The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-11-10
SHEPLAYEDA
MANS PART
By SHEILA ESTHER DUNN
Copyright. 1870 by American Press
Association.

On my way to the city. passing
box designed for receptacle for
newspapers TO be read by hospital pa
tients. | wrote on the margin Of my
paper. Hope you are better today"
gave my address in full and deposited
the gift.
Being woman and not knowing
whether the recipient would be male
or female. wrote the name so as to
be ambiguous. am Frances Kimball
and signed myself Frank Kimball.
which would lead one not knowing me
to suppose was man.
In a few days received a note
signed by Edward Bucklin. stating
that the paper had fallen into his
hands and that it had afforded him a
couple of hours entertainment Be
yond this there was something very
pleasant in occupying his fancy in
wondering what sort of fellow ! was.
He had pictured me as a middle aged
or old man-the young are naturally
selfish, he said-with benevolent face
and undoubtedly interested in char
liable work.
wrote reply. in which / refrained
from giving any information about
myself. though l asked him to go on
with his ina ginative pictures of me-
wished to know how near the truth
he would come. This elected further
reply, in which he deduced from my
one act Of thoughtfulness many vir-
tues-for instance, thoughtful man
was sure to be well poised man. and
since self control was the principal
qualification for bravery l must be
brave. By such logical deductions he
endowed me with so many fine quail
f1cations that l was very proud Of my
self. Besides. it was quite interesting
to see how he worked it out on the
supposition that was a man.
One day wrote asking him to sup
pose that a woman had sent him the
paper and deduce from this initial act
what kind of person she would be.
His reply was that such an act was
| far more within woman's realm than
| mans; therefore it did not argue that
the woman who perpetrated it was so
| far superior to others of her sex as a
man who did the same thing would be
above his. But" he continued. II
confess that I should. after all. have
appreciated it more had it come from
woman than man. and for this rea-
son: Nature has not given us the pow
er to respond to a mans sacrifice for
us as for woman's. Indeed. the man
who gives to another man is limited in
his feelings for that man. The reason
l have deduced special qualifications
from your act is that it was a wo-
mans rather than mans act. though
it by no means indicated other femi-
nine trait man can possess that
marks him for the highest type Of
man."
| received in time a note stating
that my correspondent would be dis
charged from the hospital within a
few days. That he had an identity of
his own is manifest from these words:
81 would be glad to meet you. but it
seems to me it would be far more
agreeable in the end for us both not to
come together. My reason is as have
written you. There can be nothing
demonstrative between two men. We
should shake hands coIdly. make a
few commonplace remarks to each
other and separate. Those finer feel
ings to which we have given express
sion when separated would sound
tame if spoken. In other words. our
mans nature prevents US from any
thing like expressed sentiment So /
will say gOodby to you. and God be
with YOU
! wrote him in reply that 1 did not
agree with him. that history. song and
story were each and all full of exam
pies of men whose hearts went out to
each other. What could be better proof
of this than the case of Damon and
Pythias? l closed my note with a re-.
quest that he meet me at my house on
a Sunday afternoon, Sunday being the
only day that was free.
His next note surprised me- He still
refused to meet me. ''Give up spelling
this pleasant episode he said. "by a
meeting. i confess I should not know
what to say to you. Were you wom-
an l could take you in my arms. kir-
your lips and pour out my heart 20
you-a heart which has been won b !
the delightful traits you have dis
played by the first act and by the sub
sequent correspondence"
Now. leave it to the reader if this
was not an embarrassing position for
me. Nevertheless insisted on a meet
ing and finally secured one When
went to the room where we were
to meet l found a pleasant looking
man of thirty-five, bearing evidence of
intellect. refinement and prosperity.
advanced toward him. smiling 81 am
your correspondent" said my hav-
ing permitted you to suppose that
am a man has been a source of great
interest to me. l have learned many
things that were before entirely un-
known to me-"
My smile was replied to in kind. He
did not give me the blank look Of sur
prise I had expected. and I asked
quickly:
"You did not suspect?"
"No"