working
and saving that she may have money
enough when her brother comes out into
the world for them to go to new place
and among new people where his past
can never be thrown up to him, and
where, together, their last days may be
spent in peace and contentment.
HER HARDEST HOUR.
my hardest hour?" said a small wo-
man, whose work on newspaper and
magazine is known far and wide. "1'll
tell you about it. My husband was dy-
ing. He was twenty-eight years old,
and | was nineteen, and we were strang-
ers in a strange land. Because we were
so poor / had been doing some odd
sketches here and there for the newspa-
pers, for gentlefolks don't beg; they work.
L =