A Woman of the World

A Woman of the World, by Ella
Wheeler Wilcox

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Title: A Woman of the World Her Counsel to Other People's Sons and
Daughters
Author: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Release Date: April 14, 2004 [EBook #12020]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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[Illustration]
A Woman of the World

HER COUNSEL TO OTHER PEOPLE'S SONS AND DAUGHTERS
By
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
1904
Fourth Impression, April, 1910

Contents
TO MR. RAY GILBERT, Law Student, Aged Twenty-three
TO MISS WINIFRED CLAYBORNE, At Vassar College
TO EDNA GORDON, During Her Honeymoon
TO MISS GLADYS WESTON, Who Faces the Necessity to Earn a
Living
TO CLARENCE ST. CLAIRE, Regarding His Sister's Betrothal
TO MISS MARGARET RILEY, Shop Girl, Concerning Her
Oppressors
TO MISS GLADYS WESTON, After Three Years as a Teacher
TO A YOUNG FRIEND, Who Has Become Interested in the
Metaphysical Thoughts of the Day
TO WILFRED CLAYBORN, Concerning His Education and His
Profession
TO MISS ELSIE DEAN, Regarding the Habit of Exaggeration
TO SYBYL MARCHMONT, Who Has Learned Her Origin

TO MISS DIANA RIVERS, A Young Lady Contemplating a Career as
a Journalist
TO NANETTE, A Former Maid
TO THE REV. WILTON MARSH, Regarding His Son and Daughter
TO MRS. CHARLES MCALLISTER, Formerly Miss Winifred
Clayborne
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Maternity
TO MR. ALFRED DUNCAN, Concerning the Ministry
TO MR. CHARLES GRAY, Concerning Polygamy
TO WALTER SMEED, Concerning Creeds and Marriage
TO SYBYL MARCHMONT, Concerning Her Determination to
Remain Single
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Her Sister and Her
Children
TO MRS. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning Her Children
TO Miss ZOE CLAYBORN, ARTIST, Concerning the Attentions of
Married Men
TO MR. CHARLES GORDON, Concerning the Jealousy of His Wife
After Seven Years of Married Life
TO MRS. CLARENCE ST. CLAIRE, Concerning Her Husband
TO YOUNG MRS. DUNCAN, Regarding Mothers-in-Law.
TO A YOUNG MAN, Ambitious for Literary Honours
TO MRS. MCALLISTER, Concerning Her Little Girl

TO MR. RAY GILBERT, Attorney at Law, Aged Thirty
TO THE SISTER OF A GREAT BEAUTY
TO MRS. WHITE PEAK, One of the Pillars of Respectable Society
TO MARIA OWENS, A New Woman Contemplating Marriage
TO MRS. ST. CLAIRE, The Young Divorcée
TO MISS JESSIE HARCOURT, Regarding Her Marriage with a Poor
Young Man
TO MISS JANE CARTER, Of the W.C.T.U

To Mr. Ray Gilbert
Late Student, Aged Twenty-three
Were you an older man, my dear Ray, your letter would be consigned
to the flames unanswered, and our friendship would become
constrained and formal, if it did not end utterly. But knowing you to be
so many years my junior, and so slightly acquainted with yourself or
womankind, I am going to be the friend you need, instead of the
misfortune you invite.
I will not say that your letter was a complete surprise to me. It is
seldom a woman is so unsophisticated in the ways of men that she is
not aware when friendship passes the borderline and trespasses on the
domain of passion.
I realized on the last two occasions we met that you were not quite
normal. The first was at Mrs. Hanover's dinner; and I attributed some
indiscreet words and actions on your part to the very old Burgundy
served to a very young man.
Since the memory of mortal, Bacchus has been a confederate of Cupid,

and the victims of the former have a period (though brief indeed) of
believing themselves slaves to the latter.
As I chanced to be your right-hand neighbour at that very merry board,
where wit, wisdom, and beauty combined to condense hours into
minutes, I considered it a mere accident that you gave yourself to me
with somewhat marked devotion. Had I been any other one of the ladies
present, it would have been the same, I thought. Our next and last
encounter, however, set me thinking.
It was fully a week later, and that most unromantic portion of the day,
between breakfast and luncheon.
It was a Bagby recital, and you sought me out as I was listening to the
music, and caused me to leave before the programme was half done.
You were no longer under the dominion of Bacchus, though Euterpe
may have taken his task upon herself, as she often does, and your
manner and expression of countenance troubled me.
I happen to be a woman whose heart life is absolutely complete. I