The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-09-11
Women Decided
to Live Lives
Their Own Way
BY ELIZABETH GooDRIDGE
f'f..f-f'f-f-F-f-f-f-f
&c, 1924. Western Newspaper Union.)

quite a bit of q story, though. You
see. it served Its purpose and-but
I'm beginning at the wrong end.
Last time you were here we talked
about the number Of unmarried wom-
en- in New England, didn't we2 You
asked why some of 'em didn't emf
crate. You see, though, they say
there are two women for every man
in this part of New England, some of
'em ought to have got married.
There was that Elsie Winton, whom
Zeke Smith had been courting off and
on for twenty years or so. Well, after
time Elsie naturally got tired of him
and his procrustes ways And Molly
Bowen, about whom there had been
some talk concerning Ed Green, the
hotel man. He didn't come up to the
scratch. And there was Winnie Gus
tance, and Jenny White, and Nell
Pringle-they didn't get their beaux
any further than the ice cream coun-
ter, and that's how the idea came
about.
''The folks in Boston thought at first
1t was a nunnery. The Chronicle sent
one of its reporters down to see, but
he didn't get any further than the
wicket before Elsie Winton's face
stopped him. She explained the mat
ter to him as she slammed 1t. Just
few New England women who have
got tired of men and have decided to
live their own lives in their own way
| she said.
"The plan was hit from the start,
especially as Molly, who was twenty
four and pretty for her age, drove
the cart round the houses, wearing
But what gave everybody a turn was
the big sign standing outside the gate,
which read No Men Admitted
'Zeke Smith was one of the first to
come and see what was doing. He got
as far as the wicket and there Elsie
Winton's face stopped him.
"'You can't come in, Zeke.' she ex-
planned, being a man. I'm sorry
you're a man, because If you weren't
you'd be welcome. But we don't have
dealings with men any more, except In
business way
"As 1 was saying, Molly drove the
cart, and pretty soon folks began to
notice that she wasn't as punctual as
usual. And as for Ed, whenever the
boarders howled for him to make a
kiox about the victuals, he wasn't any
where in sight. The fact is, he had
got into the habit of strolling out into
the country about the time when Molly
and the cart were due.
'T don't know how Elsie Winton
heard about 1t, but she went right up
in the air. Elsie was forty-three, and
her hopes had soured from being kept
too long So there was a terrible
rumpus up at the Institution, and they
talked of expelling Molly; but finally
1t simmered down and Elsie drove the
cart herself after that.
However, the folks round here,
who, as you may have observed, are
snoopy, couldn't help noticing that
all the young fellows in the village
used to take the road past here that
leads up toward the institution. And
we guessed that some day or other
Elsie winton would come home un-
expected and raise Cain. She is a
powerful woman with her tongue, as
you may have noticed.
1--WE got so interested that nobody
thought very much about anything
else. Bill Wise, who farms on the
ridge, told us he used to see the young
fellows gossiping with the girls over
the fence that had been put up.
swell, to get on, at last the flare-up
came, and In just the way we had
looked for. Elsie Winton came back
one morning at half-past nine, and
there were Ike and Ed and Jim hob
nobbing with Winnie and Jenny and
Molly over the fence. And two or
three more of the young fellows with
the girls, too.
"And Molly, being q woman. saw
that 1t was best to get her tongue In
first.
"'we're done with your old society,
Miss Winton,' she said. Ed and are
going to be married on the first of the
MONTH
land Jim and l on the fifteenth,
put in Winnie Custance, glaring at
Elsie Winton.
".And Ike and are going to be en-
gagged as soon as he makes some
money out of his poetry continued
Jenny White.
"Just then Zeke Smiths cart came
up the lane, and Elsie Winton called
to Zeke. Come here she said.
"Zeke came numbering along with q
grin.
"Repeat to me what you have just
told me- said Elsie to Zeke.
"'We're going to be married tomor'
row. said zeke, twirllng his hat nerv'
ousiy.
"ShGd beat them all, sir. And when
the boys understood they just let out
n yell, and started kissing and huggine
all round SO after that the society
was naturally dissolved. and Zeke uses
the house to keep his chickens in. But
l guess the spirit of enterprise hasn't