Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-23

damned afraid that I'd do somethir
for other folks that'd interfere wit
my blessed happiness OF spoil m
shape. Because was brough. up b
hellioh that'd should have bee
covered with black blotches from
harness tug for teaching me that
woman's place in life was to g.
around with stuffed club in he
skirts loaded to the point of explosion
because some man might be treadim
on, her rights. BY God! Rights! Al
tho, rights most Of the women now
adays need is the right to have thci1
hearts. broken and their souls al
manglcd and cut up SOS they cal
know the meaning of fellow-feeline
and home-lovc and sympathy. Be
cause, when a woman's a woman first
and other things afterward, George
she doesn't need to worry none about
her rights. She'll get her rights
all right, without hiring any halls
OF buying any brass bands OF break
ing up homes or going out and grab
bling mans pay-cnvelopc!"
The waiter came With the drinks
and Mibb took three at once. Prompt
ly che became still more hystcrical.
"Look at me, George! You'd never
think I'd ever been famous lady,
would you, George? You'd never
think I'd come from sweet, pure,
little town up in the hills of New
England and been married to a good
man with money enough once to buy
this street? You'd never think I'd
had II home with fourteen rooms and
three baths and lawn where you
could hold moving picture carnival?
Never think I'd been to Europe four
times and spent more money on
jcwclry in Il week than I'll earn now
for the rest of my life? Never think
all those things, would you, George?
I'm II beauty now, amt l George?
I've Il face like Il pan of dough and
a shape like bundle of iniquity!
I've got home that stinks of straw
mating and slops, and jewelry now
that Woolworth lays in by the ton.
I've got all the happiness out of life
that life has to give excepting the
happiness that comes from sacrifice
and repression and generosity. I've
been thirty years carefully avoiding
the unpleasant things in lifc--and
met suddenly the brink of the preci-
picc that yawns down into the chasms
of abandon!"
The fraycd poodle watched her
furtivcly; he began to dismiss
thoughts of getting that five with
Mibb in such state and momen-
tarily growing worse.
otis all right to have Il good time
while your young, George! It's
smart to call the girls who marry for
love and settle down quietly into
homes slow and laugh at them
for being content to struggle on with
only fifteen a week in the mans
envelope. It's quite the proper thing
thing to avoid having babies and
keeping your figure and follow the
styles and live generally on the
while others are
growing care-worn and anxious
eyed with the struggle and the worry.
It's all right--for a time, George!
But it's all mess of tin
sci and mummery and bad taste
in your mouth, the morning after,
George. There's old age to be reck-
oned with; there's time to be taken
into consideration. And time asks
its pound of flesh and the years find
your pals all gone. And the nights
arc quiet and lonely, George, and the
lays drag by in a mockery. Oh God!
God! God! I'd give more for one
'ackcd, twisted, furrowcd-faccd,
,narlcd-fngercd, sock-darnin', food
hymn-singin' old woman
'eachin' the Empty Years at last but
With her brats grown up around her
INTO strong men and gentle women,
han all the silver-slippercd, low
lcckcd, fizz&c-hcadcd sissics you can
ind from Grants Tomb to Bowlin'
irccnw .
Don't Mibb. You're crossin' your
thinks bad, by ordcrin' that"
"Lct me. alone, George! l know
that I'm dom. About thirty years
lgo tonight, it was, made bet with
Nary Purse that I'd beat her hands
lown at the game Of matrimony when
ZACH of us were ffty-scvcn. made
hat bet, George. But I've lost it.
We had my fling, George. I've had
ny rights I've been entitled to live
ny own life in my own way and I've
onc it. And it's gall in my heart,
NORWOOD in my soulw
Her voice had become high and
Wild. People turned and stared. RI
George saw his opportunity was lost
nd slipped away. At the cashiers s
csk man summoned burly
'aitcr.
THAT'S enough Of that, over there I
t the corner table. This is re- {
pcctablc place, Zclf" pt
"It's Il down-and-outcr trying to
ell the world the sad story of her
asst life"
go over and tell her to take u
ak" ,
. The waiter came across to Mabel
le said harsh things to her; he made
= all too plain how undesirable was S