Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-03
BEAUTY IN DISTRESS

Very Uncommon Sort of Belle Seen in
Crowd of Well to DO Women.
Did you ever see a poor and shabby
belle? Such young lady stood in the
throng of women in a cabin of Twen-
ty-third street ferryboat yesterday. AT
the first glance you would not, in all
likelihood, have noted anything peculiar
about her. You would have seen only
tall, very shapely, modest girl of dis
tinctly genteel appearance. If you had
glanced at her again you would have
been startled, for she presented a picture
as rare as any that we see in the kaleido-
scope of life in the metropolis. For she
was young, well bred, proud, and yet
very, very poor.
She wore hat of what appeared to be
rabbit skin, evidently home made and
made with great cleverness and taste,
yet showing in other ways than in the
cheapness of the fur that it had never
come from milliner's hands. Moreover,
the fur was bedraggled, as if it's wearer
had been out in the rain without an um-
brella. Her Newmarket was of gray
cloth and fitted her perfectly-but the
cloth was old and had faded, and here
and there were little knots of stitching,
showing that small moth holes had been
carefully sewed up without success at
concealment. Her gloves were good, but
they were of cloth. But it was when her
face was studied that her condition was
made eloquent. Her skin had that waxen
appearance which the human face dis
plays when the body lacksnutritious food.
There was hint of pathos in her eyes,
and though the lines that were drawn
down and back from her mouth were not
yet deep they were apparent, neverthe-
less; they were the lines of sorrow and
of continually enforced self denial A
little boy was with her, and when she
spoke to him her voice was soft and
musical. Her choice of words was that
of an educated and refined lady, he1
manner was dignifed. When she moved
about you saw that one shoe, though
polished, was torn and out of shape. She
was very, very poor. And she was con-
scious of her condition; indeed, it was
evident that she had not long been as
poor as now. She must have once been
in comfortable circumstances
Very richly dressed ladies crowded
around her, pushed against her, pressed
close to her. Their perfumes filled the
air, their heavy furs slid past her hand
as it hung by her side, their brilliants
flashed in her face. 1t was remarkable
gathering of fashionable and wealthy
women. There were mincing, tripping,
fay like young women, some almost in
solent in their pride and ease. There
were chubby, rosy, well nigh stupidity
comfortable little women, swathed in
fur and broadcloth. There were great,
rotund matrons moving luxuriously each
in her own atmosphere of comfort and
plenty.
There were practical, firm looking
young married women making no dis
play of ornament or superfuity, but bear
ing themselves confidently, as lacking
nothing and asking nothing. All these
surged around the shabby belle as the
boat fioated into the pier They squeezed
her among themselves, they hid her as if
they had swallowed her up. Not one
appeared to notice her, nor did she seem
to be conscious of their presence. But
she must have noticed it; not figure, OF
brilliant, or fur garment, or Whit
of scent could have escaped one so keenly
intelligent as she. How every person
alIty, and every luxury, and every hint
of comfort must have cut her like knife
thrust!-New York Sun.