Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-12
TRANPS I'm RONNETS AND SKIRTS.
They Live by Frightening or Mislead.
ing Women in Country Homes.

From the New York Sun.
al heard that you wanted servant ma am,
and came to see if you would hire me. Do you
think I'll dO?'
She was large, coarse. elderly woman who
spoke. Her face was tanned and hardened by
wind and sun and rain, and she looked about as
undesirable servant as could be found in all
Orange county, where the lady to whom she
made the application lived.
No am not in need of another servant"
said the lady, very shortly. The woman had so
quietly entered the open door Of the little coun-
try house that she had not been noticed until
she spoke
Then I've been fooled she said. with plain
affection OF vciOusness. 81 come from Middle
town, twenty miles away, where was told you
were distracted because you couldn't get agood
servant"
who told you that?" asked the lady.
IA Mrs. O'Reilly," was the reply.
IL don't know anytOdy of that name, and I
know nobody in Mddletown. Are you quite
Quite sure, mum" replied the visitor wholly
unabashed "Wel l can't get back to Middle
town tonight. May sleep here?"
ooh, no; impossible" was the discouraging
lily in this little house,
But I'd sleep anywhere. in the cellar or in the
barn, you know" persisted the woman
You can't sleep here" replied the lady.
''Nll you give me q drink of Wateri'
glass of water was given to her, and she
solemnly shifted at it, and placed it upon the
table. She stood up with an indifferently con-
cealed battery OF abuse In her face, but seemed
suddenly to make up her mind not to unmask
1t. She merely remarked:
'If you find O dead CORPSE a-hanpin' TO the
tree in front of the gate in the mornin', don't
blame me for 1t, )" and she strobe away.
81 am very glad you were here" said the lady
to the reporter. my husband won't be home
for an hour. and if had been alone should
have had hard work to get her to CO. She is one
of those female tramps."
"a female tramp" exclaimed the reporter in
astonishment: "Why, never heard 0: such
thing before"
"Men are very seldom troubled with Them"
was the reply, "but they poster US women
whose husbands 90 to the city to business every
day. They are all of them pretty old. and
never heard one of them tell different story
from that you listened to. You would be sur
fear or credulity. are imposed upon and let
them stay all night. And one night is very
likely to lead to three or four. If had given
that Old woman the slightest encouragement
II l had given her glass of milk when she
asked for water-it would have trebled the diff
iiculty OF getting her to CO. She won't hang
herself outside. She will tell the story she told
me until some one allows her to sleep in a barn.
The female tramp does not often run any risk in
stealing but if any small article not likely to be
soon missed, is lying within her reach she is
almost sure to carry it away. She is less lazy
than the male tramp. and therefore, think,
less honest. Nobody ever sees her asleep in a
ditch: She prefers a bed, and almost always
contrives to get one. Nor does she travel SO
far over the country, combining herself for the
most part to one county. 1t seems to be pure
love OF vagabondlsm that chains her to the life,
/ for even when she is engaged as a servant she
won't work, and resumes her wanderings in a
few days. She makes her way toward a city as
the cold weather approaches, and passes the
winter months in the penitentiary or the aims
house."