Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-19
PITIFUL POCKErLEss WOMAN.
To What Shifts is She Put to Carry Safe He,
Purse and Handkerchief.


Purse and Handkerchief.
From the New York Sun.
If human beings were classified according to
their most striking pecul;arisies tie fair sex of
this period would surely be called 1.-The pocket
less women"
Plain, sheath skirts are all very fac But it
never entered into the folds Of bell skirt to
afford 3 hiding place for pocket.
Nevertheless, there are certain articles which
must be carried. pocket or no pocket, and the
ways OF doing this which are devised by various
women are both ludicrous and pathetic
When a woman starts out shopping or visit
ing, or on any errand, there are several articles
which it behooves her to carry: In the first
place every well-meaning woman likes to have
a handkerchief concealed somewhere about her
person; and, furthermore, it doesn't make
much difference whether she be arraved with
the panoply of righteousness, but she must
carry at least her car fare.
This is the very simplest way in which the
case presents itself. But the ways in which
women meet 1t are legion. Take money! Often
a woman has more than she is absolutely GER
tain to need, and. knowing full we'll by dire
experiences the manifold dangers which attend
her pocketless condition, she slows it away in
divers and sundry places.
The hat is a not uncommon hiding place for
this little surplus, which is securely pinned
between the hat frame and the lining. A great
many women carry their extra money in a
small bag placed inside their dress waists
Others wear bands about their waists, as did
the miners in the old California DAYS. Others
select their stockings, and still others their
shoes as repositories of wealth. These women
are always making some purchase which over
draws the cash they have in sight it were.
1t is very amusing then. The woman begins
to hedge. Says she thinks she will wait a little
while before deciding. Clerk very much az
| grieved, urges the desirability of the goods
| Woman bushes. Clerk grows eloquent
| Woman SAYS she will 60 over to the glove
counter while he is cutting the material Truth
begins to dawn on clerk s mind and smile on
his face. Womsa disappears, not in the direc-
ton of the glove counter. Reappesrs in i've
minutes somewhat ruffed, but solvent.
Some women carry money, particularly car
fare, in the palms Of their hands. Others hor-
rors. have small change between their teeth,
and pay very moist nickels into the conductors
grimy hand.
Handkerchiefs are generally tucked under
the bottom of the basque or between the but
tons, but one young woman of the writer's &C.
quaintance always thrust hers up her sleeve.
That is she did until the floor walker in the dry
goods store led her over to the Office under the
impression that she was shopifting One
bright young woman had a dress waist made
with wide revers in front. Under each revers
was q small pocket like the change pocket in a
mans waistcoat. One of these was sacred to
the use of silver and the other to paper money.
That girl was happy for awhile. Her money
was safe. But one day she counted her hand
kerchlefs and found that she had lost six inside
of two weeks She racked her brains for a
remedy. She had been in the habit of tucking
her square of linen or lace under the edge of
her basque and she could not think of any other
place which would be equally eligible. At last
she had an idea. She took one of those clasps
such as are used for holding up sleeves or hose
and fastened that under her basque Then she
clasped this to her kerchef, and walked serene
In the consciousness that she was iuSulnerable
to loss.
There is always the shopping bag. Awkward
and unattractive il is. it has saved most of
our hairs, gray and otherwise, from being
brought in SORROW to the grave It Is really
astonishing. the capacity Of the cheerful little
things! The other day q group of girls, each
with a shopping bag hanging like trophy at
her belt, were sitting at lunch in an uptown
restaurant. Some one dared the girls TO show
the contents of their respective bags and such
a motley collection Of trinkets was forthwith
displayed would have discounted the total pro-
duction of a whole dozen of school boys pockets
But the newspaper girl. usual, was ahead.
And for any one who doubts the usefulness of a
shopping bag, she submits the following little
list of the contents of her own very small one:
One note book, one purse three pencils, one
knife, two letters, one stamp box, one hand
kerchief, two gloves, six hair pins. one glove
buttoner, one railroad ticket three keys one
watch, one vei-twenty-ive separate articles
in this small receptacle
This is an actual list, and although the bag
was trife aldermanic in proportions still it
was not full, as bags go.
Nevertheless, the shopping bag is only a
slight amelioration of our condition There
must come some sort of a revolution.
In the meantime, behold u.s.
Poor, pitiful, pocketless woman.