The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-05-14
WOES OF A CHAPERON
THERE IS A LOT OF BOTHER IN CAR
ING FOR RICH MAIDS ABROAD.
One Madcap Who Flirtcd OutrAgeousiy and
Finally Married . Penniless Prince--But
1t Isn't Always Disagreeabie. and the Pay
IL Frequently Very Good.

To take a party of girls abroad for the
summer may seem simple thing. but any
one who has tried IL will swear that SIM
plicity isn't the striking feature of tho ex-
perience. Still, the number of women
willing to undergo such chaperonage In
creases every year. The thing has grown
into regular business, and people with
money and daughters are besieged every
spring and fall by professional chaperons.
The other day at tea a Chicago woman
who has made great success OF the busi-
ness and has practically lived abroad for
ten years was talking about the life.
"Once went abroad for year with
one girl, she said. "She was the wealth.
est girl in-well, I'll not tell you what
state, but she was from the west. Her IA
ther offered me So, 900 and my expenses II
/ would take charge Of her for year. AS
to our expenses, he didn't put any limit
upon them, SO thought the thing was too
good TO be refused. When the daughter
came TO Chicago, l decided l would have
no trouble. She was remarkably pretty.
Her manners were almost as impossible as
her clothes, but could replace the clothes
and reform the manners. She seemed
good natured and rather shy. We sailed
for Europe and on the steamer i had a
fiirted with every one, from a Hindoo
prince TO the cabin boys. l couldn't take
my eyes off her for a moment but she
would do something to cause gossip, and
yet when | wrestled with her she cried
and seemed so grieved and contrite that L
thought perhaps the child really didn't
know better.
ave got through England pretty well,
except one night at Cambridge, when I
was i'll and she slipped out and went row.
ing on the Cam with a young collegian
who had dined at the table with us. When
we reached the continent, my grief began.
Some way or other wherever we went ru-
mors of the girls wealth arrived before
us. The papers told fabulous stories about
1t, and we were fairly besieged by beggars
and tradespeople and fortune hunters. In
Paris l simply earned my bread by the
sweat of my brow. My charge set all the
American colony gossiping and finally
one night announced TO me that she was
engaged to a penniless but good looking
German attache of unsavory reputation.
We left the next morning, and / endured
tears and reproaches until we were settled
in Berlin and the German officers effected
a cure. We were visiting Baron de NJ. and
his wife, and we all kept sharp watch up
on the men who flocked to the house. But
one day the maid came to me In tears and
told me that mademoiselle was planning
to elope that night with the baron's pri-
yate secretary. Naturally we stopped that
and cabled to the girls father, breaking
my agreement and asking whether l
should take his daughter home. He an
swered that he would come for her, and
we went to Nice to wait for him.
x;,.l.t l.f hnx fna univ
went to bed early. He came at 6 in the
morning. went to her room and found
note beginning, Dearest papa, when you
read this, I'll be the happiest of girls
and princess. She had married an Ital-
ian prince in debt up to his ears and with
no redeeming feature save "a pair Of black
eyes How did her father take it? oh,
he swore eloquently, but he forgave her,
and he certainly behaved royalty in regard
To me.
"That is one experience. Then, three
years ago, took six girls abroad, and at
a tiny village in Italy one of them was
taken seriously i'll. The doctor fooled
about for a week and finally said she had
! smallpox. We had all been exposed, for
she had been with Us constantly. The no
! tel keeper would not keep us. Neither
| prayers nor money had any effect upon
| him. He simply said we must move out
| at once. There was no hospital, and we
! couldn't get away from the town, and no
one would take us in.
| 'What in the world did you dor" asked
| the little fat woman who had started the
conversation by saying something about
the delights of chaperoning.
| "Oh, went to the priest. I've found
that is the only thing to do when one Is in
a little foreign town and things go hope
lessly wrong. Bless those dear fat fathers !
They've saved me from lunacy several
times. This particular priest was a saint.
He abused the innkeeper in style which
my weak Italian couldn't approach, and
he took us to convent near the town,
where the sisters behaved like troop of
seraphs. / telegraphed to Rome for an
English DOCTOR and when he arrived the
next morning he said the girl had the
measles She got well in a week, but I've
kept that little church and convent In
candles ever since
"Ono doesn't have experiences like that
often, but just the ordinary routine Is bad
enough. You'y no idea how senseless and
annoying some girls can be- Sometimes
there will not be a serene day in weeks.
No two want to do the same things OF
like the same things. and tho ohaperon is
| candidate for nervous prostration before
she has had the party out for a week"
sis 1t always like thatf" queried the IA,
little woman sympathetically.
"No, indeed I've had years that were
charming and girls whom I loved, but
any one is goose to take the chances un
less she can make good income by it.
She must make liberal estimate Of ex
penses, a very liberal one, and then, In ad
dition to her own expenses, she should ash
good bonus When began, my expenses
were divided among the girls, and besides
that each paid me 5000 Now things ar,
arranged the same way, only each cir
pays me 81 900 instead of $500. / couldn'
make so much money in any other way
.. but If any one tells you that Europeai
chaperoning is not hard work don't be
lieve 1t. "--Chicago Inter Ocean.
Guard the Ankles.
, A New York doctor noted for his skill