Wichita eagle., 1889-09-05

One day as 1 sat by my desk writing-I
was then the assistant secretary of large po-
itical bureau-I noticed the entrance of a
stately woman who sailed up the room to-
ward the desk of nv chief as if accustomed
to rooms with long distance. Her whole air
indicated culture
She was evidently well acquainted with
the secretary, and observed that he treated
her with more than even his usual courtesy.
10 my surprise she asked for employment
for writing of any kind" Her general air
OF nagnlticence, combined with her eager
ness for employment, so excited my curios-
| ity that after she had sailed away with a
charming old fashioned courtesy-one quar-
| ter OF which was bestowed upon mel said
to my chief: WHO is sheE'
| ''She Is a niece of -" mentioning a
former grand potentate of New York city
! What" | exclaimed ''She was her
uncie's adopted daughter; why did not he
! leave her some monev.'
| wv hen her uncle died." replied the secre-
tary, lit was found that he was not as
wealthy as many supposed, and she was left
with SO small an income that it just keeps
her from starving, am told"
LADIES, ALL TIE SAME.
Before this incident occurred | had often
been brought into contact with genteel pow
erty, and since then many are the facts
| which have gathered through observation,
| and because of a sympathetic temperament
which makes me the recipient of humanity's
joys and sorrows to a larger degree than
falls to the lot OF most women.
Having often heard remarks-not always
represented by poor women, have iotted
down the following facts and impressions:
The first thing this class of women gener-
ally consider is their personality. From
bonnet to shoe their constant endeavor is to
be presentable. We viii begin with the bon
net-which for the sake of economy they
must make, though it may turn cut as ugly as
sin-yet, really lovely are many of their fab
relations bit of lace, a piece of silk that
was laid carefully away in view of an emer-
gency. A rose subtracted from box of ar
tificial flowers that have seen much service
Silk, lace a:id rose deity put together, and
there appears a bonnet that is often an object
OF envy to more fortunate women.
These are the women who not only watch
the stores for bargains but need to, and they
soon learn with the keen intuitions of woman
hood to make dollar go a great ways. They
find here and there few yards of brocade or
silk selling far below the usual price, this put
with some carefully renewed material, often
makes pretty gown that surprises both be-
holder and possessor.
But there is always a failure somewhere"
plaintively remarkeda friend; u can manage
the dress and bonnet, but my shoes and gloves
are never what they should be-" she pouted,
as she thrust out a tiny foot clad in well
fitted but very cheap shoes And then she
put out for inspection "a little hand covered,
alas, with a cotton glovei my mothers
creed [ cannot follow" she p0utingly con-
tinues; ''she used to say. that lady could al
ways be told by tire quality Of her shoes and
gloves. Of course l am no longer a lady &C
cording to that creed"
But, after all it IS the question of getting
comfortably lodged .lor the smallest rent pos
sible which most sorely puzzles these women
And the ''hall bedroom" becomes an i'm
portant factor Landladies have learned not
to be surprised when a finely attired lady
rents her third or fourth story hall room
But the dreary little room is often so trans
formed that it becomes very pretty boudoir
The bed is replaced by a sofa, cot or folding
bed. y screen hides the "washstand." From
her trunk she brings forth treasures-gener-
ally old, but, after all, valuable bric-a-brac
and soon the iandlady stands gazing with adj
miration amidst all their luxury She has
such a tiny income that | will not mention it.
But, when rent, etc. are subtracted, there is
but morsel left for the stomach, so that her
food becomes the least substantial OF all eff
forts for gentility.
THE LITTLE OIL STOVE.
We must not forget the ''oil stove" What
these women would DO without the oil stove !
really cannot imagine What wonderful !
stews, soups, etc, are cooked upon
stoves often small as the owners income, /
and the recipes OF many Of these connections |
are not to be found in any cook book.
remember, however, rooming once next |
door" to two lovely ladies' who did their /
small cooking over the gas though that, OF |
course, was forbidden. Row they ever man |
aged to evade that landiady do not under |
stand, because she was hard, sharp woman, !
not easily deceived by womankind- 1t was,
perhaps, not quite moral in me to wink at so
much wickedness, but the wiles of those two I
women TO evade that cross, rich old landlady |
were a source of enjoyment which abldes .
with me still
But the dainty women who viii not learn /
10 cook because they cannot endure the odors
n their small rooms have the hardest times |
knew once one of these helpless gentlewo-
men who had drifted to us from foreign
shores. Beautiful rs a dream, with manner
half proud and appealing, she made my heart
ache sometimes.
do not suppose that any one, excepting
myself, ever knew how hungry she often
vas be.cauca of bar c-,,r,tad r1auDar |
imagine that she was sometimes almost hun
Try enough to have eaten one OF her beauti-
ul white hands She would live whole
week upon bread and tea" and when she
'ould stand ii no longer she would subtract
quarter from ner savings, then go TO some
Jean, cheap restaurant TO eat the nearest APP
)roach to dinner that she could afford.
Again and again another quarter would be
lsed until her hunger was satisfied Had she
lsed her oil stove for cooking she could have
ived much better at less cost.
4 ludicrous remembrance is that l have Of
wo ladies who were 'chums," but wers
,iesssed with such small incomes that they
lad TO account for even the pennies. Er-
eedingly intimate, yet they rarely visited
ach other. though separated but by a few
,locks; because, when together, they were
pendthrifts, while separate they could reach
he end Of the month without becoming
nancial wrecks,
Let them onoe yield 10 the fascination Of a
ay IN each others society and the stores
nd restaurants soon exhausted their united
esouces Like the drunkard with his "one
lass more, they were undOne, and when
light came they would mournfully consider
heir empty pocketbooks and broken vowS-
.-l1rns = Allen Ii Nav Gork News