Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-05
BLESSED ARE THE BACHELORS.
For They Can Get Their Mending Done
Without Petticoat Tyranny.

No one who saw the expression of the young
mans face as he hurried along the street in the
gathering darkness of the autumn evening
could have failed to perceive the tragic horror
depicted there. At intervals, between his set
teeth he murmured: Too late; fear it is
too late!' And then accelerated his footsteps
to run almost, until at length he came to a
little shop and hastily tried the door, which
opened, admitting him.
"Goodness me!' he said to a young woman
in attendance, as he laid a small bundle he car
ried upon the counter. Il was awfully fright
ened lest should find you shut up; and, if 1
had really don't know what 1 should have
done. The band of my last available shirt
the collar band, you know-was half torn off at
the laundry; l only discovered 1t a few minutes
ago and have to go to dinner party tonight
couldn't go without a shirt-it might excite
remark-and it was too late to recall my ac-
ceptance OF the invitation. However, it is all
right now, for you will mend it for me, will you
nOt?"
with pleasure, sir" replied the pretty girl
behind the counter. And she added. 1T will
take about half an hour, though; for a new
collar band will have to be put on and l shall
have to dampen ant iron it afterward SO that
you can wear the shirt this evening"
'All right" quoth the young man, with the
air OF one relieved from a burden of intense
permit me to talk to you while you sew. want
to ask, among other things, if this business of
sewing and mending for bachelors that you do
is especially profitable"
There's not fortune in it," said the young
woman as she passed a tape measure around
the neck band of the shirt. But we do
pretty we'll. More customers come to Us everv
year and they pay very fair prices for the
work. Many, OF course, are merely accidental
patrons. as one might say. They see our
1tver ".
wanting something Of the kind done, they
drop in. Our regular customers, on the other
hand, usually bring bundle of things to be
fixed once a week, or once fortnight or per-
haps monthly: We do everything. you see
darning stockings. patching clothes, taking
and underclothing, and so on"
1T is a blessing for the bachelors"
"Yes, indeed, but bachelors are not our only
patrons in this line. Plenty of married men
come to US also. Some OF the latter are the hus-
bands Of fashionable women, who are so de-
voted to social pursuits as to have no time for
mending their men folks clothes. You know, it
has come to be the style again for young ladies
to be rather helpless. They are tauyh to sing
and play and to paint little. with perhaps a
few other elegant accomplishments but il is
no longer considered such good form as it was
a few years ago for them to learn the domestic
arts, and the thing for the young lady of fashion
to languidly say nowadays is. Oh how charm
IL
nice to feel that one can do something USE
full II she added what is in her heart she
would say: But it is much nicer to be helpless
and ornamental, papa is rich and shall never
marry poor man. Such girls. of course. will
not sew on their husbands buttons. very likely
they don't know how. So the husbands are apt
to bring or send their clothes here for mend
Ing"
"Td never marry such . girl as that" said
the young man.
Probably she wouldn't have you" responded
the young woman, biting of Q thread with her
pretty front teeth. But / was going to saw
that many of the married men who come to Us
nave hard-working wives enough. It is Q very
difficult thing, however, to put on such thing
the collar band Of q shirt that it will at
perfectly and be comfortable. Few women can
do 1t successfully, and sometimes they send
their husbands here or bring the garments
themselves. believe you said that you were
department clerk when you came last? We
have . great many gentlemen in the depart
ments for patrons. The percentage Of bache-
lors is very large among them, because they do
not get very big salaries, presume. Most OF
them dress wel-much more so, indeed, than
ordinary clerks-and they do not like to have
buttons OF or spots on their coats. As n roe
my mother does al the mending for the estsb-