The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-01-16

tism from it. She cried about brother
who had been killed by accident. The
first time l was deeply sympathetic.
for, of course, 1 thought the accident
had taken place within the year, but
it turned out that he had been dead
for seven years and that there never
would have been an accident If he had
been sober. She used to talk after this
fashion: Shall I fit the skirt smooth,
ma annie was me own brother. a
bright young fellow that might, but
for his trouble-Would you rather have
a hook, ma am ?-have got on in the
world and been a credit-I'n face the
sides with Silk-to all of his people on
both sides of the water. He was a
beautiful corpse, and we gave him-of
course you could button it down the
front-a wake that was the talk Of the
neighborhood for months afterward,
and it took three-well, ribbon might
do, but I never liked those loose eff
doctors to straighten
the men up so that they could show
their proper respect for the remains.
After this she would break down utter
ly and weep on my bare shoulder and
excuse the fact that it was in the rain
OY saying lIldl she OIlll ait ~ StSNAAA
the stuff. She was woman who really
enjoyed herself. She knew the absolute
bliss of sorrow, and she comprehended
thoroughly how sublime thing it was
to suffer herself and to make her Gus
toners suffer with her. l was forced to
give her up, not because she was not
a good dressmaker, but because from
constant sympathy my nose was get
ting so red that l was afraid some tenn
perance society would come down upon
me- acting, of course, under misap-
prehension. But there was no doubt
that woman was fine. She put a pock-
eft in your skirt and in a cloth skirt
she always put two pockets. Pockets
and independence are natural combi-
nation. and giving two pockets to wo-
mankind, and these two pockets near
the front where she can reach them,
makes her feel as if this were indeed a
free country. With the possession OF
pockets I have discovered that woman
is an accumulative animal. In one OF
my pockets at the present time there
are a handkerchief, watch, calendar,
a letter, two newspaper clippings, three
gum drops, four cloves and the picture
of a baby. In the other one are four
10 cent pieces q am keeping them to
put in q 10 cent bank), a lot of pennies,
a bunch of keys, a glove bTttoner, a
torn veil, two hairpins, a religious poem
and a recipe for making chicken curry.
Who can beat that? l had safety pin,
but I lost it. However, you cannot put
confidence in a safety pin. for it has a
way of being safe or unsafe, according
TO its fancy. But you can always rely
on a hairpin. I do not know Of any
thing to which a hairpin is not valu-
able assistant.
have seen a lock opened with a hair
pin.
I have seen gas burner cleaned with
a hairpin.
I have seen lace curtains pinned to-
gether with a hairpin.
have seen stocking fastened with
hairpin.
have seen heavy portieres looped
by hairpins.
have seen a hairpin used as a book
mark.
hare seen hairpin held in the gas
light and then used to darken the eye
brows.
I have seen a hairpin dipped In red
stuff and used to color the lips, While
as for buttoning shoes, crimping bangs.
picking nuts and cutting books hair
pin is invaluable. We can do without
politicians, we can do without suffra-
gists. we can exist without whisky
and live on comparatively little money.
but hairpins are necessity to the ma
ton. without them a woman feels
that she is indeed a helpless creature.