The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1859-02-17
EVERYDAY THINGS.

81 am astonisled at the number of la,lics
out to-day, and such execraLlo walking,
too" remarked a gentleman in my hearing,
as he picked his way through the snow,
mud, and water of Broadway. The next
moment, no doubt, the same person would
have been "astonished" that American
ladies are so fragile, and that they fade be-
fore they have seen their thirtics. Bcauti
ful consistency! Why shouldn't they be
out in the worst kind of weather, provided
they are dressed accordingly Z" All praise
to them, say for 1t needs no small amount
of resolution to wade through what the
gods send to New York pavement, when
gentlemen congregate on the curbstones at
the street corners to take the measures Of
our ankles. l will declare no true gentle
man annoys lady in this way. Talk
about the curiosity Of women 2" Show
but strip of white stocking above your
boot, or bit of an embroidered skirt, or a
BaImora|, and you may lead New Yorker
by the nose all owe Manhattan, through
all Wall street stand waiting for him.
When gentlemen show themselves more
civil on this point, perhaps want of exercise
may cease to become the banc Of American
ladies. l have positively seen gentlemen
stand at the ferry gates when their arms
were half broken will, bundles, eagerly bob
b'ng their heads this way and that, to catch
sight of the gaiter boots as they aIiglted
from the various omnbusses. And not all
young men either, but grey-headed old cod
gers, who had grandpa written all over
them. "Why should woman care about
1t if her ankle be pretty!" :'Care?' It
may bc just possible that if an exhibit IN is
toreor'iained and inevitable, she may prefer
to choose her audience.
And while | am upon annoyances, the
Wandering Jew" is fool to the inevitable
pound Of coffee, which is eternally and inter-
nally travelling up and down the Fulton
Ferry cars from one months end to another.
Now have said before, and II say again,
all bail coffee! 1t has many time lured
me out of bed when no other earthly induce
ment would do it; but coffee in a crude
state-in steaming, Internationally sealed
car, divorced from cream and suoar-bab!
that's quite another thing. Now l have
made up my mind in Christian manner
to the infliction Of salt, fish onions, legs of
bacon, flabby, defunct chickens, and r.w,
s"ng"inary beef, ooziug through suspicious
looking baskets. l have had cabbages,
and heads o. lettuce, laid temporarily in
my lap, while the search for that inexorable
five-cent piece was going on, in unfathom
able pockets, or i'll porte-monnaics with
torn Innings. I hope and trust I may
never fall SO far from grace as to reject a
1aby under any circumstances, or grow red
in the face at the pummcling Of little kick
ing feet. don't mind being seized by the
shoulders and pulled hastily into the car
by over Jealous conductors, or showed off
the steps as unceremoniously, with "Come
step lively" when would fain alicht
decently on my feet, in preference to sitting
down in puddle, as they seem to desire.
[ was not surprised, few afternoons since
when returning from the city with a lady
friend just after dark, and moving TO make
room for new conner, he trusting to the
obscure camphene luminary in the corner,
slid his arm around my waist in token of
his affectionate disposition. I have also
learned not to vince when demi-iohn is
set down on my toes, or an expert marks
man mistakes my dress for spitton. 7
have done raising my eyebrows when some
coat and hat never saw before nudges its
neighbor, with the democratic remark-"If
there isn't Fanny9" but I will protest
against that omnipresent, locomotive pound
OF coffee, when the car windows are what
the conductors call "swelled," and the used
up atmosphere rivals that Of the Black
Hole of CaIcutta.-Fanny Fern.
A gentleman was so prone to exag-
geration, that he found it necessary to in.
struct his servant to jog him, whenever he
drew the long bow too freely. One day
he was describing a fox he had slain, fox