Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-01
THE GIRL OF TIE PERIOD.
How She Acts i'm the Horse Cars.

She stands upon the curb with little
springy, up-and-down motion, as If she had
spiral springs III the soles of her CATERS. As
the car approaches she sticks the point of
her col0red parasol In the direction of the
driver with small jerk. The car stops.
She gives one or two more little springy
motions before she leaves the pavement,
and then dances to the car.
As she ascends the step, the conductor
seems to consider it absolutely necessary
to her safety to place one of bis hands on
the small Of her back while he rings the
bell with the other. She enters the car
with the spiral springs still bobbing her up
and down; and, as all the SEATS are full, she
stands holding her hands in front of her
and gazing off into limitless space, as If
the one idsa which never enters her mind,
and which never could enter it under any
possible circumstances, is that some man
will rise and offer her his seat. But q
young man in the corner does rise, and i'm
medistely the fellow next to him moves
quickly into the corner, as If the perform
ance of that maneuyer had formed the sub
ject OF his anxious thought during many
years of bis life.
To get corner seat would seem to be
the chief end of man.
When the young man rises, the young Ia
dy suddenly becomes conscious that there is
something nearer to her than the horizon,
and she gives two Or three more It'll,
bounces, and says:
'tKeep your seati" The young man is
embarrassed, and says he is going to get
out soon, whereupon the fair being dances
toward the seat, sinks into it, and pretends
that the fact of the existence Of any Young
man who once occupied that seat, and who
is going to get out, has entirely faded out
OF her Consciousness. She smooshes down
her dress and its supplemental fribbery,
founces and pennants, and again looks far
beyond the confines of the car into empti-
ness.
She knows she is expected BY the other
women in the car to remain unconscious
of their presence while they study her
clothes. They Immediately begin. They
stare at her dress, her sack, her hat her
back hair, her jewelry, her gloves, her bows
and ribbons, her miscellaneous millinery,
until the entire costume is photographed
IN their memories, and the p1ice estimated,
and critical opinion formed, with reso-
luton to have bonnet of the same kind,
or ''body" cut upon the same pattern.
When the young lady thinks that this ex-
animation is concluded, she becomes con-
eious again, and begins to look around and
see how the other women are dressed. She
examines each one La detail, and in a few
moments she Is in possession of all the nee
essary information.
Presently young man with whom she
is acquainted gels into the car, and he
stands clutching the strap and trying in
vain to keep in graceful attitude while he
converses with her. All the women begin
to wonder whether she cares particularly
for him-and, as she knows their thoughts,
she is so distant that the young man be-
comes more embarrassed than ever, and
makes renewed struggles to maintain q
graceful position. When she wishes to get
out she rises, smoothes down her fribbery
again, INDUCES in two or three springs, and
dances along the platform. The conductor
again considers itimperatively necessary to
press the small of her back. She dances
down the steps, dances to the pavement,
and then dances along the street, fully
aware Of the fact that the women in the
car have all turned round to look at
her, and serenely confident in the as
surance that she has on good clothes, which
fit her splendidly. IA she disappears the
conductor turns to the man who is smoking
a cigar on the platform, and remarks that
she is ga crusher."