The record-union., 1896-06-21
FOR WAITS and STRAYS.
A Professional Sympathizer Employed at
a Railroad Station.
The New Functionary Gives Aid to
Friendless and inexperienced
Travellers.

Friendless and inexperienced
Travellers.
There is probably no better place for
seeing human nature in all its varying
aspects than the waiting-room of a
great railroad station, where the incom-
ing trains hourly deposit their animated
freight of all ages, sexes and conditions.
So many waits and strays, forlorn per-
sonalities and unfortunates with no de-
finite destination arrive at the Grand
Central station from time to time that
a few months ago the management de-
cided to employ a person to look out for
such; a woman competent to give ad-
| vice and arrange for substantial aid
where it was needed. The waiting g-women
had their own province and were fully
| preOcupied, the scrub-women had their
| hands full; plainly there was need of a
person of judgment and discrimination
who should be at leisure to attend to
| this class of passengers.
Reserve a room in your home where
the friendlesS or the inexperienced
woman may find safe shelter for night
or two," was the direction when the
office was created, and many time
has that room been occupied, and the
new functionary has found SO much
need for the exercise of her peculiar
duties that an assistant has recently
been engaged to work under her super
vision. These women do not meet the
local trains. 1t is judged that travellers
from nearby places will know what to
do with themselves; but every train
from distance is met and all who
seem bewildered or linger in the wait
ing-room are approached on the sub
ject Of their needs. The trains coming
in after o'clock in the evening require
especial care.
Il will give you an instance of the
need of my Office said the woman
supervisor. 1T is scarcely two weeks
since 1 observed a young girl in the
waiting-room looking much perplexed
and plainly unhappy. She had come in
on the o'clock train and had sat there
for nearly an hour. She was well dressed
and pretty, and, though she waited, she
did not have the appearance of expect
ing any one to come for her. Presently
when there was no one in the room she
came across to where l sat and asked if
knew where she could get a furnished
room in a respectable house; that she
could not afford to pay much for it, but
wanted such a room for a few days. Her
voice and manner indicated refinement
and education. Tears were in her eyes
as she spoke to me, and When I eX-
planned that I could not help her unless
she told me her need and what resources
she had to depend upon she admitted
having run away from her home in a
Northwestern city. l took her home
With me that night, and the next morn
ing, after some conversation, induced
her to tell that she had a stepmother
who did not like the young man she
favored, and so she had come away and
intended to get work and take care of
herself. I found that she had never
worked, and had not been trained to do
anything of practical value. In the
next half hour I impressed upon her
the difficulties Of the step she had under
taken and, placing pen and paper before
her, begged her to write to her step
mother, telling where she was. She re-
fused at first, but later she wrote the
letter, and, in as short time as the
distance rendered possible, her mother
the marriage she contemplated was un-
suitable, and that the young man him
self was for from irreproachable That
girl went back home, and don't think
will run away again.
Are we ever imposed upon? Well.
L Will give you another case and you
| can judge My assistant looks after the
morning trains. On my arrival one af-
4n,~ -L,o @o1
ficult case to deal with, and she had
deferred it for my care. 1t was an ell
derly woman whose face and physique
indicated vlgor, but who was paralyzed
from the waist down. Being questioned,
she said that she had no money, had
come from Ohio and was going to Swe-
den. She showed a ticket for the Steam
er which sailed that day. Her train
had brought her in time for the YES
sells sailing, but there being no one to
lift her or take her to the boat she had
missed her passage. l sent out for a
meal for her, and then consulted with
the station superintendent as to what
was to be done. The next steamer did
rot leave for week. An address was
obtained where she might be taken in,
and then 1 begged the use Of a cab to
take her to that address, sending one
of our red cap boys with her. She was
lifted into the cab from here all right.
but, to my dismay, at 10 O'Clock that
night the cab came back with my case.
There was no one to lift her at the
place in Second avenue, and the man
agement declined to take her, saving
| that a hospital where she might re-
ceive attention was the proper place.
| On hearing the word hospital, the
woman, perfectly calm before. in spite
| of her plight, became excited and unru-
| ly and insisted upon being brought
| back to me. Again I consulted with
| the superintendent, but we could see
no way out Of the difficulty. Here she
| was, requiring man to wait on her.
| two men sometimes, and absolutely
| unmanageabIe. / remembered that
when I had asked her if she had any
money, she had looked peculiar, al
| though answering promptly enough.
| No / determined to find out if she
had told the truth, for it did not seem
likely that anyone could be heartless
enough to ship a helpless creature off
| in that destitute fashion and expect
her to cross New York City and board
| her steamer successfully.
Going out to the cab. told her firm
| ly that, much as she dreaded the hos
pital, she must be carried there by force
because there was no one willing or
able to undertake her expenses. Have
you not any money at ALP I asked. 7
could get you nice room on the first
/ floor just down the street, for fifty
cents a night She insisted that she