The Jennings daily record., 1902-11-26
Cc tie Waves Of CHARGE.
BY F. II. LANCASTER.

(Copyrieht. 1902 by Daily Story Pub. Coz
The A.terary woman was playing the
oracle to the man CT means. He liked
her well enough She was honest,
though she did have penchant for
putting her thoughts into periods.
They never agreed: but then 1t is
rot always eXhilarating to converse
with people who say only yes and
why certainly"
Tonight the bone of contention was
the self-made man.
f'There isn't such a thing" she de-
clared. Il ct me show you how this
sef-manufacturiug business appears
when you get it into a focus: We
really have rot much say so about
what we are gcirg TO do and what
we are no, going TO do. We are wash
ed or snOre by the waves OF chance,
! anG because we were furnished before
hand with roots predetermined to
strike into the sell. and because the
soil happens to suit the roots. we
stick where we are tossed, make
goodly growth and cry out to all be-
holders See what l have done by
my lone self II the soil doesn't
happen to suit sur roots, we shrlvel
instead of fourishing; we tap each
passerby on the shoulder and whisper
TO him that this is the Lords doing"
He interrupted her with an impa.
tient movement and the woman
laughed laZily.
Not very tiattering, eh?"
1T is not true
True enough. and growing truer
every day. Take this terribly tor
mented question of matrimony. How
many men and women out of hun
! dred couples do you suppose sought
each other deliberately? They just
hauDened to meet ard happened to
| fall in love and happened to marry. If
/ the marriage turns out well, why, it
is their doing; if they drift into the
( divorce court, the Lord gets the
/ credit for the whole of it-'Mysterious
! Providence"
! She laughed at his disguised frown.
! You are like all the other women
| of to-day" he remarked. Even while
! you stand before the altar you have
! the divorce court in clear perspec-
tive
! Il am not standing before the altar
! she cut in dryly. "and don't expect to
be for one long. sweet wnile. What is
more; the women who are fiocking
! 10 the divorce court aren't the women
! If to-day. They are the women OF
! yesterday and last year. The sight OF
| our freedom has made them feel their
letters"
DO you honestly believe that?"
'W'hat?"
THAT the unmarried woman has a
better showing in life than the mar
red woman"
Eighty per cent of the divorce suits
are brought by women"
That proves nothing. Breach OF
promise suits are also brought by
women
The literary woman shrugged her
shoulders.
1t isn't human nature to know
when j, is we'll off.
"TAen what about divorce?"
Just so: better be dog and sleep
on the door-mat. than divorced
woman. But you and ! know that
there are horribly unhappy married
WON an-lots of them"
There are unhappy women in all
walks OF Lille"
Granted. But when the weather
grows too foul for the single woman
she can blow out her light. The
mother must live for her children"
The man Of means got up and kick
ed the smouldering log in gloomy abb
strac,ic--.
You claim in all sincerity that the
seIf-supporting woman is the happest
on the ayerase?'
You have said"
That even if she loved tAe man
who loved her. a woman would be un-
wise TO marry?'
"Oh, if she loves him she had better
marry him. Not because it will be
the best thing for her, but because il
she doesn't, she will go through life
convinced that she has missed the
biggest thing in it, II she is familiar