The Mena weekly star., 1909-07-15
THE GIRLS TIGHT HANDS WERE cLENcH. ED ON THE BACK OF THE CHAIR BY
 WHICH SHE STOOD.

"Elba, can point you to a way far more honorable, and you will find in the end, far happier. '
 "Then go gladly. There is little to entice me, the way I am drifting" :" Again she dropped wearily into her chair, as though tired of the battle with Fate.
 4 glad light dawned on the man s face He said quickly, "Go home with me, un til-"
 asAnd eat the bread of charity. No, no, could never do that.
 She raised her hand deprecatingly, and averted her face.
 "Better the bread of charity than sin, Elba. !"
 The delicate face was not colorless now. A crimson tide swept from brow and tenn pie, to throat The girl voice was un- steady.
 "Judge Latham, you forget that my marriage"
 "Cordones the offence in the sight of the world, admit. But you forget child, there is day coming when Judge pur- CT and holier, will sit in the judicial chair. But hear me through before you enter your pratest. Make my house your home until you can make one for your self. This you can easily do, with It. tie training. I can get you position which you can fill. with credit to your self and justice to your employers '
 "Alice and Maggie" he went on, twill help Sou with pleasure. The former has fitted herself to fill the chair of mathematics in the B. university. The latter, young as she is, with only one year of training in business college, commands salary far exceeding her most sanguine expectations. Your charge of injustice to girls. l can't dis pute. but in rearing mine, I have en- deavored to avoid the great mistake made by so many of my countrymen. There will be revolution in the South. Indeed, the wheel has already begun to revolve The false idea of idle refinement is giv- ing place to the nobler sentiment of hon orable labor.
 eThat may be true, Judge Latham, but like the mills of the gods, the wheel turns slowly. The sentiment may have knocked at the door of common sense and reason, but not with force sufficient to effect welcome entrance. No, no, Judge Latham, were l to refuse this of for of marriage, with all of it's advan- tages, and settle down into school room drudge or an office clerk, this same semi-revolutionized society, with it's flcdgeIing ideas of honorable toll, noble independence, ld all that sort of thing, would speak pityingly perhaps approy- ingly of me as twentieth century he roine, and, cloaing it's doors still more firmly lest presume upon that pity for recognition, straightway forget me. Whereas, if I marry this boor-as you term bim--this same society will open it's doors with d hearty welcome, toast and fete me to surfeiting. I will be hailed as one of the favored four hundred and count only one more in the ranks of per iured women. But, for the sake of ar gument, suppose I choose to become a worker, it would require months, per haps years, to prepare myself to fill any position creditably and satisfactorily. In the meantime what is to become of Jes' sic and me9 For her, chiefly, I'm mak ing this sacrifice. She is dying for com forts which I am unable to give her. hope of taking her to some health resort prompts me I am called accomplished. Less than three years ago l graduated with honors, play and sing, I paint and recite. yet of the art of impartihg this knowledge to others, am as ignorant as q child of six years is of cohae sections pr Sanscrit. There is nothing practical about me Like the majority of the girls who are sent to fashionable schools, have gained smattering of many tbings. the full knowledge of nothing. To nreparc myself to cope successfully with inc business women and men of today, would have to start at the beginning. have viewed this matter from every s,andpoirt I know better than any one living all gain or lose by accepting or rejecting this offer. MetaphorIeaiiy scsaking. on tomorrow's breeze will be