The Washington herald., 1912-02-02
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.

A letter on my desk from a country
girl reads:
Dear Mrs. Manz:
your talks have helped me so many
times that am coming to you now for
advice in a matter that means more to
me than anything else in life.
While visiting in Washington last taL
met a young man who became attracted
TO me. He has since been to see me at
my home in the country many times.
He Is. nice enough sort Of chap, out
does not greatly attract me. he mas
asked me to marry him, and hesitate
in giving him an answer. Ny heart
says no, but my loneliness here IN tne
country urges me to marry him ana
90 to the city TO live where L VIII nhd
life less dead and uninteresting.
IF refuse him see no other cnance
of escape from a continuation OF my
present monotonous life, and feel tnAt
this I could not bear for always.
Tell me, please IL you think / would
be doing the man or myself wrong 10
marry him Just because ] am lonely
here and long for few OF the good
times that seem to come to other girls?
Hoping to hear from you through the
Woman's Page, am, yours sincerely
"A COUNTRY GIRL"
This letter brings to my memory many
girls living in the country, or in little
villages, from which the boys all fly
as soon as their wings are strong enough,
going away where they may fnd better
business opportunities.
Story of Another Girl.
In just such a little village I once
knew a girl whose parents were well
enough TO do TO keep her lunoccupied,
misfortune perhaps for her. There was
a dearth of men in the little town, and
the girl was just at an age when ro-
nance runs all of life for a girl
She, too, met a young city chap who
liked her frank sweet way, and spent
much time in her company. After a little
he asked her to marry him, and she went
through much the same experience as.
the girl who has written me now for ad-
vice He was "a nice enough chap" but
she really knew very little OF him. and
was prompted in her acceptance OF his
offer Of marriage by an intense desire
to escape the lonely, uninteresting life in
the little village.
A marriage builded on such a founda-
tlon has little promise Of happiness The
alluring gayeties that look so sweet to
the country girl, when she has them not,
turn to dust and ashes when they are
bought at the price of herself.
City life looms large on the horizon
Of the lonely. uncompanioned country girl,
but they shrink pitiably with familiarity.
The girl whom 1 knew, who married a
man she didn't love just TO get away
from 4 lonely and monotonous life, found
speedily that the road she had chosen
was not one Of escape.
For the first month or two she enjoyed
the theater and the glitter of life in the
big city. but soon she began to see il
in its right proportions, not as a neces-
sty of life's happiness bdt purely as a
transitory recreation.
Face to Face with Real Issue.
After a few years the cares of home
I'm which there was no real companion
ship, and her too young motherhood, shut
out all the jolly time for which she had
married. and when she came face to face
with the real issues OF life she found
that she stood more truly alone than she
had ever stood on the dreariest hill sur
rounding her village home.
When her little hoy died she took him
there and buried hiEl in the family bury
ing lot behind the village church, and
with him she left her heart
And now when she would fee from
the unutterable loneliness Of her life with
a husband with whom she has no COM
mon ideals, she leaves the crowded streets
Of the city and goes out to the little bury
ing ground near her country home, where,
in the spring, the blue and white peril
wrinkles grown over the one satisfying
thing in all her years in the city.
And the most pitiable thing about the
whole mater is that her sacrifice was all
80 unnecessary.
There is a place in the world for the
work of any girl who has the will to do
it. She need not sell herself in marriage
for the privilege of walking a city's
streets.
If the country home does not need the