Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-15
THE FRAYED OUT WOMAN.
a Glimpse of New York Life Seen From
Horse Car.

Glimpse of New York Life Seen From
Horse Car.
, Isaw her on a street car this morning.
S Alas! one secs her often in New York. She
s was in charge Of a policeman, whether a.
prisoner or witness i know not The man
of blue and brass stood politely outside,
f and nobody knew that the frayed out
woman was in his keeping till they left the
. car together
] 1t was not merely her garments that
g were frayed out, soiled, stained and dllapl
e Dated soul and body were also in that con-
diJion. And yet she was trying to be I'M
j mindful Of all this trying to look pleased
with herself and the world, trying to
make the others in the car believe she was
g happy. 1t was al so piIful Her story
/ lfdssradation was so patent, so palpable,
2 and OH so hopeless And it was such com
3 FORTRESS degradation. Poverty was its close
companion, and Want and Misery its
friends.
All the clothing of the frayed ont woman
had once been hnery, and when finery be-
comes dilapidated it can carry moro dis
respectability to the square inch than any
tAilts, tASe III JIG MOI ~ ne GOdfS t5b Suck
cloth, if clean, would command more
respect The frayed out woman's gown
was of silk, shreds of silk, with fag- ends Of
trimming clingng to it here and there ike
lichens to a dying tree. 1t was falling
apart at the seams, and dropping in pieces
here and there, from the soie1 and dingy
string Of lace at the neck to tho edge of the
lowermost founce The drapery, or over
skirt, was doing its best to escape 1t
lurzed disreputab bly,, and hung to the I'M
ders kirt by few threads where threads
ought not to be- Bows. crushed, soiled and
worn threadbare, we're dabbed upon it here
and there in exactly the wrong places.
Shoes, wrecks of shoes, were on the feet
of this daughter of degradation, and lace
mits once black, but now green from age
and use, upon her hands; and she wore the
remnants Of two walls, one fragment Of
dotted lace, falling into holes the other
GRAPE long tattered, faded, pitiful be.
yond description, the most mournful of
mourning emblems A fussed-up silk para
sol, very old and very dirty, and the
skeleton of a once handsome fan COM
plotted her outfit
And the woman herself, God help her,
she was more soiled and frayed than her
garments. On her face hunger, want,
: disgrace, injustice and cruelty had written
their dreadful names in bold chara cters
On her cheeks burned she rouge fires that
mark the outcast, whether in rich or shah
by attire, and over all was a smile of
j, affected indifference, a set, surface smile
the very ghost of former joy, which flick.
cred and wandered over the neglected
ground it had tenanted in happy days
She wasn't old, this woman whose soul
was scuffel, whose body was wreck, and
whose clothes were but sorowful shreds Of
former finery. Scarcely over thirty in
years. but old, so old in terrible experiences
Neither did her dark, worn face reveal
any viciousness, only pitiable weakness and
foolish, ruinous vanity, which had lived
through every thing and still asserted itself
in the affected smile the coquettish wave
, of the skeleton fan, the ad justment of her
silken rags. ana all the little attempts to
be bewitching which had served her well
in past days
f, All this was pitifuL Somebody was tc
: blame. Her weakness had made her the
prey of those who should have protected
= ner One of Gods children, she was vel
without any of her inalienable rights-love
care, home and hopa In the great conflict
of life she hal been too weak to stand firm
and so had been trampled upon, and was
now a sight from which happier eyes turned
away Yes, somebody was to blame. Some
- IL
blind-blind as to what was wise and what
% was foolish. How. then, could she be ex
pected to sect
Looking at her thought of the Buddhist
- theory of Karma, that we go on from one
h life to another eternally, paying the penal
ties or reaping the rewards. Thinking OF
4 that, l wondered what her past life could
. have been TO have earned her such dreadful
days as this. l wondered, too, what com
pensation thousand lives could have il
q store for one who was forced to tread Sc
low path.
Where were those to whom she was ono,
. dearl Could loving mother be fearless In
heaven while daughter was so friendless,
so poverty stricken, 50 outside Of all kind
/ ness and affectionl
: And those who bad oppressed when they
, could have aided her They shall not es
$ cape the consequences Of their work. for il
a il Is written: with what mete We meas
ure il shall be measured 10 you again
7 They must pay the penalty slow and long
delayed it may be, but the mills Of tho god.
I are grinding.
The car stopped, the policeman boclsonoi
from The outside. tho frayei out woman
rose, brayely smiling, aud tnoy left the cor
% together, be big, strong, warmly clad and
- walking with the assured step OF comfort;
d she stepping mncingIy, ana graspng her
y frsyei skirts with fine ady airs 70 protect
5 them from the muddy car steps They
crossed the street and were soon lost in the
d, hurryng throng / sent a compass sionata
7 prayer after the frayei out woman. and
i have thought Of her often, often, sincs with
o pity. GERrRunE GARRtsov
10 Gen Ba1eau, writing Of the queens a m ".
d Ing room, SAYS The regulations are a.
h ugd on one point as the other The oldest
i dowager must bare her withered arms and
= neck before presenting herself in the augus,
a presence or. In order 70 apr,aor with ,,,fa