The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-10-13
,IoDERNBECKF SHARPS.
From Celia Logau's New York Letter to the S
Francisco Call

From Celia Io-an's New York Letter to the San
Francisco Call
In New York at present Becky Sharp
is omnipresent. She assumes many
characters, but like some popular actors
is the same in all. Her soft hands have
confidingly paved the coat sleeves of
every man we know. Boarding honses
are the chosen field of operations OF the
Becky Sharp of to-Gay, in American life
at least. She may appear as an un-
protected orphan, whose only brother
has gone to China on business; as a
widow, whose poor, dear husband sleeps
beneath the daisies in some far Western
village; as a wife, whose husband has
had to 90 to the Mediterranean fbr his
health, or to Montana as a COMMERCIAL
traveller; as demure young lady, who
is in the city only for the PurPee of
studying with an eminent professor,
and who sings in some choir on sundays;
as middle-aged lady, whose husband ga
judge on the Pacific coast) has sent her
east to be treated for chronic disease Of
the nerves; as an unhappy maiden, who
cannot live at home with her cruel step
mother as an artist, who always has the
same unfinished picture on Der easel !;
as a writer for the press, waiting to have
her story accepted; as music teacher,
VINO hopes to get some pupils next week,
&c. but in all cases she is the same
Becky Sharp. There are two things she
seldom, if ever forgets. The first is a
punctuality of payment which wins the
heart of the landlady; the second, an
ultra respectability and prosperity
which command the respect of her fellow
boarders. She takes care to dress
elegantly, but does not neglect to explain
that "dear hubby" has sent her that fine
camePs-hair shawl or "brother WIFI
has presented her with the costly watch
and chain, or she has received her new
set of pearls and diamonds from dearest
mamma" or timely remittances from
beloved relatives have enabled her to
procure her superb spring outfit. With
such gushing condolences she nips the
early growth OF that most inconyenient
of queries, "Where does she get them p
Often, after dinner, you will hear her
sweet voice singing in the parlor,
especially if there are well-to- do bach
elors in the honse; but on such oc-
casions she always prefers to have at
least two or three persons present, and
the door must be open; no quiet tete-a-
tetes for her she knows that they give
rise to whispers, which may grow TO
scandals. She will go to the theater OF
opera if her dear friend, Mrs. x, will
90 along. At table she bushes ifsuch
horrid things as the Beecher case are
talked of On Sunday she makes a
point of not simply going to church, but
ofincidentally mentioning at dinner that
she has done so.
Whatever else she may DO or avoid
doing, there is one purpose of which the
unmarried Becky Sharp never loses sight
that Is, catching haas3and. Te
prefers an elderly man, who has already
made his fortune, rather than a young
one who has it yet to. make-not because
she Is mercenary, or for the still better
reason that ''thers's no fool like on old
fool, " but, as she naively argues, because
the farmer is "more staid and quiet, hay-
ing sown his wild oats and settled down"
1t Is not often, when she makes dead
set" at 4 victim, that he escapes. An
innocent girl has no chance at all against
her, and even widow cannot afford to
give her a single point in the game.
After she is married her husband may
notice, with some surprise, how many
gentlemen give her partial or entire
recognitions on the street, but he need
not hope to find any old letters or make
any discoveries which will enlighten
him. Becky is too smart to be caught.