Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1911-03-09
A MatrOn'S
Confession
She Tells How She Gave Up her
Doll For a Lover
By EVELYN D. WILCOX
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.
By EVELYN D. WILCOX


that 10 go to store or an office every
day and attend to details such as buy
Ing and selling and shipping and fnan-
ciering and such matters that have no
Importance except for the time being
dying as fast as they are born, like GER
/ tain insects would soon wear him out.
but to sit in a library and read i'm
mortal works such as the Greek poets
and the Latin prose writer's father
READS them in the original Greek and
Latin that is a way of spending ones
time fitted not for commercial slaves,
but intellectual gentlemen.
When | was 4 child we lived-my
parents live there yet-in the country
mot far from a great city. Father had
inherited some property from his an
cestors that had been handed down
through several generations, and our
income. though small, was sufficient
for our wants. So father was at lib
Ierty to spend his time in way that he
considered profitable. l sometimes
overheard people sneering ut him for
living the life Of drone. as they ex-
pressed it. but since | have grown old
lit seems to me that even the real
idrones in n colony Of bees must have
their place in natures workshop or
they would not be there.
Another singular thing about Dame
Mature is that, while she requires years
to transform boy into a man, she will
turn girl into Il woman in a twin
When | was thirteen | was sitting one
morning on the porch at home, my doll
being in a chair beside me. Seeing a
young felow--he appeared 70 be about
seventeen come into the grounds, /
seized the combination of china, cot
ton and sawdust and flung it in an
open window behind me. There were
some books on a table near by, and,
taking up one Of them, pulling down
the short skirt of my dress at the same
time so that 1t would cover my knees,
i pretended to read
The young fellow came along by the
winding walk under the great trees
they had recently put forth that sea
sons leaves-and approached the
porch. Though my gaze was bent on
my book saw not the printed
words, but the advancing youth.
have miniature portrait made of
him al that time, and many who have
seen it have taken it for an ideal crea
ton He was tall for his years, and
his beautifully shaped head was set
on as beautiful neck, his collar be-
ing of the open sort, which showed
the thront to advantage, His face was
perfect oval, his eyes large and lus-
trous, his hair falling about his tenn
pies in disordered waves.
l have spoken from experience il
saying that Dame Nature viii turn a
girl into a woman in a twinkling Ny
own transformation did not occupy
more than minute. Within that pc
Rod | caught sight of the youth. flung
away my doll and was in love.
The newcomer paid no more atten-
ton to me than if ] had been made,
like my doll, of sawdust. | was stung
me. He rang the bell, asked for IA
Their and was shown into the house. |
went upstairs and, stationing myself
beside q window overlooking the walk
by which he must pass out of the
place, waited for him to do so When
he departed l was watching him from
behind curtains. He walked with a
satisfied step, as though he had come
for a purpose and had accomplished it,
/ wished TO so right down to the Ii
brary and learn all about the visitor
from father, but / feared TO show an
undue interest in him. | tried hard
TO wait a long while, but Eve minutes
was all my impotence would allow.
Going into the library, / pretended to
hunt for book, mt the same time
asking MS If incidentally:
"Who was your visitor, papaT
Julian Trowbridle" y
"What did he come for?"
( TO ask mc to coach him for his col
leee examination he has applied for
admission in June"
Are you going to coach himT
yes. couldn't very wen refuse.
He'' the son of my old friend Trow-
bridge, who was in college with me.
Trowhridge has devoted himself to
ignohle puNEits and got rich pulled
him through his graduating examina-
tions."
Z "Oh, my goodness graciuusr' ] said 60
myself. putting my hand To my heart
to stIl it's wild beating Then | asked,
ais he coming here for Instruction.
B Yes, every morning at H."
Z And So 7 should sec this young god
whom | had suddenly set up in my
heart every day TIN June. If father
bad known the tumult within me he
doubtless would have ordered me 20
the nursery every morning before his
pupils coming. Father had publish
ed a translation Of Ovids art OF
Love with copious notes, hut he did
not know enough about love itself ta
suspect that his own daughter had
already been pierced by one Of Gu.
pids arrows. The natural he stud
led in mis- library from the ancients.
the artificial came to him the moment
he left 1T His daughter must 20 to-
college and that meant absence or
love for seven or eight yeurs TO come