The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-11-03

On my way to the city passing a
box designed for d receptacle for
newspapers 70 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.
4 Being a 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 a man.
In few days / received note
signed BY Edward Bucklin, stating
that the paper had fallen into his
hands and that it had afforded him
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 mantle young are naturally
selfish, he said with a benevolent face
and undoubtedly interested in char
table work.
l wrote a reply. in which l RETAINED
from giving any Information about
Anysen, though ! asked him to 90 on
with his imaginative pictures Of me.
] wished to know how near the truth
he would come This elected a further
reply In which he deduced from my
one act Of thoughtfulness many vir-
tues for instance, a thoughtful man
was sure to be n we'll poised man, and
since self control was the principal
qualification for bravery / must be
brave. By such logical deductions he
endowed me with SO many fine quail
fcatlons that | WAS very proud Of my
self Besides, Il was quite interesting
70 see how he worked it cut on the
erpposition that ! WAS a man
Ole day / wrote asking him to sup
pose that woman had sent him the
paper and dcduce from this initial act
what kind Of person she would he
His reply y0s that such an act was
far more within womans realm than
mans: therefore it did not argue that
the woman who perpetrated it was so
far superior 10 others of her sex as a
man who did the same thing would he
above his. But" he continued, II
confess that I should, after all, have
appreciated it more had it come from
a woman than man, ana fer this roa
son; Nature has not given Us the pow
er to respond 10 mans sacrifice for
us rs for woman's. indeed, the man
who gives to another man is limited in
his feelings Tor that man The reason
] hive deduced special qualifications
from your att IS that It was a wo-
mans rather than 4 mans act though
It by no means indicated other femi-
nine traits. Indeed, it is the one femi.
niue trait man can possess that
marks him for the highest type Of
man"
| received in time q 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:
Il 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 I have
written you There can be nothing
demonstratiye between two men. We
should shake hands coldly. make
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 l
win say goodby TO you, and God be
with you"
l wrote him in reply that I 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