Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-06-21


mean in this way. If a woman goes in
for nursing, she needs years and years
of training, and goodness only knows
whether she will prove herself really
skilled nurse at the end of it. She needs
superhuman strength, endless patience,
infinite tact, and for WHAT To earn at
best guineas week, to be treated a
little better than servant, to be al
ways in position that is entirely tenn
porary. A typist, on the other hand, es-
pecially if she is also a stenographer,
can easily make e1OO q year, provided
that she is really good at her work. She
has her fixed hours, her fixed holidays.
She has always her Sundays and her
Saturday afternoons All the tact that
is necessary for her is to mind her own
business and hold her tongue. She has
her evenings to herself, and, if she likes,
che can get extra work then so as 10
put by an extra sum to her ordinary
earnings for her summer holiday. 1t is
q fine life for a woman-there is no mis-
take about that
The result of this chance meeting and
conversation with an utter stranger was
that Mary went straight away to GER
tain school of typewriting and at once
entered herself as pupil for the entire
course, and then she set herself to work.
She was an apt pupil. Her well bal
anced mind. tinged by disappointment
and trouble, but unruffled by the great
er passions of life, quickly grasped the
intricacies of the. curious dots and
dashes which seem 80 mysterious and
confusing to the majority of mortals.
She made rapid progress. and before the
six months which she had allowed her
self for her pupilage had come to an
end she found herself established in the
Office Of small firm Of brokers at q
salary Of 10 shillings week.
1t was Of course but beginning.
Still it was beginning. and Mary had
accepted it gladly, both for what it
brought her and as an earnest of better
things to come. And each evening when
she had left the Office and had had tea
at the nearest K. Y. q. shop she went
off to the school and worked hard at her
shorthand.
A few months more saw her in differ
emit circumstances, for she left the firm
of brokers and engaged herself to a
lawyer of large practice, who paid her
30 shillings week and treated her
pleasantly into the bargain. After near
ly a year in this office her employer sud-
denly died. and she was thrown out Of
work.
Not that she was destitute-by no
means. She had lived carefully, almost
frugally, keeping always in mind the
possibility of rainy day in time to
come. She took weeks holiday and
spent 1t at Dovercourt, where she sat by
the glorious sea, basking in golden sun
shine and the keen brisk air, revealing
in novels and drinking in full supply
Of health and strength, which would
last her for at least year to come.
Among the books she had taken down
with her was one which had been lent
to her by her one intimate friend, the
girl Lucy Chalmers. who had first given
hersinformation about the life and ca
reer of typist. Mary had been three
golden days by the sea ere she began to
read it. twas called ga Lovers Creed
of Love"
1t is almost impossible for me to tell
the effect that this story had upon Mary
Conway. 1t was story of passion pas
eionately written. It was fervid, full of
life and stir and color, and it was clean
and wholesome in tone withal. 1t was
Enthusiastically the work of man rich
in imagination who was yet full Of
common sense and sound Judgment. II
fascinated. enthralled, amazed her. She
went to bed and dreamed of it.
She read it over again several times
during the rest Of her weeks holiday,
leaving the other books unread after the
first glance into their, to her, meaning
less pages. During those few days she
lived with it.
Then she went back to London. She
was feeling stronger and more really