The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1914-03-19
(From the New York Sum-

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What do country girls miss in the
city Oh, what don't they miss" said
the country born and bred woman who
now holds a responsible business post
in New York.
IL came to New York is years ago
to hustle for a job" she went on. Il
went to the employment department
of the typewriter concern whose ma
chine had used and in three days l
secured a place at SIS week. You
see l not only could takes notes and
read them, but had a vocabulary.
Country girls as rule know more
than city girls; they have more leisure
for reading and they inherit a thirst
for knowledge.
81 like the city, with it's teeming,
throbbng life, its vast army of strug-
glers. its takers and it's drones.
enjoy the beautiful music, good the
aters, picture galleries and all the fine
art one has opportunities to study
here, and have gone up from SIS
week until the folks up in the country
think my salary princely.
But those Is years of city life have
put white ribbons in my hair, rosettes
at the corners of my eyes and mouth
and ACCORDION plating across my fore
head. | never go to bed at night with
out wishing l could look out the win
dows at home and see the fields sleep
ing under the quiet stars, smell the
sweet night air and hear the lullaby
of insects and the trees snoring, now
loud, now soft, as the wind rises or
falls.
ut takes years for the country bred
girl to lose certain unconscious self
consciousness in crowd of people,
nerve tension, the feeling that she
must be always on the alert. 1t was
10 years before | could relax and rest
in street car or walk the street
hltiOut LChoC illusNlCo. uotu " ny
home to my boarding house at night
almost frantic from the nervous strain
of being constantly among SO many
people. Safe in my own room, with
the key turned between me and>all the
rest of cackling, restless humanity,
could throw myself down and rest,
THE noise and the smells were in
tolerable at first. The food, too, was
trial. Accustomed to everything
fresh from the earth or the vine, my
palate revolted at the wilted, stale
vegetables, without sweetness or
flavor, boxes of berries crushed and
mouldy on the bottom, butter that
tasted like lard, milk doctored to keep
it sweet for days and whipped cream
bitter with age and stiffened with
gelatine.
But what do / miss most? Well.
always there was river.
I'VE rode and fished on the river,
IOuC up anu w" lhC NdiiCy anu DoSh
over the hills, played croquette and
tennis, drove 10 miles to town, feeling
our way through mist and rain or GID
ing over ice and snow to attend the
assemblies, where we met friends such
as the ordinary city person never see.
1--WE danced until the wee sma'
hours and broke up with the Virginia
reel, in which everybody Joined and
had genuine frolic. When the coun
try contingent reached home it was
time to put on our everyday clothes
and go to work; but we didn't mint
that. We hummed the nights music
and tripped some Of the dances all da!
and went to bed with the chickens
The next morning we were all RICH
again You see, they didn't come Of
ten enough to ravel our nerves.
What can the city give to compare
with the simple, wholesome joys o
the country" with a wistful look IL
her eyes. Fishing was our grea
sport You dressed for 1t, for the fla
bottomed boats always had water IL
them, no matter how careful 20,
baled, and the weeds along the rivel
bank were waist high.
"One rainy night we asked the hired
man to go with US after bullheads ant
told him to meet us at the orchard
gate after supper and chores were
over. AS we went single file along
the narrow path through the corn oul
figures were indistinct shapes in the
early dusk-we had counted on that
But when we reached home, elatet
with our big catch, we indiscreety
walked into the circle of the kitchen
lamp and the hired man discovered t
II his vast amusement that we wore ole