The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-08-19
THE WISE OUTING WOMAN.
What She Puts In Her TRUNK Now That It
u Time to Pack 1t.

What She Puts In Her Trunle Now That It
~ Time to Pack 1t.
What blessing those women are who
goabout picking up the dropped stitches
i'll life" who remember what others for
get and who know just what to do and
how to it i'll every emergency!
BY special dispensation of providence
there is one such in every community,
and, better yet. at every sunmerhotel and
boarding house throughout the length
and breadth of the land. The Humane
society, individually and collectively,
know her and her services, but they
award her no medal, though she is life
saver and benefactor to countless thou
sands. In addition to the actual service
rendered she teaches many Il lesson to
the inexperienced, who pass it on until
some things become the heritage of the
race.
She may be IL lonely maid whose chief
possession is good health, which she
guards by means of preventives and sim
pie remedies. For instance, she has hot
water bag, which she uses as a warm
ing pam for damp sheets on cold nights
by the sea. She carries a spirit lamp,
which she lends more often than she
uses; mustard leaves, which she invari-
ably gives away; brandy. which some
stranger always finds handy: nails and
hammer, which she will use for the ben
eft of the hookless. She has novels
that suit all tastes, perfect crochet nee
dies, odds and ends of canvas with
which she shows the latest patterns to
those interested.
Or she may be the mother of some
sturdy boys and girls who are provided
with old jackets and stout boots, and
therefore do not worry her life out by
slipping out II a pelting storm to see
whether the old hen has laid an egg IN
the haylnow or the sea has washed M
another treasure
She has arnica for sprained ankles and
essence of ginger for 'such Il pain" If
she does not own one of the neat little
medicine cases such as are everywhere
displayed this year and which fill
long felt want, her bottles, including
some special prescription that she has
found never failing, are packed in old
| muslin and linen, valuable on their own
account for the probable cut fingers and
IL
tin box or old basket and wetlged so
tightly that scatter Drained Tom carried
them all the way with never spill"
She has pieces of cloth like all the
frocks and all the trousers, IL bag of but
tons, shoelaccs galore, pins and hiirpins
and good black darning wool, which eX-
perience has taught her can never he
found anywhere except lust around the
corner from her own house.
And with these things and supply of
underwear which nearly bursts the cor
ners of the shabby old trunk that so
many eyed suspiciously when it was first
| deposited on the piazza she found room
for some cards for solitaire, Il box of
dominos and II game of backgammon or
halma for the olderrhildren. The mid
ding sized youngsters are provided
with a slate and pencils, which latter
she deals out 'judgmatically," one mt IL
time. For the 5-year-old she carried a
| box of beads, while the baby crowed
with delight to see his dear dog with the
chewed ear leap into his arms when the
| trunk was unpacked.
Books she had none till the little 10
year-old invalid pleaded for her fairy
tales and the bedtime Uncle Remus."
The mother has no time to read novels,
and her fancy work, she declares, con-
sists entirely of the darning stitch.
This woman, be she maid or matron,
is Il benediction to the forlorn nissan
thropes who bewail days imprson-
ment III hotel parlors, reiterating III dull
monotoncs that they never dreamed OF
such weather"
She can talk servants or science. pas
try or politics, aud. best of all. is good
listener. She soon becomes an author
ity, and when she waves farewell to
those on the hotel piazza there is but
one comment, ''She was nice woman"
Why! Because she knew what to put
into Il trunk.
1t isa lesson worth acquiring New
York Times.