` You 'll be one of the first to go into bondage , see if you are n't . Much obliged , all the same . ' ` Well , I 'll get my distaff ready , and take whatever flax the Fates send -- single , or double-twisted , as the powers please . ' ` That is the right spirit , Nelly . Keep it up , and see how happy life will be with a brave heart , a willing hand , and plenty to do . ' ` No one objects to plenty of domestic work or fashionable pleasure , I find ; but the minute we begin to study , people tell us we ca n't bear it , and warn us to be very careful . I 've tried the other things , and got so tired I came to college ; though my people predict nervous exhaustion and an early death . Do you think there is any danger ? ' asked a stately girl , with an anxious glance at the blooming face reflected in the mirror opposite . ` Are you stronger or weaker than when you came two years ago , Miss Winthrop ? ' ` Stronger in body , and much happier in mind . I think I was dying of ennui ; but the doctors called it inherited delicacy of constitution . That is why mamma is so anxious , and I wish not to go too fast . ' ` Do n't worry , my dear ; that active brain of yours was starving for good food ; it has plenty now , and plain living suits you better than luxury and dissipation . It is all nonsense about girls not being able to study as well as boys . Neither can bear cramming ; but with proper care both are better for it ; so enjoy the life your instinct led you to , and we will prove that wise headwork is a better cure for that sort of delicacy than tonics , and novels on the sofa , where far too many of our girls go to wreck nowadays . They burn the candle at both ends ; and when they break down they blame the books , not the balls . ' ` Dr Nan was telling me about a patient of hers who thought she had heart-complaint , till Nan made her take off her corsets , stopped her coffee and dancing all night , and made her eat , sleep , walk , and live regularly for a time ; and now she 's a brilliant cure . Common sense versus custom , Nan said . ' ` I 've had no headaches since I came here , and can do twice as much studying as I did at home .
It 's the air , I think , and the fun of going ahead of the XXXXX , ' said another girl , tapping her big forehead with her thimble , as if the lively brain inside was in good working order and enjoyed the daily gymnastics she gave it .
Miss boys college cure girl girls home life things years