The sun., 1897-12-05
= KoM1Ms Oh runros1.
Appearascss That mark the ,Ceurse or Prrn,
FOR Receeuitton as q counnen Hav WIZ.

for heceeuiuoh en Gommon hnw WIFI.
A case that attracted attention several years
ago concerned woman who brought suit TO
establish her claim to be tho common law wife
OF man with whom she had lived for nearly
fifteen years. Tho case was kept before the pub.
lie by various incidents. She wrote letters to
tho man which sent hor to jail, and made va.
rious other futile efforts TO establish her claims
But the courts would not listen to her. and
overy successive attempt met with failure.
Ultimately the only lawyers who would consent
to interfere in her affairs were those who were
looking for advertising. When paragraphs
ceased to DO printed about the case, her last
chance OF interesting lawyers was lost.
But she never abandoned the idea which the
first suit had put Into her mind She was rather
comfortable quarters uptown, but without any
particular luxury. She was not beautiful but
about So years old. That was three years ago.
During tho first months Of the suit she was al.
we dressed and seemed in
tor had been before the police courts for a year
that she began to look shabby It was then that
had saved had gone to the lawyers.
Persons who saw her began TO think that all
pitifuly shabby. She attracted go much at
tcntiS91n uptown that her appearance BECAME
nsnrH to the that her
Broadway. She was most often to be seen buy
Ing one Of the late editions Of the even.
and read 1t eagerly. apparently searching
for some reference to her own case.
Her rewards grew less and less frequent
But she still was seen every after
noon trudging up and down from Twenty third
street to Forty-sccond. She was seemingly in,
different to everything but the one purpose Of
pushing her case against tho man who had do
serted her and getting something in the news
papers about II. That was the purpose which
kept her wandering in the mornings in the
Criminal Court building, about the lawyers
offices In Centre street. and wherever she
thought 1t possible to get n hearing.
The man concerned in the case has married
and dropped out of view. but the woman to
those who happened to become acquainted with
her at the outset of the proceedings IL as active
as ever In the pursuit OF her purpose. She has
grown more wretched in looks, more shabby in
dress. and she would scarcely be recognized
to-day as the woman who was the plaintiff in
the first action three winters ago. She is a
| carefully brushed and arranged with an affecta-
| tion of the style of tho day. Only q few MORN
| ings ago she was riding downtown in cable car,
evidently bent on her daily visit to the lawyers
offices. Scarcely seam OF the fingers in
| her gloves remained closed and her bare
| hands were nearly rs visible as though she had
| made no prctence of hiding them. Her hat was
faded straw, with light flowers that had lost
| their bloom through the suns of several sum
mers. Her dress was held together at the neck
| with cheap pin OF o kind distributed as ad
yertiscments for a burlesque actress In hel
hands were n few old newspapers which she
| had collected in the car. In her lap was pack
age evidently containing food and q few faded
| flowers. Most of the time she sat staring va
| cantly out of the window and singing to herself
| But she was on her way to start the fight again