The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-05-03

Why she Skipped
One of the most eccentric standbys
of the infrmary department of Clsve-
land, Ohio is Kate Garrity. She is also
one of the most steadfast. Kate is a
clipper hatchet-faced young miss on
the shady side of so summers, is chuck
full of animal and other spirits, fairly
bubbing over with suppressed mirth
and hilarity, and can talk the hair off a
dog. She has been an inmate of the
infrmary off and on for years. Every
Christmas or New Years she used to-
beg for pass to go to Wakeman, o.,
where she claimed to have friends,
promising to shake tile mud of Cleve-
land off her feet forever. But alasl
Kate always returned from her trips
looking fresh as a daisy, and of late
years no passes have been issued. The
humdrum life at the infirmary soon
grew monotonous for Kate, but as she
was not allowed to depart at pleasure,
she varied the programme occasionally
by running away. At such times she
would walk through the streets OF the
city in riotous state of intoxication,
painting everything she came in con-
tract with a deep colored red. Her
modus operandi consisted in having an
infrmary pass issued to her which she
would show to people, and beg the loan
of enough money to pay her street car
fare out there, claiming to be sick and
unable to walk. In this way she was
able to collect quite a little sum of
money day by day, and whenever her
pass got dirty or torn with handling she
would come back and have fresh one
issued. The authorities discovered
Katle'8 scheme, however, after she had
floated round in sea of dissipation for
some weeks, and she again became an
inmate Of the infirmary. For time
matters went along smooth enough,
Kate and Superintendent Mellen alter
nately taking charge of and running
the institution. Yesterday morning,
however, it was discovered that she
had again performed her great specially
act entitled "Skipped by the light of the
moon," and the most rigid search and
inquiry failed to reveal her whereabouts.
+ Late in the afternoon she suddenly trip.
ped lightly into the infrmary office in
r the city hall, with an abandoned ''waltz
me-again" sort of movement, and be,
gan relating her experience to the Pres!
, reporter, whom she found assembled
! there. She unfolded ''hair stand-up
on-end-l like. quills upon. the-fretful-p or
cupine-sort of tale, which chilled the
item snatcher's young blood. She hat
= been compelled, she said, to sleep al
a alone in room in the upper story
a where scores Of poor mortals had brea
4 thed their last, With the ghosts of thu
departed as her companions she did no
sleep a single wink all night, and, on
;. ghost she claimed had the gall to throw
q the shadows Of his hands upon the wall
The next night she was asked to sleel
in the same place; but Kate drew tn
q line at hobnobbing with the spirits o
a departed inhrmary subjects, and allow
!, ed several mountainous hints regarding
"a the state Of her feelings, on the subjec
to escape her. Nevertheless the power
II that be remained firm. That evening
as the luminous queen of night wa
floating athwart the azure sky, smal
;, but ghostly figure of the female persua
= sion, with di!apidated straw bonne
hanging under its left ear, might hav
- been seen gliding from back door @
- the institution. 1t reached the fence
= = monkeyed a moment with the top rail
" ing, then climbed slowly up and tun
bled quickly off, after the usual du
~ thud, the single word, ''the divill'' wa
: borne away on the night air from tn
other side of the fence, and all wa
: again still. Two more fences wer
scaled with equal success. A grave
. yard was gone through without dilly
= dallying on the way to read tombston
y inscriptions, al the early dawn foun
~ figure on the railroad track. whic
=, ever and anon climbed over stone ca
m or straddled freight train, the whil
quietly vending its way towards tn
ar city, two jumps at a time. Kate ha
III again skipped the tra.la-la-leel