Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1908-11-25
The Girl Who Dared
10 Tell the Truth
ana Hss fAo,hs, oslled n . Case
0f harvsus pgesiTsilon

fae teft successful yeafs daring ibo
hf.i ~ Whleh she had heeh feiod AMI
81 efd dlntd ~ ovefy fU1i and
ineb ~ her iaffe faidiy t4HHaetio
iho sfte ~ ihe position BE- fnlh
8ft IN ne second for the sake ~ boz
nNl lofsunaiiit. which was made 49,
" .peiuus manner % OYelw IiHf
follieness IA egeft ono. md q tact " 81
WINS almost uncnnny NJ iis powers ~
araflnn The feelings ~ others and ~
.Iways saying and doing The fieht
tring W the right time
on the brink of The third season the
eirl sat down md took ~ Inventory of
lof STOCK IN trade Said she,
4 was born free and unc0nyen.
tlona spirit. and have sold my birth.
rirht for a mess Of popularity I was
born truthful and have learned to
lie. ! used 10 pride myself IN being
square with the world, and now |
couldn't face bare fact II my life
depended upon &C. have convcn.
tionaizcd mysrlf ~, there is scarcely
an atom of TIE real Me left | do the
things that the world expects me to
do and say the th'ngs that the world
expects me to say, and there IL moth
ing genuine In ne And what have |
got out OF It all? | am invited by
9eople who bore me to their dull en-.
tertainments. where | grin and smirk
and pretend am having a good time.
| taIl 10 u.h, bny half n upa .,
of sense in their heads and lead them
to believe that think they are charm
ing. | am on dress parade all the
time whether | feel like 1t or not, be-
-ause | know it pays to be called well
~tcomeG, and | cen literally feel my
soul shrinking and my heart whitening
Grdcr it all; yet | haven't courage or
'resence of mind enough to put an
md 10 it and be simply myself"
The girl pondered for long while,
her brow puckered into dozen lit
le Interrogation points; and finally
he rose to her feet with something
lOsely resembling a stamp, and cried
yehemen,ly, IN do it! I'll take truth
for my shield and honesty for my
buckler, end I'll fight the world with
them for my lost Individuality"
At which crisis the telephone bell
rang violently and a voice at the other
end said: "Maisie, dear, you are al
ways so lovely about helping me with
my afternoons, is it asking too much
of you to come and sing a song or two
for me tomorrow at five?"
Now or never!" the girl said to
herself, with her teeth clenched, and
then answered aloud Il am afraid II
is, Mrs. Chumley. l hate teas, you
know, and to have the responsibility
of their success or failure resting on
my voice is a good deal to ask, espe
cially since you have asked the same
thing half dozen times before"
A Mortified "Oh!-I beg your par
don-I didn't know" from the other
end of the phone and the receiver
was hung on with bang.
"Now have done it," said the girl
to herself, ruefully; but after mo-
ment she frightened up. Il feel as II
| had taken a tonic" she admitted.
"Mistuh Johnsing to see you, miss,
called the maid, tapping at her door
AT this hour? What on earth can
he want?" fretted the girl. Tell him
I'll be down in a few minutes" and
habit took her to the mirror. where
she carelessly powdered her nose, and
then as carefully brushed it off again
IF he doesn't like me with a shiny
nose it makes no difference to me,
she muttered, while the little Imp OF
Convention whispered in her ear:
You know he's the catch of the town
and your family expects you to marry
him and every other girl you know
is envious of his attentions to you"
Poor Mr.. Johnson wondered more
than once what had come over the
girl. She was blunt to brusqueness
She contradicted him where she was
wont to agree. She laughed at his
ridiculous fads which she once
praised. She Knocked his carefully
acquired accent, and finally sent him
away because he bored her." feeling
more bewildered than he had ever
felt In his life and in such an upset
state of mind that it required all the
wiles of Susan Smith, her most dan
gerous rival, to lull him to a belief
in his fiouted charms once more.
This was only the beginning OF the
girls rebellion against the conven-
tions-the poor girl, who dreamed she
might rout an armed force at the point
of an embroidery needle, and all for
the sake Of her poor little personality
1T was a splendid tonic" she sob
bingly confided to herself at the end
of the season, but l doubt If 1t bene
flied even me, and-and-I've scarcely
friend left"
Her mother told every one 1t was
a nervous breakdown. THE child
hasn't been like herself all winter,
she said alphabetically, wherever the
world could overhear. But 1t was
years before the girl could convention
alize to the point of making the world
believe she was not going to step on
It's toes whenever she came around.
Growing New Eye.
Extraordinary statements were
made at the Old Bailey in case heard