St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-01-31

quite explicit and conclusive, that its
owner was following woman. The
man was of that entirely respectable
exterior which might have made an OBJ
server take him for granted at cham
Der of commerce dinner or at Wagner
matinee. Something in the character
of his appearance prompted the ObServ-
er to ascertain the kind of woman the
man was following.
Just at this moment the man turned
into a side street. This side street was
so quiet that the little comedy was in
stantly thrown into relief against a
background of brOWnStOne fronts. The
woman was half way down toward the
next avenue. She was walking quickly.
Between her and the man who had at
tracted the observers notice was anoth
Ell man. OF the object of his attention
no one could have long been in doubt.
The observer managed to Outwalk both
men and had reached the woman by the
time she crossed the next avenue.
The woman was of slight build and
refined appearance. She wore steel
gray gown. low shoes of gray velvet, and
a dainty hat Of the same color afforded
shelter for the ends of a Dearly veil.
The $ cutting al the neck of her gown
was modest in its revelation, but there
was a suggestion OF haste or careless
ness in the manner in which she held
the folds of her skirts. These details
had scarcely been observed when she
ran quickly up the steps of handsome
house and tugged at the bell. Her
cheeks were burning. She looked
neither to the right FOR to the left, and
when the door opened she entered
quickly and without turning her head.
If the woman's manner meant any
thing it meant that she was not pro-
fessional street tlirt, and that by what
ever accident of appearance, gesture
or look she had encouraged the ridic-
ulous attention of two men. she repented
of those means and was frightened at
their outcome. The incident, which
may be called typical, gave opportunity
fOr any amount of speculation as to
what were the precise symptoms which
I'VE encouragement, and how many of
IN an innocent woman might inno-
atty employ.
y young city woman relates this Incl
dent: Il was III an elevated car one
day. While staring ruminatively across
the car one OF my eyelids gave that
nervous twitch-a sort of electric quicker
which [ suppose everybody has eX-
perienced at one time or another. |
had hardly felt the sensation when
saw man looking full at me from an
opposite seat. When | got out at the
next station that man got out also. He
kept closely behind me for several
blocks. OF course this made me nerv-
Gus. Perhaps if had been heroine
would have turned about and said:
Pardon me, sir; but that was not an
authentic wink You see | am ma
ture enough woman not to blame him
entirely. He was just reaching my side
when / turned quickly into my house
without looking at him.
This only illustrates,' said the city
woman, chow easily women may appear
TO be what they are NOT, and how alert
the whole of mankind seems TO be for
that committing hint. L believe many
women who are not iirts, even of the
most innocent and harmless variety,
sometimes try their power. There is a
fascination in the exercise of this facil-
ity for swinging men out of their orbit.
! believe the number of men who have
never followed and spoken to woman
TO whom they had not been introduced,
or to whom they could not legitimately
speak, is much larger than the cynicS
suppose. But, nevertheless, the vast
majority Of men, not absolutely prevent
ed by eXtraneouS circumstances, will
yield, at least for the moment, to what
looks like all invitation from an attract
i've woman. There are plenty of wom-
en-, as well as men, who will tell you
that there is no harm in street flirta-
tons that are cut short at the step of a
cap. or at the portal of home. AS a
matter of fact, there are many and
many perfectly respectable, perhaps /
might seem to he exaggerating if l said
refined, women in this city who toy
with flirting upon occasion and get a
certain diverting excitement out of it,
Perhaps some of these women hire
private letter boxes and answer an adj
yertiSement to feel the romantic thrill
of an illicit communication. But this is
surely playing with fire, and the foolish
women are lucky who are rebuked and
checked by some salutary fright.
The trouble with innocent women
and l am talking about that claSs-is
that they do not realize, in their ig-
norance of life, how much flirting act
may make them resemble another class
of women. The men who follow them
never suspect their innocence. A little
too much powder, a flip of the skirt, a
fiashy veil. SaunIering step-any mum.
Der of little mannersms of public de
meanOr may make them appear to be
dishonest. Bleached hair, character
istic as it often is of perfectly modest
though ignorant women, is always con-
sidered something more than suspicion;
by the average man. Thoughtful WON
en- should frankly regard these things
They explain good deal. am WON
an, and l have been bothered little
like every woman who is not hideous
But l believe woman is freer from an
noyance in the streets of New York than
I'm the streets of any other great city il
the world. Ii women are troubled il
the streets of New York l am afraid i
is generally their own fault Every
woman who is candid will confess tina
other women cast Chances more otfensiv,
than those chances which come from
men, We all hate bruteS who ogie, Blu
but after all are they so very common?'
A Social Novelty.