The San Francisco call., 1910-07-26
HOW WILL LIFE
LOOK AT SIXTY?
One CHEEKY Little Woman
Does Not Complain Of
Father Time
BY MARGARET M. DOYLE

IND you ever wonder what you
Il would be doing at 60? Where
you would be, what quarter of
the globe you would call home, and
with what prospects before you for
your old age? And in those mental
pictures have you ever. by any chance,
fancied yourself as along in the world,
without affection. or relatives or even
money to help along the last few
coming years? Alone. dependent on
your own resources and without po-
sition?
bright, brave little soul, facing a bar
rem future with heart so brave and
mind so keen and full of kindly
humor, that your own heart could not
but warm to her.
She is Miss Helen M. Wendell, who
makes her home at 1881 Ellis street,
and who traces her descent from line
of long and prominent ancestry
Among those whose kindship she can
claim are Governor Wentworth or
Massachusetts,, of whom she is a d.
rect descendant, and Oliver Wendell
Holmes, and as a round about connec-
tion, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In
her girlhood she moved in the eXclu-
sive circles of Boston. as we'll as IN
her own native town of Portsmouth,
NJ III. Many of her friends were liter
ary lights and her lot was cast In In
teresting as well as wealthy surround
ings.
Today she is looking for a place as
book keeper In some local business
house, and her efforts have not been
successful While she waits TO hear
of an opening she is by no means idle.
In her little dark room she is at work
upon scheme soliciting scheme for
out of town trade for business houses.
1T is an original idea of mine" she
explained, land is taking me a long
time to straighten out and arrange,
but I hope to make something out of
it in the end. 1t is form of adver-
tising for the country along unique
line, and may be 1t will sufficiently in
terest some local firm to consider it
as business proposition. l am doing
1t, however, only until l succeed in
getting a position, for you know / be-
long to the working class now"
In her upright carriage, in her trim
figure and her soft gray eyes there is
a touch of pride and of independence
that might have graced any class. And
yet she shows no longing for the past.
nothing but bright bravery that is
more mental than physical HOW dlu
she drift here?
Force of circumstances over which
had no control she herself said, with
little laugh. TT does seem long
way from the home of my girlhood.
Yet for 15 years this city has been
home to me, and has given me my bread
and butter. Sometimes the old friends
have left in the east ask me why 1
stay here, and so l write to them OF
the climate. I went back once. years
ago, and everything was changed. 1t
gave me a heart ache for three months
II think I am better here, or will be
when l get another place
Miss Wendell has been doing book
keeping for Is years, and says. that
as work goes, she likes it better than
anything else. But not wishing to
discuss her own circumstances she
veered off briskly again the great ones
she has known and the famous places
she has visited.
why don't you write a book of
reminiscences?" 1 asked.
"Reminiscences" she retorted. isn't
that what they would be in the end?
No. my day for literary labors is over.
for I did try to write once or twice.
had better now stick to what l know
well. So If you hear of a book keepers
place let me know, will you?"