Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-11

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broad white hat. To Waldo she SEEM
ed superbly attired. She saw it. my
dress has changed a little" she said,
"and I also. but not to you. Hang the
bag over your other shoulder that I
may see your face. You say SO littld
that If one does not look at you you
are an uncomprehended cipher. Waldo
changed the bag, and they walked on
side by side. '.You have improved"
she said. 'Do you know that have
sometimes wished to see you while I
was away; not often, but still some
times?"
They were ut the gate of the first
camp now. Waldo threw over the bag
Of mealies. and they walked on over
the dewy ground.
"Have you learned much?" he asked
her simply, remembering how she had
once said, when come back again,
shall know everything that human
being can"
She laughed.
care you thinking Of my old boast7
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 a very great fool, for they
one of his forefathers possessed it be-
fore him. In the second place, have
discovered that of all cursed places UNI
der the sun, where the hungriest soul
can handy pick up few grains Of
knowledge, q girls boarding school ID
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 a
human soul be crushed? I 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"
sWere you miserable?' he asked,
looking ut her with quick anxiety.
Il? No. am never miserable and.
never happy. wish were. But
should have run away from the place
on the fourth day and hired myself to
the first Boer woman whose farm I
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
mp with cnckling old women who are
without knowledge ofalife. 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 made them give me
room. told them l should leave, and
they knew came there on, my own ac-
count. SO they gave me Il bedroom
without the companionship of one OF
those things that were having their
brains slowly diluted and squeezed OUT
Of them. | 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
SSNSA
would have made better in five min
utes Went to my room With the
money saved from such work bought
books and newspapers, and at night
sat up. i read and epitomized what
read, and 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 great deal more. | made ac-
,quaintances. saw 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 expected, but
have learned something else. What
have you been doingY'
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.
II 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 sland] 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
10 oh NH To !