The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1933-08-24
L;aht, ofNewH
By [. L. STEVENSON

fifteen years of age. She Is built
rather slight and her big soft brown
eyes have an expression as If she
were little girl alone in large
and rather terrifying world. At
least that was the impression gained
by a New York couple who. taking
an evening spin on the Jersey side,
encountered her standing by the
road with a big suitcase. They
stopped and offered to give her a
lift, which she accepted gladly.
Asked where she was going, she re-
piled Newton. AS that town was
many miles distant and it was get
ting dark, the wife invited her to
60 home with her. The girl con-
sented willingly. It didn't make
any particular difference, she said,
when she got to Newton.
On the way back to New York, q
stop was made at a roadside res
taurant. The girl said she had had
only cupful of coffee so far that
day. The meal she ate verified her
statement. After eating, she seemed
to relax. Her name is Jackie Ray,
she said. She had been brought up
in an Ohio orphanage. When she
had graduated from the eighth
grade, she was kept in the orphan
age to look after other children.
though she wanted to go to high
school. Finally, she was allowed
to attend high school and earn her
own way. When the depression
came she couldn't earn anything, SO
her education ended when she was
a junior. Rather than remain in
the home, she ran away. Instead
of being fifteen, she is twenty-five
years old, she said.
In her travels she had crossed the
continent three times and has been
from the most northern to the most
southern borders the same number
Of times. She has slept in munich
pal lodging houses all over the coun-
try. She has also slept in fields
and In haystacks. She calls her
suitcase home" In it she carries
clean clothes and small electric
iron. She washes her clothes at
the municipal lodging houses. But
she can't iron them there because
that takes electricity. So she does
her ironing at gasoline filling spaces,
the attendants cheerfully giving her
the privilege. In fact she classes
gasoline filling station attendants
as gentlemen. Truck drivers come
in the same class. The only man
with whom she'll ride alone is a
truck driver. They are glad Of COM
pany and never get fresh.
Naturally she has had many I'M
pleasant experiences. Several times,
when she has been unable to turn
the ignition switch, she has leaped
from cars going at high speed. Gen.
orally, that does not worry her, be-
cause practice has made her ex-
pert. But there are occasions when
she hasn't time to unload her suit
case. Then she loses her ''home."
That means that at the next town
she has to find job and work until
she earns money enough to buy q
new suitcase and more clothing.
It was true, she said, that she was
going to Newton. But she didn't in
tend to stay there. After short
visit she would be on her way again.
She had no destination. She mere
ly hitch hiked here and there. She
doesn't know what is to become Of
her. The wanderlust has become
such part Of her being that she
cannot stay in any one place. She
wouldn't advise any other girl to fol-
low her example. There have been
many days when she has not eaten.
And then, there have been many
more when she wanted to stop and
rest, but had to keep on going.
Jackie Rays story interested me.
After my friends, who had picked
her up and sheltered her, had told
me about her, certain statistics rela-
tive to homeless wandering girls
suddenly became real. Oh, yes,
there's one other thing. She could
have stayed as long as she desired
In a pleasant home. But after bath
and breakfast, she quietly re-
packed her suitcase and was on her
way.