Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-11-15
THE TOUGH GIRL.
BY EDITH SESSIONS UPPER.

by II looking glass and surveyed herself
with a triumphant grin.
SAY I'm out of sight today" she
stated. "Dem new togs is pretty slick"
She was IA CHASTITY object though she
did not know it, The tough girl was
serio comic singer and dancer in a Coney
Island concert saloon.
She was on duty from II in the morn
ing until midnight, ready at moment 5
call or Snarl from the creature called by
courtesy the stage manager to edo her
turn, " sing in Il shrill, cracked falsetto
voice verses with Il touch of maudlin senti-
lnent, or to lift the fluted folds of her taw
dry skirts and execute poor imitation of
some famous high kicker.
The tough girl was IA daughter of the
slums. She had been reared in misery and
nurtured in sin. Her childhood was one
of cuffs and blows and her youth a night
marc.
l am not making any excuses for my
tough girl. am only setting her forth
plainly and uncomprOmisingl as she
really existed-a product of the awful CON
ditions of the slum life of great city.
The tough girl, having a something she
called voice and nimble feet, became II
etIlO OuiIlC hIllSui Dul STU was llOu Ntal hlIS
enough to keep her body and what little
soul she possessed together.
Had she Il soul?
Well that is "a question Most people
would say "No." But | believe that in
every hearts desert, however parchcd and
arid, there is always one little patch of
green
And so let us admit that our tough girl
had soul, though she didn't recognize
that fact herself Only in IA curious dumb
fashion she sometimes realized that she
was different being from the fine, dainty
ladies who drank champagne on the broad
piazzaS Of the big hotels, from the pretty
girls who splashed and lloundered in the
surf, and especially did the truth that the
whole world WAS not made up of tough
girls como home to her when she saw the
happy CHEEKY faced wife of some young
mechanic carrying bouncing baby in her
arms, while u small boy or girl chung to
her skirts and yelled in transports of de
light at the big elephant or the accommo
dating COW of Coney Island.
But any little attack of depression the
tough girl was wont to drown in il schoon
er of stale beer or n pony of vile brandy, if
happily she could afford the latter luxury
After such libatiOnS she returned to her
kicking and screcching with renewed
vigor.
The tough girl had managed in some oc-
cult fashion to get what she was pleased
to denominate "new toys These CON
sisted of cheap green tights and accordion
skirt OF the same hue, with IA bodice low
enough to reveal her consumptive chest
and long, skinny arms. When she had
donnGd these gauds and fripperes and
stood to admire herself before going on to
turn a fllpllap, she was an awful sight
But she smiled at the counterfeit pre-
sentiment of her charms, and that hideOuS
grin revealed the loss of three front teeth
They had been knocked out during vari-
Gus little misunderstanding with the
tough girls "fellcr,' himself bruiser of
no mean reputation
The loss of these teeth the tough girl
considered serious drawback to her sue
cess rs al artist She had tried to save
money enough to replace them. but the
flesh WAS weak, and when il came to a
choice between teeth and beer, the latter
commodity usually got the better of the
former,
Come, get along slim shanks, -
groWlcd her Scntlcmanly manager. do
your turn and step blankety blank lively
now -
In another moment the tough girl was
1uttcring her green skirt over the foot
lights AID adjuring her beloved to meet
her when the waters rippled and the moon
beams ShOno.
1t was just at the close of the first verse
that the tough girl happened to glance in
one of the stuffy little boxes.
Her eyes met those of Mrs. Manhattan.
Mrs. Manhattan was IL student of hui
man nature and II curiosity seeker. She
had money and leisure. She employed her
time in going about searching for novel
adventures. She was fond of seeing life
in all its phases. Had she been "A poor
woman, she would have made capital
bohemian AS it was she WAS merely d
oonnoisseur of rare and ugly human brio
a-brac.
Mrs. Manhattan was doing COney Island
that day with a friend, whom we will cal
the other woman She had been bored t.
death all the morning by the people on the
hotel piazzas.
why, these creatures are the same you
can see in New York, " she said to the 9th
er woman. 81 want to see "a different
species. I'll tell you what we'll do, Vel
go over in the Bowery and study its in
habitants."
"For heaven sake!" shrieked the Other
woman. Suppose we were to meet somt
one who knows US
"We WON'T replied Mrs Manhattan
cooly. Besides, if we do, he or she will
say, Oh, it's Mrs Manhattan hunting Gu
rios.
These ladies wandered through the Bow
cry, looking about with interest, unit
they came to the museum where the tough
girl performed. A touter in was extollnl
the attractions of the place, and Mrs Man
haitian paused to listen.
walk right in, ladies' he said, witt
an encouraging smirk.
Mrs. Manhattan accepted the invitation
The other woman followed, groaning anC
expostulating
''Hev box, ladiesS" asked a seedy in
dividual.
"Why yes. might as we'll take one,
said Mrs Manhattan. "How muchS"
"No charge, ladies' was the answer
and musing upon this phenomenon the,