Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1914-09-18


come when they ran in to call ON me.
felt uncomfortable when the few
women who came reminded me of how
far / lived from my old haunts and
4 from their present homes, SO did not
urge them to repeat their first calls.
Men do not seem to mind ones sur
roundings, in fact scarcely appear to
notice them. And one does not feel
| that one must apologize to a man
when he has to take q long trip to
| call on one. So when Charlie Bor-
den, a young reporter to whom my
husband had been kind, got into the
habit OF running in to see me every
week, / showed him that he was well
come. He took me out to supper oc-
casionally on Sunday evenings, or for
a walk on Sunday afternoons. These
calls and outings made a break in my
round Of work, for ! was writing now
for my hving-or trying to. / know
the boy was sorry for me, and one eve
ming he said SO. We had returned
from taking supper in a downtown
restaurant, and found the apartment
dark and cold. He shivered as he
| lighted the gas In my tiny reception
room and heard the wind howl at the
windows.
Its dreary here for YOU" he said,
with embarrassment II don't suppose
you care to hear me say so. but have
a heartache when | think how lonely
you must be sometimes. And l can't
help thinking of what dandy home
you had and how happy you were
before he went"
DON'T" / said sharply Don't
talk about I'll"
| feared that l had hurt the boy
and told him was sorry. He muir
INJURED confusedly something about
wishing he could do anything to make
things easier
you DO" said gratefully, "by com
ing to see me-"
After that he came twice a week
instead Of once, | did not object /
liked the lad and remembered that
Ernest had been fond OF him. was
at my desk most of the day except
when / went downtown to try to sell
something had written. ! could not
work all the day and all the evening,
too. and found Charlie diversion.
But one spring evening, coming in
and finding me sitting alone in the
twilight, he told me that he loved me.
At first was shocked. then angry,
then bored. | tried to be kind and ex-
plain that / was ten years older than
he, woman of the world, while he
was a mere boy. He thought that he
was horribly hurt. He did not call
again for month, and then but once.
until the following October when he
came In to tell me about his engage
ment to the dearest little girl ever. "
| congratulated him, and he looked
more confused than when he had told
me he loved me, as he asked me to
try to forget the foolish mistake he
had made last spring" / tried to
make him believe that ! had forgotten
1t weeks ago.
| have mentioned this little affair
because Charlie Borden was the first
man who showed me, after my hus.
bands death, that my life was a rather
complex problem. There were, OF
course, other men, for there are al
ways men for the women who enjoy
them and are good comrades. was
not handsome, nor even pretty. But
! like men and they have always
been kind to me. ! met many of them
at this stage of my existence, and to
! their encouragement and interest In
my work | owed the fact that l got
enough writing to keep soul and body
together, and to dress the latter In de
cent clothes. Black is always safe
garb and / bought only that which
was In good style and took excellent
care of 1t.
learned very soon in my lonely
career that II one would succeed, one
must appear successful. That l had
not known that fact earlier was, per
haps, the reason one editor looked al
me patronizingly when offered him
story.
do you write because you like tC
writer he asked 'bluntly.
/ No." said TREMENDOUSLY. because
{ need the money"
II see," he replied II doubt If you
can do just the kind OF stuff we wan
for this magazine. But ! will lool
over your story"
1t came back to me in few days
with printed slip.
Later, after had had more prac
tice and had acquired a kind oil
'knack." my work provided me with
| an fneoma that liant NV xauA rata -,
body, fed and garbed But had TO be
careful of every cent. and the con
slant effort to suit the notions and
idiosyncrasieH Of magazine editors
wore on my nerves and spirits.
would come home elated one day, bu,
horribly depressed the next. There
were periods of encouragement when
almost gave up hope of making my
living with my pen. At one of these
times ] spoke my thought to my best
man friend Will Mason was older
than !, and successful In his pro
fession. He knew much of the rub
fishing business and was in touch with
many editors. | have often thought
that had he not steered me through
that first year / would never have
had the courage to continue. Late one
afternoon called at magazine Office
to offer to the editor an article / had
in mind. / had never met this editor
before, and he was not gentleman
As / unfolded my plan he threw him.
self back in his chair with contempt.
uous laugh
4 A..