The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-17
RETRIBUTIoN-A PROPHETIC VISION.

Saltue-Amalie Rives mood. Toying with
his facile pen, retrospective smile
wreathed his lips, as he leaned luXuriously
back in his easy chair, and watched the
floating clouds from his aromatic Havana,
circling and coquetting about his mis-
taken head in way somehow suggestive
of snowy frills and embroideries.
'where dainty feet. like little mice peep in and
out"
The prudence prims who read the Daily
Lark would have been shocked by another
petticoat rhapsody, if the editor had not
just here fallen asleep and dreamed
strange and wonderful dream.
He thought he was suddenly trans
ported to spacious place, cleaning with
pillard vista and marble statuary. and
softened with shadowy PORTER and wav-
ing palms. The air was heavy with the
pefume of flowers, and sibilant with the
ripping music of woman's laughter and
the ceaseless twitter of birds. Graceful
forms trailed silken draperies across pol
ished floors, and soft eyes Of blue, black
and brown beamed brightly on him.
Rustling fans, waiting the odors of the
Vale of Cashmere. stirred the auburn
locks that clustered about his brow. He
supposed he had died and gone to heaven,
until he realized that he was the only
man in all this paradise, and heard a
voice, sweet but firm, ring through the
sensuous atmosphere of this elysium,
with the question:
as this the culpr1, my sisters?"
Then for the first time he saw that he
was arraigned as for trial, and beautiful
woman with Jenness Miller carriage,
arrayed in the garb of justice. but no lon
ger blindfolded, sat on throne and bent
on him searching gaze from clear and
truthful eyes.
Prisoner, at the bar" spoke the woman,
''you are found guilty of a grave INSIDE
meanor-of cOnspiring with others of your
sex to retard the natural growth, intellec-
tual and physical, of all women. Their
intellectual growth, by limiting their
knowledge of the affairs of life to the
nursery, and the art of charming man; and
their physical growth by advocating all
senseless follies of fashion, that hinder the
free use of feminine muscle, lung and
limb. You are charged with pretending
such an intimate acquaintance with the
Almighty as TO be able to confidently de-
fine his intention concerning ''woman's
sphere You are tried and convicted;
the sentence remains to be passed"
Here the voice of Justice almost trem-
bled with pity as she continued:
You are sentenced to wear all the tor
tuing, binding, hindering, impediment of
woman's dress, from the rib-depressing
corset, to the step-impeding skirt; from
the thin soled, high heeled shoe, to the
absurd bonnet with no shelter for your
eyes but spotted veil"
''You are condemned to wear this dress
for-one week, and may heaven have
mercy on you during that miserable time"
With his customary gallantry the pris-
oner attempted to explain his position, but
was silenced by a dignified gesture from
Justice.
'Your argument will not help you.
Your Wanted love for woman applies only
to woman as toy, a plaything, and avails
her nothing after her beauty and youth
have waned, or if she be one of those who
have no time to cultivate the art of charm
ing, or to hutter dainty dimity for the
pleasure of ardent but impractical editors"
Two attendants will convey you about
to instruct you in all the various duties
consequent on your attire. and to see that
you do not escape a single discomfort
which it brings" Here two vinegar faced
James seized him and snapped a corset on
him as the first step toward his punish
ment and their revenge. Then in a trice
he was clad in all the bravery of fashion,
able modern dress. his hands squeezed into
gloves sized too small, his feet into shoes
ditto. his hair was gathered up and
formed with the help of switches into an
aggressive knot through which his vindic-
tive guards thrust pins into his scalp. A
scallopv straw basket was perched at an
angle of As degrees on the structure. and
veil with a polk-a-dot over each eye was
drawn tightly across his face and tied
with tickling ends under his chin.
rs he not spectacle?" remarked one of
his tormentors vindictively.
LET us see you try to walk. Come get |
a move on you"
When the unhappy man had first heard |
his sentence he laughed it to scorn; in his |
ignorance he never dreamed of the tor f!
lures of that corset. He pulled and pant |
ed as his ribs and lungs strove to regain |
their normal position; he felt that be must |
die, or breathe once more full, free |
breath.
Certainly not" argued his guards. |
Don't you know that a corset is neces-
sary to preserve the swelling curves and |
rounded outlines so beautiful in the fem |
Inc dress? Come, we must walk around a
block or two" And as the poor victim
struggled ingloriously along, fettered by
his clinging. trailing skirts. he felt the
drops of physical agony and mortified van
ity moisten his brow.
Instlnctively ne felt in the accustomed
place for his pocket. He had forgotten
that woman's dress seldom, If ever has
q pocket, and then in the most inaccessible
place.
His attendants remarked that it was
just as well, for had he been able to reach
his pocket handkerchief his sleeves were
too tight TO allow him to reach his face -
The trio walked about the streets with
much difficulty for the novice. whose ele-
CANT train swept cloud of dust after
them and gathered up little trophies and
mementoes OF decayed banana peel. dis
carded tobacco guilds and other little relics
of such journey
AT the crossing on Main and Douglas
the pulling editor measured the distance
from the curling across the dark and
muddy rivulet TO the dry safety of the
crumollng lasperite pavement, looked rue
fully at his dress and appealingly at his
companions. Nonsense" they said
Hold your parasol and your fan. and
your parcels, and your pocketbook in one
hand, and lift your drsperies lightly with
the other; you've seen Us do il often
enough, you ought TO know how. Won.
who declare that Solomon in
all his glory was not arraved
like one OF these-women. And lucky for
Solomon that he wasn't. I think" The