The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-06-24
THOUGHT Ir WAS THE soRosls
Unhappy Experience OF y Man Lurcd by
Hot wDiytes ana SIrup,

~ ID
| Hot wafYics ana sirup.
lie was one of the holdovers from the
n;aval review and evidently from the
| provinces. His clothes were black and
| shiny, his shoes large and sqnarctoed,
and his collar and neclttie had loose
| and easy fit that suggested rural laun.
| dering and domestic manufacture. lie
had passed up Fifth avenue with II copy
| of the Worlds map in his hand and had
carefully noted the principal buildings
along that famous thoroughfarc. In
front of the woman S exchange he came
| to u dead halt. An attractive sign had
caught his eye: ''lIot Wailles and
Sirup." Now If anything could appeal
to warm and dusty and tired gentle
man from'the provinces at 1 p. III. IL
was hot watlles and sirup. And there
was something about the name "Wo
mans Exchange" that cheered and en-
couraged him. 1t suggested II bower
of peace and rest, an air of refinement.
clean tablccloths. neat and persona BILE
young women in dainty caps and
aprons. home cooking. quick service,
moderate charges, no tips, and no shay
ing--consequently no strikes. So the
stranger entered gayly, as n wandering
spirit exhausted by II trip through
space might enter paradise.
The middle of the day at the woman's
| exchange is not conducive to the most
perfect state of privacy and rest. 1t is
| that hour when women, tired and
| venomous from an arduouS morning OF
shopping, gather together to eat spoon
victuals and such assortment of wo
mans food as does not conflict with
steady conversation and Il flow of per
sonnl feminine remarks. These re.
marks cover an immense amount Oh
tes'ritory. ranging from sprightly
repartee to jagged invective, compre
hending not only the morals. customs
and dress of the feminine sex. but per-
| sonal allusion to all men who come
within the range of the feminine
vision. On this occasion the gathering
had been a little more critical than
usual and the unlucky she who came
in last was subjected to an overhauling
that left her without raiment, and pos
sibly without character.
Such was the condition of affairs
when the unsuspccting man walked
into the trap. 1t is no. an easy thing
| W chlti dIy StTU Ol TcStauTnnU III anV
time, but to plump down suddenly into
Il convention of women, to realize that
you are alone and helpless in IA hostile
country, to feel that fifty pairs OF
scornful and inimical feminine eyes
are fastened upon you, is a terrible cx-
perience. The aisle was perfectly
clear, but a little to the right was an
empty chair. Why man should
swerve from the track, give a lurch
aud knock over that chair can be an
swered only by the proposition, put
yourself in his place. litter went
over the room and the man. very hot
and very uncomfortable, lurched on
and sank into a seat in the far corner.
1t is well known to ornitholog1sts that
doves in the midst of a family quarrel
will stop their contention and make
cause against u common enemy.
So these women for time forgot
their own little differences and united
to make the unluclly man mere misera-
BILE even than the natural circum-
stances would justify. They marveled
at his presence: they criticised his ap-
pearance; they made little insinuations
and tlippant and irreverent remarks
chat penetrated to his corner and added d
to the horror OF his situation. And it
so fortuned that when sudden and
abrupt silence fell over the assembly
the unhappy man would drop Il fork or a
spoon with an awful crash, and every
woman would turn and glare at him,
and ripple of moclting laughter would
be waited to his agonized consciousness.
The purpose of this narration is not
I | ~.
. wretched man, not to describe in detail
the progress of the cons umption of his
not waiies and sirup. The memory of
which he will carry to his grave. The
purpose is more philanthropic, more in
accord with human impulses. 1t is u
note of friendly warning to other men
to beware when three or four or more
women are gathered together in one
place. The women OF New York have
long chafed under a masculine restric-
tion that shuts them out of hotels and
restaurants save at certain specified
hours, and when the opportunity pre-
sentS itself to take a sweet and terrible
cevenge they embrace it hungrily. Woe
: TO the man, urban or provincial, who
invades woman's dining-room unless
: protected bya guard of feminine skirts.
Better for that man to conquer his ap.
e petite for hot watlles and sirup and
= tempt diet of less terr flying accom-.
: paniments.
e But as the afternoon wore away and
y the sun took on deserted appearance
e the gentleman in evidence timidly
q emerged from his corner, paid his bill
e and ventured
4 Guess | got into the wrong place
Z and struck the Sorosis, b'gosh. IN, y
, World.
j, WHAT SHE KNEW ABOUT DOGS