The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-07-15
ANY GIRL-AS TOLD
BY MARGARET WAVERLY
(Continued.)

am writing like mad on
Paula's story, little book, and
think it is quite the best medi-
cine l can take as it keeps me
from thinking Of that sword of
Damocles that Is hanging over
me with the surety that before
long the hair will break and the
sword descend. Paula's story in
terests me very much at times, l
said to her. 1T does not seem
possible that you could have had
all these troubles while trying to
earn your own living. Your expe-
rience must have been unique"
Il don't think so, Margie. /
have listened to the experiences
of whole army of women
workers, stenographers, shop
girls, actresses, cloak models,
factory girls, domestics, nurses,
chorus girls, newspaper women,
in fact every girl with whom Il
came in contact during the two
years that l was trying to support
myself, and they told me about
the same story"
ut is, l suppose, the working
of great cosmic urge which
knows no morals. no human de-
NAL that makes man think wom-
an is his to do with what he
will"
But at that, l think the world
is growing better as we learn
more and more about ourselves.
"Our children, both boys and
girls, are being taught the differ
ence between right and wrong,
their children will do right not
from hope Of reward or fear of
consequences, but because it is
right.
when the time comes that
all sins against the moral law
are known to be sins, whether
they are committed by q man or
a woman, we will have taken the
great stride forward, and Mar
gle, we are getting nearer that
every day."
l thought of that conversation
with Paula as l read the next
installment of my story of her
life in the paper the next morn
ing. 1t impressed me more than
when | wrote her story for Pat.
In some way things look differ
ent in cold type. 1t began: "Of
course Aunt Rachel was perfect
ly furious when she knew that |
had really refused to marry Mr..
Montgomery. Again she gave me
to understand that / could not
possibly live with her. AS she
had two daughters to marry off,
she was not going to have me
complicate matters.
with her check for $500 in
my pocket, l felt pretty inde-
pendent. You see, my dear, / did
not yet realize when this was
gone more was not coming from
some unknown source. so | said,
Don't worry, Aunt Rachel, | am
not going to stay in this town
long. am going either to New
York or some other eastern city
and get something to do. She
looked at me rather pityingly, it
was really the first sympathetic
expression / had seen in her face
since | came home.
Why will you be such a
fool, child she said, when the
Montgomery marriage would ad-
Just things so easily and so per-
fectIy?'
Yesterday sent Jeff the
money l had borrowed from
him on the train and re-
ceived in return a little note of
sympathy in which with rare
delicacy he spoke of my great
loss in the loss of my father and
mother.
II would like very much to
talk with you before l 60 back
to college," he said.
"Margie. there was something
so decent in his tone that / wrote
him to come over as soon as he
could" In the meantime Georg-
cite had volunteered the infor-
nation that she had seen Jeff
Perrigreen on the street that
morning.
By the way, Paula she
said, I expect that you like all
the rest of the girls, are sorry
you snubbed poor, red-headed,
freckle-faced Jeff when we all