Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-28
WINIFRED BLACKS
W SPECIAL ARTICLE
"a LITTLE

She thinks she can write-my dear
little friend.
And she's serious about it, so deadly
serious.
She doesn't want to scribble just to
make a living. or to add a little some
thing to her dress allowance. She
wants to lead q literary life"
She has "a message for the world"
I don't quite know what the mes
a & is and l don't believe she's ex-
actly clear on the subject herself, but
there's a message somewhere and the
worlds waiting for it, and she's oh,
so eager to deliver it!
And there's a conspiracy against
her. Nobody will buy her work.
She's been to three editors. Why,
she's even asked them to tea and in
troduced them to all sorts of really
nice people and they just bowed and
smiled and said, mo cream. thank
you" and "I1l take another of the
little cakes, please" and let it go at
that.
And her work came back-just the
same.
And she doesn't see what's the mat
ter with it. She gets quite desperate
and cynical thinking about It. But
then she remembers Keats and "Endy-
mion'' and all that sort of thing, n
how the really great geniuses' are al
wavs prosecuted or neglected or some
thing. and she takes comfort and feels
that ANYHOW she's a member Of the
little band of devoted martFrs-and
she smiles and signs and really has
quite a fine time owe it.
She Really Can't Write
But lately she is neglecting her
husband and he acts as if he were a
bit bored by it. / think he's the sort
of man who doesn't like to have people
thinking about something else when
they're talking to him. and noticed
a yearning look in the eyes OF Hus-
bands exceedingly attractive little
setnographer the other day when |
went in tt see Husband on a matter
of business.
The little stenographer isn't think
ing about something else. All she's
thinking about is Husband. and how
sort of blue and lonesome he acts.
And the worst Of it, is Husbands
Wife really can't write at all.
In the first place, she hasn't a thing
in the world to say, and in the next
place. she doesn't know how to say 1t.
But she's such a dear and she looks
so eager and wistful when she reads
YOU one Of her poems-or a bit OF tree
verse more hkely-why. you really
haven't the heart to disappoint her
when she asks you to give her your
candid opinion.
The Dangerous Thing
+ wonder what you ought to do
Ill ..h4r dbn nr1n and
sits and talks by the hour about her
longings concerning the Message and
the prosecutions she is enduring.
n would take courage to tell her the
truth. wouldn't it? Even if you didn't
tell it spitefully. even if you just said:
Honey, you're the darling of the
world. you're so sweet and so pretty
I'd like to eat you, and everybody
loves YOU and you have a gift for max
ing people ~happy-why do you want to
bother with that clicky old typewriter?
Leave that sort of thing to those who
can't do anything else"
Even if you said that in your very
best way, your most honest way, and
vour kindest way, it would hurt her
feelings and make her cross and 1t
wouldn't do the least little bit of good
in all the world.
"A little learning is a dangerous
thing
I used to think that was such a
strange saying. but now ! begin to I'M
derstand it.
There's nothing poisonous about the
little learning itself. The only thing
is that you never think it's just a lit
tie. You always think it's a whole lot
like the frog who tried to be as big
as the OK, and died trying.
But ] wish I hadn't seen the way the
very attractive stenographer was be-
ginning to be sorry for poor lonesome
Husband.