Woman of the Century/Emma May Alexander Reinertsen

REINERTSEN Mrs. Emma May Alexander, writer of prose sketches, born in Buffalo, N. Y., 6th January, 1853. Her pen-name is "Gale Forest. " Her father's name was Squire Alexander. Her mother's maiden name was Henrietta E. Sherman. Mrs. Reinertsen is the wife of Robert C. Keinertsen, a prominent civil engineer of Milwaukee, Wis. As "Gale Forest" she has more than a local reputation. Her sketches are bright with womanly wit and condensed wisdom, and she has aptly been called the Fanny Fern of the West, a title which gives a clear idea of her literary style. She has a beautiful home, and two bright buys make up her family. One of the foremost literary women of the age, meeting her in her Milwaukee home, pronounced her the most perfect wife she knew, and deep, indeed, must be the conjugal allegiance of so gifted a writer as "Gale Forest," when she acknowledges that immortal fame would be less desirable on her part than doing the nearest home duty and taking pleasure in the doing. To a friend she once wrote: "To have happiness is to have the best of life, and I know I have as much of that as ever falls to the lot of woman." Her attitude is not one of expectancy as regards applause EMMA MAY ALEXANDER REINERTSEN. or recognition of her writings, for she admits that nothing surprises her more than occasional infallible evidence that some of her oldest sketches are still going the rounds of the newspapers. She has been a contributor to the Cincinnati " Times, " Chicago "Tribune." "Christian Union." "Good Cheer," and the Milwaukee "Wisconsin," "Sentinel " and "Telegraph." She wrote also for the "Milwaukee Monthly," which was at one time quite a popular magazine. One of her best sketches, "A Forbidden Topic," was incorporated in the book entitled "Brave Men and Women." In telling what the women of Wisconsin have done, it will not do to omit a pleasant mention of "Gale Forest," who, as a writer of decidedly meritorious, though not voluminous, prose sketches, occupies a sunny little niche by herself.