Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-07-26
THE GLOOMY Side.
Women Who Dote on
the GreWsOme.
ANXIOUS TO VIEW THE DEAD
Episode Of q Newspaper woman's
Street Car Ride.

ear. lnere were III women hnu men
in the same quarters. We logged along
our way as people do out Of whose life
all interest had been taken by hot day,
IA a rude nurse snatches playthings from
helpless children. Whether "school kept
or not" was matter Of not the slightest
moment to any of us. Indeed had rea-
son to hope that should never again be
confronted with bulletins as to the rise
and fall of that mythical educational
bureau whence we all draw more or less
Of knowledge fraught with bitter expe-
rience. It's pupils are 30 stupid and Its
head preceptor 80 unrelenting that have
long been a-weary of its curriculum.
Opposite In the car sat young woman
whom often meet and shall continue to
meet, suppose, until the sexton shovels
few feet Of dust between our faces. II
she were man. she would be In the at
titude Of one who Is "spoiling for q
fight" What is mere combativeness
IN men takes the form Of insolence In
women and Is harder to bear. This
young person eyes my clothes. She
gloats over my shabbiness. She knows
exactly how many times day my poor
old gown Is groomed. She is cognizant
Of the fact that my of shoe has sprung
leak, and as she tosses her head and
smiles the smile that, passed from wom-
an to woman, means more than blow
seem to hear her says "Ha, cumberer,
are you here YETI Last time I met you
l thought stared you down, but such
rubbish seems hard to kilt A trife
more ridicule, though, slightly yelled,
like poison in a capsule, will lay you
low, and l shall have the pleasure of
turning my battery upon some other
God forsaken crank who appears TO have
more brains than style!"
We We're tumbling along In the old
street car, tired and dirty lot of US,
bound for the depot AS we passed a
certain undertalter's shop on the way we
noticed that big crowd had collected
at its doors-a hushed crowd, with white
faces and bated breath. A police patrol
was drawn up 10 the curbstJne and four
brawny officers were lifting something
out Of the wagon and carrying it,w1thin
the undertaker's open gate. The some
thing that lay beneath the old tarpaulin
was very still and outlined itself sharply
beneath the sable folds Of the pail that
covered 1t. | turned away from the
sight, for there Is that within me that
revolts from such sights as the butterfly
does from the thistle or the swift run
ming boat from oapful Of head wind.
I knew we'll enough what the some
thing" was Ten minutes before per-
haps 1t had been a man. swinging like o
sailor on the uplifted ladder where the
painter pursues his craft, or O careless
vagabond knocked down by passing
vehicle and straightway ushered into the
audience chamber Of the great and only
King, or merry hearted boy spurned by
a flying wheel, or a tired old woman
Gifted high as heaven" by the tender
arms Of death. knew very we'll that
the awful something was once breath
ing, blundering mortal like myself and
that sudden calamity had transferred
1t into clay, how or In what terrible
manner | did not care to see. But ev-
cry woman In the car In which / rode
jumped from her seat to watch the
grewsome thing turned away from.
"Oh, wish the cover would fall off 80
that we could seei" cried one.
Lift Willie up 80 that he can lookr'
exclaimed careful q mother, making
room as she spoke for the nursegirl to
place the little boy in better position.
No sooner did all these women gain a
vantage point from where they could
best behold the dreadful burden which
the policemen bore without either ten
derness or care into the waiting station
Of the morgue than they began to trem-
BILE and to cry.
"Oh, dear, how dreadfulw moaned
they In unison, while their fascinated
gaze was unaverted and their necks
were craned to see 1t all
And then because am O philosopher
in my own poor fashion and can NO more
help philosophizing than q spider can
help spinning webs said to myself:
That Is the way with all Of usi We seek
out our own discomforts and we cul-
tivate them with our own tears. We
gloat over the very things that bring us
pain and take front seat to witness our
own tragedies. Given. the most of ms, q
chance to spend an afternoon among the
tombs or to go fishing for goldfish out
Of crystal pond, and we will trot along
with the mourners every time. We are
always In the attitude (most of us) Of
the Peterkin family at the seaside. They
were continually looking of shore for
whales, and they saw whales and moth
ing but whales from seasons start 10
seasons closet What we look for we
fnd, what we SOW we reap, what we
dread we draw and what we expect
comes to u.s.
Take two girls and send them out
through the divine beauty Of these June
woods with a basket apiece. They are
after violets, we will say. although the
purple drapery Of the dim spirit flower
has been almost withdrawn from the
woods already, like q curtain uplifted
by an eager hand One Of the girls Is
afraid Of snakes and declares the sight
Of one would kill her on the spot How
she looks for themi How eagerly she
watches every tremor of the under
brushl How she starts nj floating tim
othy and shrieks when q clover jostles
IN the windl And she sees snakes
plenty Of 'eml She goes home with an
empty basket and has 10 take a pow
der to quiet her nerves. The other
girl keeps her mind on violets and never
sees a serpent's trail She goes home
with basketful Of flowers and dreams
that she is setting sail for paradise In
purple boat with the tender green Of
violet stems for its oars and a sail that
smells Of the wood flowers perfect soul