The Topeka state journal., 1922-06-13
Dorothy Dix Talks
The Good Old Summer Time-s
BIZ DOROTHY DIX
Worlds nEhess Paid W0nsn WrasnR'

The Good Old Summer T1me-2
Sometimes. it isn't one of the preda-
tory women with whom man chuIns
up when his wife is away. 1t is a good
girl. Perhaps one of his employees
Perhaps a waitress at some little res
taurant where he gets his lunch She
is pretty and fresh, and she hasn
had much pleasure in her hard lifes
and she enjoys things like child, anu
he gets in the way of taking her ABOUT
with him. And he seems like prince
to her, and when the time comes TO
say goodbye to the summer girl ne
finds out to his CONSERVATION that she
has fallen in love with him.
And the man didn't mean to get
hurt himself, or to hurt anybody else
and he is staggered by the bill with
fate that he has been fool enough TO
run up just because it was summer
time.
Women are not wiser, or more
prudent. Every summer resort buzzes
with scandal because the women who
are models of propriety at home ia
winter. kick over the traces when they
are abroad in the dog days.
Mothers let their children run wild
while they spoon with some calloW
youth, young enough to be their son,
altho they well know that by so doing
they are throwing their reputation to
the hotel veranada cats to tear to
pieces, for at a summer resort no
woman with daughter ever forgives
a married woman for grabbing off a
man.
In the summer women play bridge
for stakes that would make their hair
stand on end with horror in the win
ter, and run up gambling debts that
they have to pawn their jewels to pay.
and lie to their husbands about when
they get home.
And in particular, in summer, wo-
men babble with drunken irresponsi-
bility, and tell the things they should
have their tongues cut out for re-
| peating. They don't know why them
selves, but just because it is twilight
or bedtime, and a woman finds her
self sitting by some sympathetic wo-
man who is a good listener, she will
! tell to a perfect stranger, family Sc
crets that disgrace those nearest and
dearest to her, and confide the story
of her own life, and things about her
husband that he would rather die than
have known.
Many a woman lies awake winter
nights remembering the things she
told in the summer, and praying the
gods that the woman she confided in
has a short memory, or doesn't know
anyone in her home town.
If grown men and women with
knowledge of the world and exper-
ience of life, pack away their discre-
| ton in moth balls with their winter
OvercoatS and furs, who shall blame
the young for the follies they commit
in summer? Who shall wonder at
decent girls picking up chance ac-
quaintances, or having love affairs
with men of whom they know nothing,
and who turn out to be unreformed
jail birds?
Who shall marvel that nice girls are
silly enough to let themselves be
snapshoteds in sentimental attitudes
that meant nothing on lark, but look
compromising when viewed in the cold
light of a winters day. Or that they
write love notes that papa has to buy
back at a high price?
Perhaps the great refrain of the
summer is why did do It? Why
Did 1 Do It?" Nobody knows the
answer but the warning is unmistak-
able.
Don't do a thing in summer that
you will be ashamed to remember in
winter.