Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-08-16
A Womanly Contributor.


ness of glory as newspaper; its praise is in
every ones mouth Have you seen the Ersm-
aug Stars" ''Do you take 2'' are questions
constantly asked, and as often answered,
Yes" Congratulate you, but being an old
fashioned person, l take the liberty Of saying
g: be not eIated when fortune adyanceth YOU. y
And your paper has a want. Decidedly 1t
wants ii correspondent who shall be a woman.
propose to supply this deficiency, for am a
woman, and not in the least am / ashamed to
own it. Eve was a woman, the blessed Virgin
was woman. and so was Martha. wife of
Washington. In those days they had women,
but now genuine woman is as scarce as the
bones of mammoth. Ladies are very plenty.
white and colored. The Irish feminnes, old
and young, married and single, are all girls
while they buy mantillas, and become ladies
too. 1t was only the other day told the cook
not to pound beef steak before broiling it
She grew as red in the face as the steak it.
self, and told Inc not to be taching her to
courke a steak. She knew her business, and
wanted to be trated as one lady trated another;
for L am a lady she concluded, :: and an
Irish lady; and can tell you they are the
right sort I was so glad, gentlemen that |
was only a woman.
am going to write to you occasionally, to
give you little of my observation of the af-
fairs that are passing before us in our own
city. | shall never abuse any one. am an
old maid, but like to see the bright side of
every thing. am not suspicious to be so is
unworthy ofa woman. If have no husband.
have sense of duty and this actuates me
to do good in the world, in my own way, and
perhaps in funny way, but so much the bet
ter. l. will not advocate woman's rights. nor
woman 5 wrongs. l am disgusted with the
very mention of the subject L wish women
would love the right and hate the wrong. and
then they would let voting and drinking, and
smoking, and all other gentlemanly avocations
stay among the men.
You wish to know my name You know me
well, but my sobriquet is g 'Peregrina
You have some lady correspondents | OBJ
serve there is some nice, pretty poetry in the
columns of the Star. Well, am an old maid
and have no poetry in my composition [
have felt Ioetry and thought poetry, but I
cannot rhyme. 1t is for this reason that do
not sign myself - SophoHisba' or 81 Amelia:
it would not be in character I have friend
who is a poet She has husband and large
number of small children. She longs to see her
n he e. rcbo ,1,o
was once a Washington girl and is now
Washington matron and that you ought to
encourage home manufactures | told her for
PHYS sake not to talk of poetry in musquito
time-but when that is over, to lend you
sample of her talent. But these poets cannot
wait. The hotter the weather the more they
scribble. The other morning. after a melan-
choly night, she dashed off the following
She had great big fat baby in her lap at the
time. Ge"iHs, however, like everything else,
must feel rather good for nothing just now She
cannot be expected to do her best until after
frost You had some verses about mosquitoes
in your paper; assure you my friend did
not read them. Hers were written long be-
fore the paper came:
Hum! hum. hum
The day Is wearing AWAY
The mosquitoes revelling time is come.
They marshal their ranks. do you hear their drum;
(lt's the hOrrdest sound i'll ChristendOm.
While Wrte must stop 10 scratch my thumb)
IL heralds the hungry cre~, that viii feast
ON yonr blood as if 'twere the blood of beast.
Hum. hum! hnm
OF what earthly use s a bed,
I'm tired 10 death, but cannot doze,
One has raised.a bump on the tip of my nose,
One has bitten my shoulder through the clothes.
There are several Teasing on my toes,
There Is one on my ear no mercy knows;
Pm frantic-I rear-I beat my breast.
| tOss-but in vain, find 10 rest.
Hum hum hum.
I'm ready to die, declare.
! wonder what brought such numbers here,
It's not the season of the year
For strangers TO visit us. | believe
They 0tiice-seekers. and vainly conceive
That by hanging ON, General Pierce will give
Them some nice.appolntmen. wish he ID leave
Ii tor me to decide: would say. g Make track
To some very hot climate, and never come back"
Hum. hum hum.
wonder how long this will last
| am bitten 10 death, and weak as a cat,
NV baby Is teething, and frrtful and fat
NV husband is sick, and cross at that,
My servants are srumbng-but g rerbttm Sdt''-
The pains and the aches, the trials and throes,
The crosses and losses each hOusekreper knows
That come In the train of muSquito timeS woes.
| must try to be patient; my ditty III close.
Icannot write poetry, gentlemen, but by
and by you will see 1 can write letters. Not
love letters Though once I wrote theml but
such letters as will be answered by many
heart. L an an old maid and an old resident,
and when L see what is coming can remem-
ber and recall to others what is past 1t is
right to 60 forward, but it is we'll sometimes
to look back. PEREGRINA
P. 81 do not intend to waste my time
pitching into the men"-(excuse the express
sion, it is quoted.) Men of the present age
are hopelessly bad. There is some hope for