Shoshone journal., 1923-07-13

neeu NOT be rich; she might e,o, ~
poor so many women were doa,,D.
nls' VI at ieast light and flighty tbev
eouid not help serious man to sno
-o II they would. Everywhere ~
course was the worthy girl whom -
was an honor to marry. and II was
one OF these he was going 70 oho"ao vas
nut even with one such it was neces
sary 10 exercise care; she might no
100 narrow and conventional
In the course of time having ho
come secretary to a certain so,,oIo,,,.
ne encountered In his own office a g.rl
VINO seemed to embody nearly all ~
'he virtues and qualities which no
thought necessary She was the dangb,
Ter OF very modestly circumstanced
parents who dwelt in the nearby sub
urp Oh - and very capable ste.
nographer. She was really pretty bnt
not very well Informed, a girl who an
peared to be practical and sensible
put still In leash to the tenets and in
structions of her home, her church
ana her family circle, three worlds
when 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 on
posed TO the theater, dancing. night
dining or visiting In the city. as well
as anything that In her religions
world might be construed as desecra-
tlon OF the Sabbath. l recall him de-
scr1D1ng 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 inclinations In him as not only
worldly but loose and sinful. AL
though he prided himself on being
liberal and even a radical, to her he
pretended a profound 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 courting her two
or three years. he was able to bring
her to the place where she would stay
downtown for dinner on a weekday,
and occasionally would attend a sa-
cred or musical concert on a Sunday
night. Also, which he considered a
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 In her own
mind.
With their marriage came a new
form of life for both Of them. but |
more especially for her. They took q
small apartment In New York, and 1t |
vas not long before she Joined a lit
erary club that was being formed in
heir vicinity, where she met two rest !
ess, pushing. seeking women for
whom he did not care-a Mrs. Drake
md Mrs Munshaw, both Of whom
le insisted could be of no value to
Inyone. But Bessie liked them and
pent a great deal of time with them.
visited them at their small apart
nent about this time, and found that
he was proving a very apt pupil In
he realm to which he had introduced
er 1t was plain that she had been
from her old notions as
D the sinfulness of the stage, as well
S reading and living In general
yray had proved to be the Prince
harming who had entered the secret
arden and walked the sleeping prin-
ass to a world such as she had never
reamed Of.
Whenever he met me after this he
ould confide the growing nature of
Is doubts and perplexities. Bessie
as no more like the girl he had met
/ his office than he was like the boy
> had been at ten years of age. She
as becoming more aggressive, more
ouisitive. more self-centered, more
.pumentative all the time more this,
ore that. She did not like the same
avs he liked he wanted play that
as light and amusing, and she want ,,
one with some serious moral or In !,
llectual twist to 1t. She read only i.
rious books now and was interested
lectures, whereas he, as he now /,
MESSED, was more or less bored by
rious books. She liked music, or :
IS pretending that she did. grand
era. recitals and that sort of thing, =,
,ereas grand opera bored him. And
If he would not accompany her she
,uId go with one or both OF those =,
,sIen he was beginning 10 deiest.
ey seemed 10 have no household
ties and could come and 90 as tney ?
ose. II was they who were aiding IS
4 abetting her In all these things u
4 stirring her up 10 go and DO and D.
What was he 10 DOT No good
lid come II things went on as fhey