Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-07-05
HER EXPERIMENT
By JANE MCLEAN.

s' said Tessie, despondently. "All these people who write about the beautiful things that happen don't know, that's all i; they've never been up against it.' Her companion did not answer al at once. She was walking along al Tessie's side, thinking about the words that had just been spoken. Were they true? If so, what was the use of il all?
 Tessie was speaking again.
 "YOu know, some of us girls was wondering the other night how yot stand for it. You don't seem like the rest of us, and yet you don't do hall the complainin' we do."
 The other girl smiled at this.
 Complaining doesn't do any good"
 "Yes, it does it seems to help things if a lot of us get together and talk about our troubles.'
 "You think it does, but it really doesn't help. Things are just as ba( after you go back to them again.
 The speaker was slight, dark girl She had thoughtful eyes and a rounded aristocratic little chin. She was differ ent from Tessie, who was worke, and whose people were workers. She looked as though she had come from I; different world, and had known diff ferent people, and yet she worked next to Tessie at the ribbon counter.
 "What do you think about it all? Tessie asked, suddenly.
 The other girl turned to her. "l wonder if it would help you if I told you what I really do think?''
 "Sure it would," the other girl re- sponded. "Here we've been walkin home together for two weeks now, and you've never said what you think right out"
 "If do tell you, Tessie, you won't speak of it to the other girls, will you?'
 Tessie promised quickly, almost breathlessly, and the other girl smiled again, her smile that somehow carried more in it than the ordinary smile of q girl of her age.
 "Well, Tessie, came down here be. cause l wanted to know more about life. l thought that the life was lead. ing was too narrow" .sr
 "You mean you don't have to work if you don't want to?" Tessie spoke suspiciously. There is nothing that so frightens working girl and so quick ly places her on guard as the thought that she is being made material of in one way or another.
 "No, don't have to work" the other girl returned. "but don't misunder- stand, Tessie. I didn't come down here to find out about you, 4 came to find out about myself. Oh, you haven't any idea how I hated lifesat-holn finally came to the conclusion that nothing could be worse than a life where l couldn't think my own thoughts. ] wanted to be free, so I''just cut away from it all and came down town and got position in stcre.''
 Hike one of those society girls who want to find out about us girls who york; said Tessie bitterly.
 "No, not a bit like that,'' the other girl responded.
 "Why not? You're just like them. having play time now, and going back to the gay life when you're tired of it all."
 But I'm not going back to it.''
 Tessie stopped for a moment on the street and stared, then she walked on in silence.
 "Tm not going back to the old life, Tessie, because I've found something in this that the old life never had"
 Tessie laughed mirthless little laugh.
 '"That's joke!" she exclaimed. "It must be lot of fun for you to get up early and work all day for just enough to cover yourself and keep life going."
 But it isn't just that that counts We don't have to stay at ribbon ccun- ter all our lives, Tessie. Why, do you know that have found something in this life that never had in the old? I've found a friend, real friend. May be you think that doesn't mean solile- thing to me-"
 Tessie reddened and a shy smile crept across her sullen little face.
 "We have been sort of pals, haven't we?" she said softly.
 "That's just it," the other girl re- sponded. And we live our own lives in sense, because we're not hanpered with the old conventionalities that close one in up where I lived. We're definite personalities, each with chance to fight for survival. And we're going to fight, Tessie, do you hear, you and are both going to fight for our ex- istence, and that's all that really mat ters. You're with me, aren't you?"
 And Tessie, who did not quite under stand it yet, felt suddenly great flame of courage, something new to her cOlOrlQSS 1itt1p 1ifo Souothip~ n .,no,+