The record-union., 1897-01-31
WOMEN We MEET.
BeSelena Makes II Warm for Some Of
the Types.
The Gushing Woman of Thirty Who
Acts Like Girl of Sixteen
Summers.

Especial Correspondence of Record-Union.)
PORTLAND (Or), Jan. 21.-There are
certain types of women, who, like the
common wild flower are indigenous to
every soil. You meet them in every grade
of society, in the exclusive four hundred,
where on account of their blue blood, or
their possible connection with some one
in the favored circle, they are tolerated,
though talked of among themselves as
being ''awfuly bad form; or they are
members of the less exclusive set, hang
ers-on to the skirts of swelldom, eager
to pick UP any stray crumb condescend-
ingly cast at them from the great ones
tables, or again you find them among
those who have suddenly acquired
money and don't know how to use it to
get into society. To this latter type
such class is a perfect boon, and as she
is diplomatic, tacitful woman, she
makes it a good thing all around, not
forgetting number one. There are sew
eral types of this woman. There is, first
of aN the shabby genteel type. My
lady, shabby g'enteel, makes it a point
TO be nice to people she can make use of;
people who will give her things; people
who will take her places; people who
will introduce her ITO other people who
have lots of money.
This type of woman looks we'll at
distance, but she will not bear close in
spection. If you attempt to examine her
closely you will discover that she has
bought her complexion at so much
box, that her hair is bieached by an ap-
plication of baking soda followed by ex-
posure TO the suns rays, that her eye
broWS are blackened, that her nose has
decided tendency to turn up at the
end, and that her clothes are pinned on
her in such wonderful fashion that they
give one the impression of being about
to fall to pieces at the slightest provoca-
tion. 1t is not a good thing to examine
any woman too critically, especially If
she belongs to the shabby genteel type;
if you want to see this woman at her
best take her as a whole from a dis
tance. Look ait her across "a brilliantly
lighted ballroom, whrling in the mazes
of a dizzy waltz, or look at her across
the table at some ones dinner party;
she is al her very best then and you will
very likely appreciate her, while the
dreamy measures of the waltz beats a
passionate refrain in your brain, and the
head and mellowed your erst while un-
erring judgment.
The shabby genteel woman always
makes the most and the best of her op-
portunIties; she never lets a single one
| escape her Experience has. taught her
how to use her slender resources to the
best possible advantage. Her mind is
shallow, yet she has way of impressing
you with the fact that she knows a great
deal more than she does. She has vari-
Gus little ways and means of travelling
about the country and of earning money
that she would much rather the outside
world would be in ignorance of. Not
that she ever does anything that she
would really be ashamed Of oh, dear
no. the shabby genteel girl cannot afford
to do that; but she will give q music les
son here, an elocution lesson there, she
VIII make her own dresses and hats and
give out afterwards that they We're
made by the most expensive milliner or
dressmaker in town. All this is very
credita BILE when done openly and above
board, but when done secretly for fear
of the wrath Of the four hundred ceases
to be commendable,
When the sumlnar comes the shabby
genteel girl reneWs her attentions to
| the people who have lately acquired
| money because they have told her that
they are going away for the summer
either to the seaside, to the mountains
or Will take little run across the pond
to Europe. so my lady shabby genteel,
when she hears of these things, gives
them to understand in a general way
that next winter she will introduce them
into her set. The newly rich immedi-
ately bite at the bait thus laid down for
them by clever. scheming woman who
hasn't the slightest intention of keeping