The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-23
GOSSIP Ar THE EXPOSITION.
The Chatter OF the Well-Dressed and Gnnteel
Scale Girls.

Scale Girls.
Blakely Hall. in Louisville Commercial.
The gossips of the main building are the scale
girls. There hundreds of them, and it seems to
be generally admitted that their occupation IS
little more genteel than that of any OF the other
women employed in the exposition The scale girls
usually wear their gloves and hornets and are
extremely proper. The manufacturers of the
various scales employ them. They are paid very
small salaries and allowed to charge cents for
weighing people. They chatter and talk in
terminably and know everyone's affairs, from one
end of the building to the other. If YOU Set one
of them to weigh you she considers that she
knows you we'll and will always bow and smile
at you thereafter. One with whom have been
acquainted on this basis ever since my arrival,
stopped me rs | was passing her scales this morn
ing and exclaimed, in great excitement
Have you seen the female masher, yetP
(which onep
why. the one, the only one of any real inn
portanee-but you evidently haven't OF you'd be
more excited"
did not catch the full and comprehensive
force of this reasoning but let it pass and asked
her who the female ''masherr was.
oh, she's too ridiculous" gushed the scale
GIRL such monstrously plain girl, and yet SO
conceited. She's been walking up and down this
aisle all morning When she arrived there were
very few men about and wandering about a bit
she came up to me and said pertly:7
I'm out on the mash odav."
'Oh, are youY" ] said.
YES, she uttered, I'm g0ln TO nave run
with the big, foolish men to-day If ] reysr did
before"
sWell,s continued the scale girl, II never was
SO surprised in my life. She told me then that
her name was Miss Minnie Smith, but when she
came back later she said her real name was-but
perhaps I'd better not tell her real name. Ever
since that she has been walking up and down
here, making such awful show of herself.
And then you should just see herl Wait, and
she'll be along before long"
she al md
tilted her from affair. She smirked and ogled the
men as she came along, and they, for the most
part, stared at her in utter amazement. She
was evidently country girl, for her gown had
provincial cut, though it was costly and hand
some. Her feet were hugo and her eyes
were so small and deeply set that it was impos-
sible to tell their color. Her face was about as
mobile handsome and expressive as the bottom
of pie. The nose was fiat and the powder lay
on it in streaks while blonde "frontpiece,"
slightly awry, came down over her forehead.
She wore rings, lockets and chains galore and
she simpered and smiled on every man she
passed. | hazarded the remark that she was
simple.
'aOh, no. she isn't" said the scale girl decis.
lively; she's just as sharp as you or me, but
this is the first time in her life that she has had
chance to DO exactly as she pleased"
Very fortunate"
@She has come to New Orleans to visit her
aunt, and it is her first trip away from home.
OF course she is ridiculous, but she isn't sim
ple.'
Having settled this much finally and forever,
the scale girl went into the manners of the
women who visit the exposition. 1t may be
well to remark that this particular scale girl has
been school teacher, book canvasser, has
been a widow seven years. and is altogether
rather bright observer of the things that 60 on
around her.
ut isn't because I'm native of New Or
leans" she said, "that / pronounce our own
girls to be the best hammered but because it is
| actually so. / don't mean that they are elegant
or polished, or anything Of that Sort but do in
sist that they are by long odds the most proper
and ladylike in their manners of any of the
visitors. They don't tiirt CAD about with
the men, and they are never bosterous nor rude.
The same is true, indeed, of nearly all the
Southern girls--they may be awkward, but they
are not loud"
Where do the Objectionable ones come 'FRONT.'
''rhe very worst are from Cincinnati and
Chicago They talk loudly, patronize every
body and make fun of everything they see.
Well. you know we are willing to admit that
London, Paris or New York may be ahead of US
in some things, but we will never agree to play
second best to Chicago or Cincinnati" I give
the opinions of the-scale girl for what they are
worth