The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-03
Some Partisan Women.

Mrs. Hooper writes in Appletons' Journal
Here sits q picturesque looking old body,
with her head tied up in a variegated kerchie',
and busily employed in preparing Julienne
for soup, and a wondrously pretty preparation
it is. with the piles of golden hued carrot
the bright green Of the young cabbage leaves
to heighten the whole. all so deity and dex-
terously cut up and mingled. See her now as
she takes first pinch of one vegetable and
then pinch of another, and adds them to the
heap that is rising in front of her on the CEN
ter OF the table; with what seeming careless
ness she does it, yet she never takes either
too much or too little. And here I must
remark that the danes de la halle
are very different from the picture
our fancy usually lily paints Them n;
writers who drew their ideas from the market
women of by-gone age. Most of them are
young and many of them are pretty, and the
elderly danes among them are not the fierce
old harridans of whom we have heard SO
many stories, but rather comfortable, grand
motherly looking old bodies-nay, one has
even face of almost sanity sweetness, so
gentle and 30 placid in its expression under
the parted folds of her silvery hair. Yon tall
girl, proclaiming SO eagerly the excellence of
her fresh gathered mushrooms, is as perfect q
born beauty-plump and well shaped, with
cheeks as rosy as apples teeth like drops of
milk, and pair Of black eyes that sparkle
like twin diamonds. A little further on we
pass young girl with silvery fair hair and
that wonderful complexion of Opaque white
and pink that French blondes usually possess /;
her features are not handsome, but the color.
ing is marvellous.
Speaking of women Of another class, the
writer says al, descending lower in the So
cial scale Of Partisan womanhood, we take a
look at the actual working classes, We come
across q race of which, in both its extremes,
we find no counterpart at home. The dainty
little ouuriere, in her white cap and neat dress,
fitting so perfectly her trim, 1.-THE figure, and
the equally pleasant looking and tidy house
servant are, unfortunately, unknown quanti-
ties to us in working out our social problems.
Fanchette or Albertine, in her grace, her
dainty ways her pretty little politeness of
speech and demeanor, and her def and rapid
method Of doing things, is very different
creature from the hard-handed, heavy footed
Bridget or pert Dinah of our kitchens.
But, drop one peg lower in the scale, and
we come across a class of beings the like of
which I do most honestly believe exist no
where upon our continent, at least, not Of
American race. The woman of the lowest
class in France is a dreadful being Large
and powerful Of frame, with broad shoulders,
brawny limbs and bearded lip, in her maturity
she retains nothing of her sex about her save
her petticoats. Her head, bound in soiled,
bright colored handkerchief, from beneath
which escape the grizzled locks Of her un-
kempt hair, second gay handkerchief
crossed over her bosom, her hands planted on
her hips, her arms akimbo, she is, in her
wrath, a creature to flee from-and, even in
her pleasantest moments, being to avoid