The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-12-09
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Her Born Right
By JOHN CURRAN



1t was not moment OF especial de-
preston, or when anything had gone
wrong, but one morning when she was
dressing for her Office work of the
day, that Betty Wayne discovered
that she had no reason for being
nothing to live for. AS she brushed
back to its usual neat order her still
heavy brown hair, she looked closely
into the mirror and realized that she
looked every minute of her thirty
lines about the good dark eyes, set
look about the once soft mouth. And
when she buttoned on her collar, she
suddenly realized that she had worn
that kind Of collar with that kind Of
a waist longer than she cared to re-
member. Suddenly, she felt herself
an old maid.
AS she ate breakfast in the moderate
priced boarding house her new aware
ness told her she had become a fix.
ture here. No one asked what she
wanted-they all knew. It would be
the same at the Office. Mr. Jones
would know what she could do and
how she would do it. She had fallen
into q rut. She was becoming, even
to herself, habit. She mentally
shook herself awake.
AS she took the car that morning,
she wondered what could have hap
pened to make her so suddenly dis
satisfied with herself. She was sure
she was physically we'll, health was
another habit of hers, just as it was a
habit to write letters Sundays instead
of going to church This was Friday,
she resolved to make some changes
In her routine. She would go to the
nearest place of worship on the next
Sunday
She took her place in the office at
the usual hour and worked all day.
But at noon she changed her place of
lunch1ng. And still the queer feeling
that she was somehow being cheated
came to her. She felt as il the wave
of life had receded, leaving her high
and dry on desert island of SELF She
was growing selfish Since her few
relatives had died and since she had
lost Henry, what had she thought Of
others? She looked about her keenly,
almost forgetting to eat.
What she saw was a sweet-faced
girl, blushing and dimpling shyly at
the whispered words Of the broad
shouldered, adoring-eyed young fell
low opposite. And at large table in
the center Of the little cafe-a family
A strong man, gray at the temples, a
woman, also a little gray, and three
sturdy children. They we're all turn
ing continually to the mother, the
wife. Her face was very content. She
had right to grow gray, to be less
straight than at twenty-she had
something to show for her passing
youth. She had woman's born
right. Then Betty Wayne knew.
She went back to the office with a
loneliness that gnawed at her heart.
It hurt, but it was good-it was an
awakening to life after years of a
sort Of dead numbness. What though
Henry had proved untrustworthy i?
All men were not deceitful! In shut
ting him from her life, she need not
have shut the whole Of life away from
her. There must be those, some
where, who needed her.
That night was hot, tossing, sleep
less one Had she been hard to the
one lover Of her young womanhood
Had 1t been wrong. as he had said, for
her to insist on long engagement,
both working, though in different
cities, for common end, their home
Saturday was hot, trying day. The
office closed at noon. Betty, now
hating her room where she usually
mended and did odd things on the
half-holiday, walked out upon the
street, determined not to do anything
that she commonly did Instead of
banking her check, she indorsed It.
had 1t cashed and started to find q
new place for lunch At a hot corner
she ran into two weary, w1hte-faced
girls she knew by sight from buying
goods from them.
On the instant she stopped and
smiled. acting on new and human
impulse She asked them to lunch
with her. They stared. but went
gladly.
She took the girls to a good place.
ordered substantial dinner. with
something cool for a salad and ice
cream for dessert. She told them who
she was, and her sympathy presently
had them talking freely-but she no.
ticed that they said little about them
selves.
We've the afternoon, and lucky we
have. We have to wash up our things
for next week, and look after some
kids next door. Say, Miss Wayne
you ought to see them little rats
cute an pretty In these two little
rooms, and afraid to death to move
till their father gets home Their
mothers dead"
Gladys, the girl with the immense
blond couture, took up the tale.
1.-THE girls nine and the boy six.
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