The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-04-29
WOMAN AND A PURSE,
The TrIbulatiOns of a Pretty
WOman's POcketbOok.

woman and her pocsetbook. 1t serves
as source Of never tiring satire in
masculine circles. and of never falling
anxiety in feminine ones.
have been locking up the history of
just one pocketbook. 1.-THE pocket |
books relegated to the past now, but
while it was in known existence it had |
a lively exp nee. 1t was hand |
some pocketbook; dark blue almost |
black sealskin with corners and claps of
solid silver. There was no sham about
it anywhere. 1t had one piece of leather
for the outsGe and the pockets were
made of one continuous piece of kid
The owner was very proud of it's beauty.
She had 10 pocket in her dresses. Fash.
ion had rot provided for pockets in
several years, and this pocketbook was
too hancsome anyhow to hide in pocket,
SO she carried it in.her hand.
1t commenced its eventful career bv
disappearing one morning while she was
dressing 10 60 out, She. was sure she
saw 1t on the dresser few minutes
before but it had dropped out of sight
and no amount sof searching could find
1t. Three weeks afterward one of the
drawers Ia the dresser refused sto shut
ohe hpaiIy took it out entirely to investi-
gate its chstinacy ard there back in the
| corner was the beautiful pocketbook.
1t had evidently been standing on end
and had fallen down...and thus exposed
its hiding place. 1t was like meeting an
old friend. She determined to do
differently in the future.
She had some pockets in her coats.
She formed the habit of placing it in
side pocket where she could easily feel
it with her hand. One day she was
walking along the street and at the
corner OF a crowded thoroughfare she was
Jostied by number of men. She felt
indignant that they should want the
space that she was occupying in passing
and flashed a glance of rebuke at them
put they seemed SO perfectly unconscious
OF her proximity that she soon forgot the
annoyance.
About two hours afterward she wanted
to use her pocketbook. It was gone.
She went over the ground she had
traVersed since she remembered using
it, but it was not to be found. 1t then
occurred to her that the jostling of those
rough men meant they had taken her
pocketbook. The next day she received
note asking her to call at certain large
business building and ask for the head
esgineer; that he nad something of
Importance to communicate to her. The
Que important thing with her Just then
was her pocketbook. She went immed-
lately. Aud there it was. 1t had the
cards and some checks, just the same,
with the readJaasmoney taken out. The
pickpockets had run through an alley,
and had the kindness TO raise a screen
that protected an open skylight and
drop the purse into the engine room OF
the building almost into the engineers
hands.
She lost faith in pocketsl She decided
that, after all it was best to carry the
pocketbook in her hand. She would
keep her mind on it and there would be
no danger of leaving it or having /,
stolen. For quite while it skinned
along without anything happening to it.
excepting her friends were getting
initiated into watching it and were
continually handing it to her.
She took a trip west and placed the
seal and silver combination in a little
chatelaine bag. On the train the bag was
in the way. She urtastened it from her
belt and placed it back of her on the seat
She changed cars at junction, and in
the hurry left the little satchel in its
resting place. 1t contained her passes
and keys and some money, but not all
that she had with her. She telographed
to the conductor of the train. She
received the bag and contents about two
weeks afterward.
Satchels and pockets were alike for
danger, and again she decided that the
hand was the safest place. She could
remember 1t there, and it seemed to be
taking care Of itself And it did take
care o! itself most successfully in a
: chair in the parlor of a largo hotel for an
, hour one day, with people coming and
going all the time. It's various exper
fences were teaching it something of the
: world.
Ohe day sac was on Il crowded steamer
The wind Oh one side Of the deck became
,, disagreeable and she changed to the
other side. In about half an hour she
discovered shat she had left her pocket
book in the other seat. She flew around
the corner sure that this was the last
time she could loose that pocket book
; But no there it was. A lovely, elderly
lady and her husband were taking care
of it for her. They were strangers to
her but had found her name and address
inside the purse.
Then one night this pretty little affair
took a sort of fendish revenge on her
for her careiessness or observation-disclosures
or whatever it was. She went 20 a
reception. In DOMINIC a dress that she
had worn several times she discovered
that her dressmaker bad put pocket
in one Of the back seams. 1t was a
great surprise and for once she would
not have to worry about her pockstbook
She placed it iu the pocket, buttoned it
in securely with the blind fastening and
for once threw off all care of it. While
she and her husband were waiting for
their carriage one of the ladies whom
she had met for the first time that night
came up in great distress and said: Il
have lost my pocketbook. l put it
down somewhere while | was adjusting
my hat and it is gone.