The herald., 1894-12-25
HEARD ON A STREET CAR.
A TRuE EPISODE.

Cotuer oI spring anu lr5t suiooto ""ts-
ing for tho conductor OF the cable car to
persuade woman with juot fifteen
bundles and four children that the
BOYLE Heights Car would take her to
Boyle Heights much sooner than would
the Downsy avenue one, and the velvet
cape young woman had been giving her
friend a resume of tho gossip picked up
at the different social functions" since
tho advent OF the season; had re-
marked that every woman in Los
| Angeles had adopted the various shades
OF magenta for wear on every and all
occcsion, and somehow the conversa-
ton had inadvertently turned upon the
opposite sex.
Apropos of come remark from the
young woman with the side combs the
velvet capped woman had expressed her
non-aupport OF the equality theory.
"Why, dear, thought you we're so
interested in the movement? 1t was
only last GUNNER that you 'raved' go
! about that Mr.. - because he treated
you as 'sexless mind,' whatever that
may be-"
my friend" remarked the "aexless
mind, THAT WAS last summer. l am
| w:aer now."
She looked distinctly weary for mo.
m9nt and then continued:
"I'll tell you about it, Jeas, and per-
haps it will be q warning to you not to
aspire 20 the Turing but elusive charm OF
being treated as d 'sexless mind by the
animal man."
"You know nv friend-wsll. She
met Mr.. - frat. Found him go de-
lightiully unconventional, go lofSy in his
f,f mil |
was simply wild to meet him, and at
lsst was favored"
at makes me positively i'll when 1
think how we two girls sat at his feet
(meteph oricsily) and drank in every
word that fell from his lips"
He began by impressing upon ua the
hattering assurance that he would not
talk to or treat us with the manner the
ordinary man assumes toward women.
He also warned us repeatedly not to fall
in love with him, but we rather lost
sight OF the egotism in the delightful
prospect of being considered the intel>
lectual equal OF a man.
We were to him "sexless mind" 30
he said, not two sexless minds; but it
required our combiped intelligence to
produce one "eexless mind"
OF course no woman likes to have her
individuality merged into another's and
completely lost sight of, even to produce
go unique thing as ''sexless mind"
But the prospect of being treated as one
of tho supegior sex drowned all other
idsGa.
.a"But did no smoke in your presence
and allow you to wait upon yourself and
all that so.t of thing" inquired the
other feslingly.
1,
brother Toms, too. My heart used to
quake sometimes when | thought of
Toms wrath at finding his cigar csse
emp y, whict it invariably was."
"As for waiting upon ourselves-as /
look back upon it, think he must have
been the LATEST man possible.
"He would come to stay the afternoon
with us-in purely Platonic apirit-he
kept assuring us, Rnd, after enaconsing
himself in the most comfortable chair or
on the couch, would call for Toms cigar
case or glass OF wsteT, or wine or milk,
until we were really too exhausted to
protest. And mind you. not one word
of thanks"
"How dreadfull" sighed the girl with
the combs"
"Yes," went on the other--"and then
he talked of himself and his achieve.
ments all the time.
II wouldn't think of telling this to
the average woman" he would say--to
repay us, suppose.
Do you know he never so much az said
we were looking well-and We used to
apend hours over our toilets-only once
he told my friend she had too much
powder on her nose. and that che didn't
need to emphasize that feature.
"Why didn't you drop him" aaked
the other.
"That'a the worst OF it," sighed the
erstwhile follower OF Frances Willard;
1--WE must not allow even to ourselves
that our experiment was not the most
distinct SUCCESS"
1--WE kept assuring each other that we
had never been treated in such a
manly way before, and that it would
be much better after we got used to it.
"Of course all the other men ceased
coming. They felt that they were not
appreciated and hadn't the cleverness to
interest our superior intellects.
Dear me! That must have been
dreadful" exclaimed the sympathizing
friend.
"Yes. we did find it rather trying, but
then, you see, we oonsoled ourselves
with the reflection that he was genius.
| remember once my friend and | were
lying on the couch in her room. Mr..
- had jpst taken his departure, and
we were endeavoring. with the aid OF
amelling salts and iced tea to recover
sufficiently to go down to dianer. My
friend turned to me aud said:
II think geniue is q very trying per.
non TO deal with"
We didn't discuss the question.
81 should think not" from the girl
with the combs.
And all this time NOT theater or a
box of candy or booth, or flowers, or
dish of ice cream, or soda-not
even q compliment-coul our united
efforts draw from that man.
II alwaya think it looks go patroniz.
ing for man to offer women su0h
trivial attentions" he would say.
Then he would look at you in such
straightforward way - he really had
wonderful eyes, think they were hyp-
motto. OF course we agreed with him,
and thought with intense scorn OF other
men who had squandered their ducats
in pursuit OF our pleasure.
"Well, how did you finally come to @
realization of your failure?' demanded
tae sympsthizing one.
II don't know that we ever would,
but that one day.
Just there the car rounded the corner,
The crowd. including the two young
women, moved on. | strained my cars
! TO catch the remainder OF the sentence.
L..k r Ia % l..