The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-01-19
The story Of On AtTiCll Form.
By OLIVE soHRE1NER.
rcoNT1NUED.l

"Have you learned much?" he asked
her simply, remembering how she had
once said, "When l come back again, I
shall know everything that human
being can"
She laughed.
care you thinking Of my old boast?
Yes; have learned something, though
hardly what expected and not quite
so much. In the first place, I have
learned that one Of my ancestors must
have been very great fool, for they
say nothing comes out in man but
one Of his forefathers possessed it be-
fore him. In the second place, have
discovered that Of all cursed places I'M
der the sun, where the hungriest soul
can hardly pick up a few grains of
knowledge, girls boarding school is
the worst. They are called finishing
schools, and the name tells accurately
what they are. They finish everything
but imbecility and weakness, and that
they cultivate. They are nicely adapt
ed machines for experimenting on the
question. Into how little space can
human soul be crushed?' l have seen
some souls so compressed that they
would have fitted into small thimble
and found room to move there-wide
room. A woman who has been for
many years at one of those places car
ries the mark of the beast on her till
she dies, though she may expand lit
tie afterward when she breathes in the
free world"
"Were you miserable?" he asked,
looking at her with quick anxiety.
81? No. l am never miserable and
never happy. 1 wish 1 were. But 1
should have run away from the place
on the fourth day and hired myself to
the first Boer woman whose farm l
came to, to make fire under her soap
pot, if I had to live as the rest Of the
drove did. Gan you form an idea,
Waldo, of what it must be to be shut
up with cackling old women who are
without knowledge of life, without love
of the beautiful, without strength, to
have your soul cultured by them? 1t
is suffocation only to breathe the air
they breathe, but I made them give me
room. told them l should leave, and
they knew came there on my own ac-
count So they gave me bedroom
without the companionship Of one Of
those things that We're having their
brains slowly diluted and squeezed out
of them. did not learn music, be-
cause had no talent, and when the
drove made cushions and hideous flow
ers that the roses laugh at and foot
stool in six weeks that a machine
would have made better in five min
utes I went to my room. With the
money saved from such work l bought
books and newspapers, and at night
sat up. read and epitomized what I
read, and l found time to write soihe
plays and find out how hard it is to
make your thoughts look anything but
imbecile fools when you paint them
with ink on paper. In the holidays
learned great deal more. made ac-
quaintances, saw a few places and
many people and some different WAYS
Of living, which is more than any books
can show one. On the whole, am not
satisfied with my four years. l have
not learned what expected, but l
have learned something else. What
have you been doing?"
Nothing"
THAT is not possible. ! shall find
out by and by"
They still stepped on side by side
over the dewy bushes. Then suddenly
she turned on him.
Don't you wish you were q woman,
Waldo?"
NO." he answered readily.
She laughed.
Il thought not. Even you are too
worldly wise for that. / never met a
man who did. This is pretty ring"
she said, holding out her little hand
that the morning sun might make the
diamonds sparkle. Worth ESQ at
least. will give it to the first man
who tells me he would like to be wo-
man. There might be one on Robin
island [lunatics at the Cape are sent
to Robin island] who would win it
perhaps, but doubt it even there. It
is delightful to be woman, but every
man thanks the Lord devoutly that he
isn't one"
She drew her hat to one side to keen
the sun out of her eyes as she walked.
Waldo looked. at her SO intently that
he stumbled over the bushes Yes, this
was his little Lyndall who had worn
the check pinafores. He saw it now,
and he walked closer beside her. They
reached the next camp.
Let us wait at this camp and watch
the Birds" she said as an ostrich hen
came bounding toward them with vel
vety wings outstretched, while far
away over the bushes che head of the
cock was visible as he sat brooding on
the eggs.
Lyndall folded her arms on the gate
bar, and Waldo threw his empty bag
on the wall and leaned beside her.
II like these BIRDS" she said; "they
share each others work and are COM
panions. Do you take an interest in
the position of women, Waldo?"
"No."
Il thought not. No one does unless
ILL.,