The Washington times., 1936-08-03

interesting and important Of t
is printed in today's column.
It is from a young girl who
morally obligated to support her
widowed mother and two younger
children, was continually harasseo
by the proposals and love avowals
of her elderly employer, whom she
loathed and despised.
The letter Of this girl is well
worth reading, for she presented
her individual solution to the prob
lem which besets not a few girls
today.
Dear Miss Fairfax:
my situation was different from
the usual case of married employer
and girl secretary. Although my
employer fell in love with me,
loathed and detested him.
"At the same time, l had to kid
him along, to keep my position, be
cause all this happened during the
worst year of the depression, at a
time when no one else in my family
was earning a penny. l still look
back on that experience with
horror.
WOULD HAVE RESIGNED
eff could have obtained a
scrubbing job which would have
taken care of mother and the two
younger children, I would cheer
fully have resigned my $25-a-week
salary to take it.
"It became a long drawn-Out
battle between the boss and me
in which, for the sake of keeping
q roof over our heads, had to
pit my wits against man who
was thoroughly repulSive.
"Of course, / had to hide my
feelings, and may be forgiven
here and hereafter for all the
plain and fancy lying I did to keep
that job; to avert at the same time
the unwelcOme attentions of that
horrible old man.
when he suggested little trips,
I used to pretend was beginning
to take an interest in him, but it
would be impossible for me to 60
away with him unless 1 cared q
good deal more. And, Of course,
that time never came.
STAGED QUARRELS
81 used to stage what he fOndly
thought were lovers quarreIs. ]
would take Offense at some imagi.
nary thing he did, and I'd pOut and
Sulk along for about a week at q
time, and have . little peace.
"Then the old bird wOuIA start
up again, saying that IL didn :
care about him we rsszSt part, be-
cause seeing me every day and
feeling about re the way he did
was driving him crazy. I'd have
to begin all over again and 90 on
with the fiction that perhaps,
after all, / was learning to care.
81 can't tell you how thoroughly
I deSpiSed myself for all this de-
ceit. But whak could / do? My
father was dead: we had lost
our home. 1 would come home
night after night to find my
mother weeping over our troubles,
although she knew absolutely
nothing of mine.
"The time came when I cOuldn t
stand the cheating a moment
longer. was willing to try any
thing to get cut Of the trap, to
get back my Self-reSpect, to stop
being the great fraud 1 was.
felt that 1 would know happiness
if / could only box that mans ears
before 1 left.
TOOK ROARDERS
"AbOut this time a new industry
opened up in our town. Seeing
that the boarding houses were over
crowded, / went to the bank and
persuaded the president to rent
us our old home 50 that we could
take bOarderS.
"He didn't seem very enthuSias.
tic over the scheme, but finally
agreed. The house was big and
rambling and not too much run.
down after having been closed for
two years.
Mother was in that state where
she felt no one in the world had
any troubles but herself. So just
gave her a good verbal shaking,
presented her with a paint brush
and paint pot, and told her to get
busy and help to get the house
livabIe.
"And while I never boxed the
boss ears, there was a heavenly
afternoon in which L told him what
1 thought of him. He called me
a dirty little cheat and guess
I was all that.
"The boarding house was a mod,
crate success. Mother manages
it now, and I have another job"