Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-01-13
CHAPTER 1.
YOUNG LONELINESS.
The Girls Story.

"A sweetheart's waiting somewhere
for every soul>aive!" they say.
If only it we're true! All I say is
"If there is the sweetheart, why al |
l meet him?"
For oh. 1 am so lonely, and the days
do drag. and-would people think
that I, Julia Parry. aged eighteen, was
q horrid little thing to say all this?
Isn't it natural to feel it? Or am
I a disgrace to my sex. Anyhow l
only say it here. Never would 1 adj
NIT anywhere else. At the office they
think I'm a baby isnoramus just up
from the country. At home-welI,
dear old Grannie never realizes I've
altered from the little girl Of eight
that l was when I came to her. When
l get back from work, she still smiles
at me over her s~pectacles and asks
Have you had a happy day, Dear?"
whats her idea. I wonder, of a
Happy" day?
She pours out my tea, making it
washy and tepid with milk. because
strong tea upsets young nerves"
Then she says Dear, DEAR! I've got
my knitting in SUCH a muddle. l
wonder II you could pick up these
stitches, Julia? No. not now, my
dear. Presently will do. Finish your
tea. Have you got everything you
want?" ~
Everything L want?
l feel inclined to cry-"Oh, Gran
ME. l
am just full Of the biggest wish in
the world for what 1 want! Oh, ii you
knew how lam longing for a little bit
of Romance in my life, for a love-
story Of my own. or for even a nice
boy-friend to talk to, to be chummy
with, to &c about with as other girls
do" Z
Mercy! How petrified Grannie
this out aloud. instead of keeping it
bottled up inside my heart as I sit
there looking like every other sensi-
Bile, "well-brought up" lady-like
young girl. To think that in all my
life I've never had any young men
to talk to. not even brothers! 1t
sounds impossible, but you'd know it
was true if you'd seen the village
where Grannie brought me up before
we actually move to London-where
we didn't know a soul. Except
young Mr.. Lewis, the head Of my
office. Grannie calls him that be-
cause she was at school with his
mother. He is forty-two, and not bad.
l go to his office near Westminster
every day from half-past nine TO- Ave
and I earn what seems an enormous
lot of money to me; thirty-three shil-
lings a week! I have bought myself
a quite 'twee little hat of violet vel
vet
\ But what's a becoming hat when
there's nobody to wear it for?
One girl in our room is engaged.
The other always laughs Engaged?
Me? No fear! Not until I've had a
top-hole time first!"
She gets taken out to dinner by q
new young man four evenings a week!
] shouldn't want that JUS one boy
chum OF my very W hat l could
like better than anyone I'd seen: that's
what would be lovely! And not these
smart restaurants where the food was
so wonderful 1t would brighten me,
and where I'd have to wear a frock
costing me my salary for three
months! No. just to be together with
q dear boy who thought I was the
only girl in the world, and who would
look like
Yes; here comes q secret. I have
seen the exact kind of boy to look at
that I would like. This very morn
ing he passed me in the street as I
was walking to my bus. He was GO
ing towards Paddington. Very tall,
with a face like a shy schoot-boy ana
a silver badge in the .button-hole Of
his overcoat that looked as II 1t had
been put away before the War and as
II he'd grown broader since. A soft
grey hat with a black band; blue
eyes. As he passed me- No, Of course
he didn't stare. He wasn't that sort.
He just looked straight at nj once:
as il he did rather like my hat.
Or am I imagining this?
He raj Just "a ship that passed"
but I couldn't help liking that glimpse
Of his face: his expression was 30
frank and boyish and yet rather sad
AS II he were going about missing
something.
] wonder what?
/ can't help wishing ISknew him.
COR is this forward7)
How nice II he were someone to
whom I could smile and nod rs We
passed! A tiny thing like that would
make the whole day less dull for me.
Cor am I ridiculousD How Jolly IL