Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-08-23

In the course of time having be-
come secretary to a certain somebody
he encountered In his own office a girl
who seemed to embody nearly all of
the virtues and qualities which he
thought necessary She was the daugh-
ter of very modestly circumstanced
parents who dwelt In the nearby sub
urb of -, and very capable ste
nographer. She was really pretty but
not very well Informed. a girl who ap-
peared to be practical and sensible,
hut still in leash to the tenets and In
structionS of her home, her church
and her family circle, three worlds
which were as fixed and definite and
worthy as the most enthusiastic of
those who seek to maintain the order
and virtue Of the world could have
wished For instance, she was op-
posed TO the theater dancing. night
dining or visiting In the city, as well
as anything that In her religious
world might be construed as desecra-
ton of the Sabbath. | recall him de-
scribing her narrow "as yet" but he
hoped to make her more liberal In
time. He told me that he had been
unable to win her to so simple an out
ing on the Sabbath as rowing on the
little river near her home, that never
would she stay downtown to dinner.
AS for the theater--it could not even
be mentioned. She could not and
would not dance, and looked upon
such inclinatlons In him as not only
worldly but loose and sinful. AL
though he prlded himself on being a
liberal and even radical, to her he
pretended profoun% Indifference to
such departures from conventions. He
thought her too fine and intelligent a
girl to stick to such notions. and was
doing his best to influence and en-
tighten her. BY slow degrees Che was
about the business of counting her two
or three years. he was able to bring
her to the place where she would stay
downtown for dinner on weekday,
and occasionally would attend a sa-
cred or musical concert on a Sunday
night. Also, which he considered q
great triumph, he induced her to read
certain books, especially bits Of his
tory and philosophy which he thought
liberal and which no doubt generated
some thin wisps of doubt n her own
mind.
With their marriage came a new
pn,-x - o.
more especially for her. They took a
small apartment In New York, and It
was not long before she Joined lit
erary club that was being formed In
their vicinity, where she met two rest
less, pushing, seeking women for
whom he did not care-a Mrs. Drake
and a Mrs. Munshaw, both Of whom
he insisted could be of no value to
anyone. But Bessie liked them and
spent great deal Of time with them.
| visited them at their small apart
ment about this time, and found that
she was proving very apt pupil In
the realm to which he had introduced
her. 1t was plain that she had been
emancipated from her old notions as
to the sinfulness of the stage, as well
as reading and living In general.
Wray had proved to be the Prince
Charming who had entered the secret
garden and walked the sleeping prin-
cess to a world such as she had never
dreamed Of.
Whenever he met me after this he
would confide the growing nature Of
his doubts and perplexities. Bessie
was no more like the girl he had met
In his office than he was like the boy
he had been at ten years Of age. She
was becoming more aggressive, more
tnquisitive, more self-centered. more
argumentative all the time more this.
more that. She did not like the same
plays he liked; he wanted play that
was light and amusing, and she want
ed one with some serious moral or in
tellectual twist to 1t. She read only
serious books now and was Interested
In lectures, whereas he, as he now
confessed, was more or less bored by
SSAAONS TWINS chC llheu MUSIC, or
was pretending that she did. grand
opera, recitals and that sort of thing.
whereas grand opera bored him. And
yet II he would not accompany her she
would go with one or both of those
women he was beginning to detest.
They seemed TO have no household
duties and could come and go as they
chose. II was they who were aiding
and abetting her in all these things
and stirring her up to go and do and
be. What was he to do? No good
could come If things went on as thew
were now going. They were beginning
to quarrel, and more than once lately
she had threatened to leave him and
do for herself. as he well knew she
could.
In about two months after this
Wray came to see me, and in very
distrait state Of mind. After vainly
attempting to discuss casual things
casually he confessed that Bessie had
left him. She had taken a room some
where, had gone back to work, and
would not accept any money from
him. Although he met her occasionally
In the subway she would have nothing
to do with him. And would believe
lit She was accusing him of being
narrow and ignorant and stubborn !
And only three or four years before
she had thought he was all wrong be-
cause he wanted to go rowing on Sun
dayi Could such things be? And
still ne loved her; he couldn't help t.
He recalled how sweet and innocent