Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-09-15
THE PLACE FOR OLD MAIDS.
Lots Of Bother for Women Who go West
TO Teach and Cook, and arc
Worried Into Matrimony.
n. 81. Sun.

When the census of Red Bend,
Washington Territory, was taken last
month it was found that there was a
population of 378, including 293 males
so married women, one widow en-
gagged, two maids engaged, and the
rest children. More than 200 Of the
men are bachelors ranging in age
from % to so.
Red Bend is some distance from o
railroad, and it has been very diff
cult matter to get young women to
locate here. Most of the girls who
come into this region stop at Yakima.
or go thence to the larger towns south
of here
When the schoolhouse was built,
the directors advertised in various
Territorial papers for teacher. and
the first one who presented herself
was employed She had not been at
the desk more than fortnight before
she was married to storekeeper
named Elverson, who was about the
best looking young man in the town.
She resigned her place, but consented
to serve until her successor had ar
rived.
One of the young women with
whom the committee had been in cor
respondence was found disengaged,
and in the course of q month she
transferred herself to Red Bend and
took charge of the school. She was
tolerably homely woman somewhat
advanced in years, but she, too, was
led to the altar in less than month,
and gave up the school as her prede-
cessor had done.
Once again the place was filed, and
things went along smoothly for q
while. About that time McGinn, the
tavern keeper, imported servant girl
from Portland, and put her at work in
bis kitchen at a salary of Sc week.
Mrs. McGinn was not very lusty, and
her husband found that the only way
in which keeking hotel ives possible
was for him to have efficient female
help. He had had serious trouble in
getting any body to come, but the
wages that he offered finally induced
the girl spoken of to accept the job.-
She had no more than learned the
ways of the kitchen before two or
three young men began to hang
around the back door Of the tavern =
McGinn was equal to the emergency.
He watched matters for q day or two
and, becoming convinced that the
school-ho1se episodes were to have a
repetition in his own kitchen, he got
a gun, and just as young man ap-
peared at the back door the next even
ing after supper he jumped out on
him.
"What do you want here ?" he ask.
ed.
Nothing" said the fellow, color
ing up little; nothing much
wasjust calling on the girl 10 there
She's an old friend of my family, and
| look in once in a while to see how
she's getting on"
"Well, I'm friend of your family,
too" said McGinn. "to the extent
that | don't want to kill you, but if
you don't keep away from here I'll
murder you. Now, you gitn
The youth skunk away The next
day the girl was missing from the
kitchen, and late in the afternoon it
was discovered that she had married
the young man. The same day the
school mistress announced her resig-
nation, and as McGinn was on the
warpath with his gun, the leading
citizens made up their minds that a
crisis bad arrived which would re-
quire good deal of craftsmanship to
bridge over.
That evening, when the School
Committee met to consider things,
| Mr.. Elder, the Chairman, said be had
an idea which be thought might be
worthy the attention of his associates
He proposed that in the future all
school teachers should be made to sign
bond not to marry before the end oI
the term.
The idea was accepted, but, learn
ing that the conditions might make il
| impossible for them to get women into
the town, they said nothing about
them TO the one with whom they
opened negotiations. She came on
and after deciding to take the place
was informed of the contract which
| she would have to sign. TO this she
Indignantly declined to accede. The
School Committee was inexorable,
and so was she. She said she would
leave for home in the morning. The
committeeman looked at one another
to see if anybody was weakening, but
no one appeared to be willing to give
| in; 50 i was decided that she would
have to 60 si 's y
This particular girl was young and
very vivacious, and when she started
of withSchOol Director Beehe for " aki-