A WOMAN'S REASON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10092, 4 March 1911, Page 4

A WOMAN'S REASON.

The following resume of a story by Evelyn Sharp in her recent book, "Rebel Woman," is full of point: The story is called " The Person who cannot Escape." In a tiny cottage, belonging to the lady of the manor, the writer lodges and finds out that one does not know much about hard work until one has lived with somebody whoße work is never don-3 and never paid for." This was particularly impressed upon mo one evening, when, having put the children to bed, fed every live thing that clamoured in the thickly-popu-lated backyard, cleared away her husband's supper, and watched him start for the village club, Mrs Bunce told me she was going to step across the road to do the week's washing for a sick neighbour. This little act of humanity, .mentioned so casually as to divest it of the slightest taint of charity, keot her at the washtub till past midnight, and at five o'clock next morning I heard her go downstairs to get her man's breakfast. After that one felt it.would be an immense relief to hear her grumble. She never did." But one day, "stolid, undemonstrative Mrs Bunce " upset the theories of the lady of the manor, who when remonstrated with about the rickety nature of the cottage, had replied airily that '' the poor do not feel things as you and I do."

Tho lady of the manor happened to call in the middle of the Saturday cleaning—when the little boys made din in the backyard, and the baby had smeared her face with jam, while her mother's was smeared with soot, she being engaged in the pleasant task of cleaning the kitchen flues. " The iady of the manor welcomed such a heaven-sent opportunity of being feudal," and gave some courteous advice on the desirability of clean kitchens and clean babies. The writer walked up tho road with the lady of tho manor and was also given good advice on speaking to this slovenly young motfc^r—who 4 to her knowledge, did the work of all iho. servants in the manor house, in addition to being a wife, and a mother, and a. dressmaker. When the lodger returned, Mrs Jim Bunco, who had remained silent and frunmovable while the duty of the rich in speaking to the poor was fulfilled, eat playing with tho baby on her lap.

There was just time to reflect that she had chosen, a curious moment at which to suspend her weekly attack upon the flues before she gave her a further surprise. "You wouldna think as I didn't never want to have a girl when I had this one, would ye, miss?" she jerked out abruptly.

Still failing to understand that anything unusual was happening, she said something stupid and polite about a personal preference for little girls.

She •sniffed across at her rather queerly as she started suddenly to her feet, and caught the baby to her with a quiok, passionate gesture that made it cry out with astonishment. "It baint that," she said roughly; " I didna want to bring another woman into it."