The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-02-07
generate brethren, who had dunned re-
peatedly to help pay the church debt.
smiled grimly.

generate brethren, who had dunned re-
peatedly to help pay the church debt,
smiled grimly.
Female Frauds.
The genuine adventures says The Bos-
ton Bulletin, has neither heart nor princi-
pie. There is but one person for whom
she cares, herself. She worships dress
dotes on what she calls"society," and re.
CARDS money and what it can procure as
the only things worth living tor. She is
shrewd enough to never compromise her.
self, as she would then be shut out from
society. She manages to make desirable
acquaintanccs by adroitlv playing he1
! cards, AMI when an entrance is once gained
into any circle her tact and assurance soon
give her tolerably secure position. II
she is young, her aim is generally to en-
! trap either an old fool or young one who
! has plenty of money. These are continu-
ally coming and going, and often fall an
easy prey. If she is past the fascinating
age she lays her plans for getting money
Dy more direct means, and there are
good many of them in foreign city.
But the reader will be far more interst-
ed to know of those nearer home, and
their peculiar methods on this kside the
water. The social customs in American
cities as very different from those abroad.
Society lines are not SO closely drawn,
nor are they drawn according to the same
ideas, or in the same places. The facili-
flaS n1,1oh horn
our people have not had so much ex peri
ence, and as race we are much easier
imposed upon, particularly if one comes
to us under tile or European exreri-
ence. Deny it as we may, Americans
have weakness for rank and sometimes
show willingness to be deceived and
detraudcd by transatlantic impostors,
tnat makes all impartial observer feel that
they deserve all they get. Any number
OF cases might be iDstanccd where So
called counts and noblemen in general
have been admitted into society circles
in America for no other reason than that
of their titles, which after all did not be-
long to them. The present article has
nothing to do with these, however, as We
propose to devote it entirely to the softer
and shrewder sex. The fact is simply
stated to show the ease with which The
average American is gulled.
The tavorite stamping ground of the
female advcnturer in this country is of
course, New York, and there. despite of
constant exposure, they live and thrive,
they are generally sharp enough to evade
the law. 1t is very seldom they offend
against the laws of propriety. They do
not steal. They do nothing which will
give an opportunity to get hold' Of them
in Il legal sense.
There are hundreds, for instance, whose
fraudulent aims 90 no further than to live
without cost. They secure a boarding
place in some fashionable house, and re-
main sometimes for months without pay
ing cent. The story they tell is plaus-
ible,r and One calculated to excite the
sympathy of the average landlady, when
the patience Of the latter is exhausted,
and the boarder is notified to depart, her
baggage may be stopped, to be sure, but
it is rarely done. If it is the house
keeper rarely gets anything but the bare
trunks. The contents have been removed
piece by piece, somewhere else. Should
the boartlcr, however, attempt to leave
secretly and carry off her things, she
could be arrested for fraud and punished
The fact is we'll understood, and the adj
ventures almost always remains until
she is fairly thrust from the door.
The literary adventures is curious,
and not unfrequent, type Of this genius.
In addition to her board, which she gen
orally obtains in about the same manner
as we have just described, she negotiates
frequent loans from the acquaintances
she makes, to be repaid when her shook
comes out" She makes great show of.
reading proof in her room, and talks ia.
miliarly about her publisher. When she
has thoroughly exhausted her borrowing
powers, and nothing more can be made in
that individual household, she removes to
some other part Of the city, leaving with
her landlady on her departure an order
on cher publisher for the amount due.
Of course she is fairly settled somewhere
else before the fraud is discovered.
Coming properly under this head is
this class of women who have really lit
erary ability, hut who care rather to lead
lives free and untrammeled by society
limitations than to make use of it as
means of subsistence. They write when
they choose, and oftentimes with remark
able brilliancy. They pay no regard to
opportunities, or what the world may say
of them. They openly defy public opin-
ion, recklessly do what they please, des-
pite criticism. advice, pleading, and de-
nunciation. We have had notable speci-
mems OF this character in our city within
the past twenty years, and many of our
readers will have no difficulty in placing
them.
Onc of these, who welded wonderful
1y facile pen, " as an orphan, the last OF
her race. She was graceful, beautiful, and
genius. At IS she plunged into litcra-
ture, began writing serials for The Ledger
before she was 18, and a year later was
earning salary of $4,000 Il year. But
she was cursed with a spirit OF unrest and
instabi]ity-constantly changing her To-
cality constantly in love and out, and con-
stantly doing things that made people
hold up their hands and exclaim.
She wandered or rather whirled all
over the United States and Canada; spent
six years in various parts of Europe; went
up the Niles to the Holy Land; to Con-
stantinople; took up her residence for a
time in the West Indies, finally coming
back to the United States. After year
of railroad and hotel life over the length
and brcdth Of the union, she suddenly
purchased little secluded farm in dis
tant New England town, and buried her.
self upon it. Here she has lived for four
wears. having hardly in that time stenned