The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-08
BEGUN DECEMBER 20, 1899.
limited number of back pa pers on hand
CONTINUED from last week

some souls SO compressed that they
would have fitted into a 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. am never miserable and
never happy. ! wish l were. But /
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 had to live as the rest Of the
drove did. Can 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 them2 1t
is suffocation only to breathe the air
they breathe. but made them give me
room. l told them l should leave, and
they knew l came there on my own &C
count. So they gave me a bedroom
without the companionship of one of
brains slowly diluted and squeezed out
of them. l did not learn music, be-
cause l 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 l went to my room. With the
money saved from such work bought
books and newspapers, and at night l
sat up. l read and epitomized what
read, and l found time to write some
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 a great deal more. l made &C
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. / have
not learned what l expected, but l
have learned something else. What
have you been doing?
Nothing"
"That is not possible. l 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 a woman,
Waldo"
NO." he answered readily.
She laughed.
81 thought not. Even you are too
worldly wise for that. l never met a
man who did. This is a pretty ring"
she said, holding out her little hand
that the morning sun might make the
diamonds sparkle. Worth ESQ at
least. l 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. 1t
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 keep
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.
Ta<, of = foh
the BIRDS" she said as an ostrich hen
came bounding toward them with VEL
vety wings outstretched, while far
away over the bushes the 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.
81 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"
mo"
81 thought not. No one does unless
they are in need of a subject upon
which to show their wit. And as for
you, from Of old you can see nothing
that is not separated from you by a
few millions Of miles and strewed over
with mystery. If women were the in
Ihabitants of Jupiter, of whom you had
happened to hear something, you
would pore over us and our condition
night and day, but because we are be-
fore your eyes you never look at us.
You care nothing that this is ragged
and ugly" she said, putting her little
finger on his sleeve, ''but you strive
nightly to make an imaginary leaf
on an old stick beautiful. Pm sorry
you don't care for the position of wo-
men. I should have liked us to be
friends, and it is the only thing about
which think much or feel much, If,
indeed, have any feeling about any
thing" she added 1ippantly, readjust-
ing her dainty little arms. when was
a baby, fancy my parents left me out
in the frost one night, and got nip
ped internally. It feels So"
ST have only few old thoughts" he
said. "and I think them over and
over again. always beginning where ]