Mrs. Wilson Woodrow

“ I find that you are a fanatic, willing to sacrifice everything to an egotistic passion for self-expression."
"It is life, the only true life. Anything else is death," she muttered.
When he left her she stood for a long time gazing out over the mountains. Then she crept down the hill as far as the rock on which she and the Pearl had sat earlier in the day, and huddled close against it. Night, black as ink and broken by the mocking cries of the coyotes, came on, and lay over the earth for many hours. When the dawn came, Frances strove to rise ”

“ Debts to me?"
"Yes. The biggest debt you owe is to yourself, to the white side of you, the side that can think; for do not dream that you can ever get out of paying those debts. You can't. It isn't any use trying."
"God! If I ain't paid for my sins, I'd like to know who has!" It was an exceeding bitter cry.
"Then leave them." The Missionary's tone was a command. "Leave them and begin to see yourself as white, not black."
The Pearl clutched Frances's arm tensely, her face broke up, rivers of tears poured from her eyes. "Them's the only words that's reached me. ”

“ Frances sat down on the rock beside her and passed her hand over the Pearl's hair and shoulders: "Why, Mrs. O'Brien, how long have you been sitting here? Your hair is soaking wet and so is your dress."
"Oh, yes—it's been wet, I suppose," impatiently. "What's the difference? Say, Missioner," clasping her hands around her knees and drawing her feet further up on the rocks. "It's an awful thing to think, ain't it? I ain't never had any education except what I picked up from the boys, and I don't suppose I know much; but I always been a-thinkin' an' a-studyin' about things. ”

“ You know that you love me. Reason enough to give me up. Was there ever a woman with a touch of the religious temperament who didn't sacrifice herself and everyone else? Renunciation, I believe they call it. Renunciation with every letter a capital. Frances, I'm not going to be given up. ”

“ Why, I even thought of the jewels I'm going to give you, you wonderful, dark, sweet Frances—rubies, quarts of them. There will be mighty few women in this country that can have any more. Oh, Frances, what a life we shall have ”

“ They're content managin' their own affairs and other people's. They don't care for anything that don't concern their eatin' and drinkin', their kids an' their husbands; but if you once get to studyin' about life, Missioner, you can't stop. You got to go on thinkin', an' it haunts you night an' day. ”

“ You can't get away from it; it's like a great wheel that's always a-turnin', an' you see the awful misery, jus' sufferin', sufferin' everywhere. An' people talk an' tell you the Lord loves 'em's the reason he's torturin' their souls an' bodies. ”