South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-04
BY MABEL HERBERT URNEK.

Ia moderate fee I know 1 could do
this work. and would love to do il.
ESut again comes the question of get
ting customers. J would have TO adj
vertise and that would be expensive.
Mother, what do other women do?
Think of all the women who are left
widowed, or whose husbands desert
them. women who are no better train
ed for bread-winning than L. How do
they get along? Surely there must be
some way What was it that Sally
Hewitt cid? You remember her hus-
band was killed in that accident and
left her with two little children. She
moved to Chicago and went into some
kind of business. What was it? Write
me if you know.
Irene Thompson took an agency for
some children's books, didn't she? But
oh. mother. 1 couldn't sell anything!
/ would rather go out and scrub than
to be a book agent-or any other kind
where canvassing is required.
Oh, suppose l am getting morbid.
but / am thinking of these things all
the time. Last night / couldn't sleep
for picturing myself seeking one po-
sition after another. And then / pic
tured the hall rooms of the dingy
boarding houses that l would probably
have to i've in. OF course everything
seems worse at night-yet the horror
OF il has neen with me all day.
I haven't answered Warren's letter
yet-but / am going to now. l thought
would have more courage if l wrote
YOU first. / shall make il very brief
merely say that until he returns / have
decided 10 let Mrs. Morrison keep the
room.
don't know what he will say or
do have never disobeyed him but
he has simply gOaded me on TO this.
= of Gplf-rPCnRNt
1 have no choice.
Mother. / know what you are going
to write-fOr me TO come home, that
] can always have home with you
and father. But l can never do that,
at least for more than a visit. / know
how little father has. and how you
have 10 struggle TO get along as it is.
So ] could never infiict myself and
Winifred on YOU in that way. even the
book agency would be better than that.
You will say that l am morbid TO
think of such things-and perhaps /
am But tonight the whole world
seems black-and l have never felt so
much alone Somehow I feel that l
stand alone in a way I never did be-
fore And it frightens me.
Forgive me for writing this letter.
il is selfish know. but l had to. There
is no one else in whom 1 can confide.
Lovingly your daughter
Helen folded and enclosed this letter
in it's envelope and then took a fresh
sheet of paper. She did not hesitate.
She wrote rapidly for each word in
the Letter was clearly fixed in her mind.
In the sleepless hours of the night be-
fore she had gone over it again and
again.
Dear Warren:
/ have decided to let Mrs. Morrison
keep the room. I see no reason why
/ should send her away until you re-
turn. She Is very quiet and no trouble
and pays her rent promptly, and l did
need il in many ways.
am sorry your mother thought it
necessary to miscOnstrue and eXag-
gerate everything I said. OF course.
know she has never liked or approx
ed Of me, but 7 did not think h-v an
tagonism would go TO such length.
I will not try to write any more to-
night. After your letter and your
mothers there seems nothing else for
me to sav HELEN.