The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-03-24

A female returning board, consisting of
iortyfOur treasury clerks, arc now sitting
here to see that there Is fair count AL.
though the interests of 10000 900 Ct people
are not at stake in this count yet the safety
of some S20,000,000 or $25,000000 worth of
internal revenue stamp paper is involved IN
mt. Every year the treasury department sends
such a delegation of female clerks to count
the internal revenue stamp paper which Is
printed by the three bank note companies OF
New York, and thus to verify the reports of
the quantities of such paper made by the
government agents to the treasury at Wash
ington. There has been no count for two
years, however, and the present enumeration
acquires special importance from the fact
that il is made at the end of the Grant adj
minstration, and Is intended TO insure the
incoming secretary of the treasury of the cor.
RICHNESS of the accounts OF the bank note
companies. The writer paid "A visit to the
fair delegation
The fair visitors were found to be mostly
respectable looking middlcaged women, who
appeared 10 be widows or married laGies,
and nearly all were dressed with extreme
plainness. The clerks receive about 5000 q
year. A great deal of flippant and not very
respectful wit he's been expended upon these
"trcasury girls" much of which is uDmerited
=
girls" are nearly always poor, respectable
women, who have seen better days, many of
them orphans and widows of union soldiers
who bravely fought for their country, and
nearly all support family OF helpless de.
pendcnts Even the misses who have never
been married, but who are nearly always well
up in the twenties, generally support an aged
mother or an orphaned brother. but they bear
only a small proportion to the number OF
wives and widows True, you will occa-
siODally find some worthless woman who IS
quartercd upon the treasury by an admiring
congressman, but there are few of these cases.
Perhaps the greatest popular illusion, how
ever, is IN the ordinary term treasury girl"
The mind Immediately calls the picture of a
young, blooming, giggling and girlish mai.
den before it, and highly imaginative Wash
ingion correspondents have lent themselves
to confirm this popular notion by their rose
tinted accounts of female beauty and iasciDa-
ton in the treasury BIT the visitor al the
treasury will see at a glance how fanciiul and
imaginative these accounts are when lie be-
holds these staid, sober, plain, middle'age'
women, dressed III the quietest colors, and
without as much assumption Of cOquelry or
girlishneSs as even the solemn female ,ele.
graph operator or the businesS.like female re-
porter. They are nearly all women whose
very faces betray IN an instant that they have
known .hn cares and struggles of this life and
look at the world from serious point Of
view. At the hotel, before thew had begun
their work, they were quite lively and cha:ty.
as the Grand Duke Alexis here :" one asked,
with natural curiosity, but as she was evi'
IDENTIFY married, this inquiry was undoubtedly
free from any matrimonial design. Then, the
conversation turning upon Mrs divers
breach Of promise suit against the youthful.
Senator Cameron, one of the women exclaim.
ed, That's all false!' and gave IL as her
opinion that the charges were only trumped
up to bleed the wealthy senator. 1--WE have
been travelling all night; that's the reason
why We look so bright" still another remark.
ed ironically, while the others remained alb
lsorbcd in their newspaucrs.-N. J. Herald.