The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-03
LOST IN STREET CARS.
A Queer Collection of Articles
Forgotten by Passengers.
The Office of a Chicago Company That
Has Regular Museum OF Curiosities
Everything from a Night Gown
to an Ear Trumpet.

Everything from a Night Gown
to an Ear Trumpet.
you've left your TN brella, lady
and the conductor waved frantically
in the air parasol adorned with
multifarious tassels. The lady adj
dressed, who had just got off the car,
turned, seized the parasol and without
word of thanks disappeared in the
throng which crowds Madison street
at the fashionable shopping hour.
women are curious creatures" re-
marked the conductor to an observant
passenger. They're SO forgetful, al
ways leaving things in the cars, and
when we happen to notice them before
they get out of sight they never thank
us. And. by the way, there's an awful
lot of stuff left in the cars. I've found
nearly everything. Last trip picked
up lady's purse"
'What becomes of all the articles
that are left?" asked the observant
passenger, whose curiosity had been
aroused.
"Why: they are all turned in at the
Office. If you have time trip there
would be interesting"
The Office of the West division street
railroad is located at the corner of
Washington and jefferson streets, and
thither the observant passenger wend-
ed her way, says the Chicago Times
The young lady in charge of the lost
and found department readily permit
ted herself to be interviewed. The
Office is commodious one, surrounded
by rows of pigeon holes, in which
neatly labeled and ticketed is to be
seen nearly every conceivable article
that is capable of being ''lost and
found"
''You see," said the custodian, "our
stock is rather low at present, be-
cause articles unclaimed after thirty
days are returned to the conductor
finding them. Quantities of fruit and
flowers are found, but they are i'm
mediately returned to the finder, as is
the rule with all perishable goods.
This morning a package of canned
goods came in. Perhaps you would
like to examine my list
Here the young lady extended her
record book for inspection. There were
umbrellas by the score, with straight
sticks and crooked sticks, and some
with no sticks at all. There were
gloves from the genteel suede to the
one of plain brown cotton. There
were rings from the noble diamond to
the one of paste.
An Episcopalian prayer-book had
been left at the close of Lent, which
awakens the query: Has its owner
ceased to pray?" Next on the list
was a nursing bottle. Its poor little
owner of course went hungry until
another could be procured at neigh
boring store; the baby meanwhile
threatening, as best it could, to change
its boarding place if it must be so
cruelty treated.
A lantern, an old-fashioned one, was
there. Some Diogenes' search had
been brought to a sudden close: or had
he found it useless?
Two items-things of much use
similar, yet not alike, were scrawled
across the page; one check for fifty
dollars, and the other pair of
checked pants" each infinitely use
full while it lasts, but one represent
ing more than the other, being able
to clothe the whole body and the lin
ner man" with food as well.
Here the observant passenger learned
that carpen tiers lose saws, washerwom-
en- lose soiled clothes and soap, BARRIERS
lose cases of their dangerous irnple-
ments, men of all work" lose old hatch
cts, farmers lose carpet-bags, deaf per
sons lose their ear trumpets, workmen
lose dinner pals, lovers forget candy
boxes and opera glasses, and ladies'
well, ladies sometimes lose their night
gowns.
Even bottle Of consumption cure
had been left with no one to cure. A
cts for a theater-more perisha BILE
goods.
But there were three small wax raj
bits. Who lost them? Crinoline? Yes;
one package. Its loss to the owner
will never be known, but one thing is
assured: one conductors wife, at least,
viii lead the fashion next Sunday in q
fin de steele skirt
At last, but not least, was found a
rosary. It's sight recalled Sister Dolo-
rosa" with a wealth of sweet flowers
that grew in the Kentucky convent
garden. What new penance would
this pure creature have to perform for
losing the string of brown beads, over
which her hands had passed for years?
None, hoped the observant passenger,
as she left the Office just in time to see
a fat woman close her grip" on a trail
car and indent the wet block pavement
with her plenteous personality.