Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1898-09-10
NOW 1T IS THE STEALING FAD.
Society and Club Women Of Chicago
PiIfer Souvenirs,

society and Club Women Of Chicago
PiIfer Souvenirs.
| "Kleptomania, remarked WE'LL
known club and society woman Of
Chicago not long ago, sis a decided
~ over worked word, and stealing
an ugly one. But the present fad or
fancy for collecting luckily SOU
Notwithstanding them sarrept.-
tiously from the house OF your
friends and aquaintance-surely par
takes OF the character OF one or
both.
"a year or two ago the tad began.
A popular Chicago woman remarked
one day to an intimate friend:
"0hl my dear, did you know that
| have begun to collect souvenirs
for luck. They do say, and size
laughed as women do when net
quite sure of the approval of their
consciences, that to steal a souvenir
brings one the best Of luck. SO /
borrowed with another nervous
ripple of laughter, the tiny statue
which stood upon your library tab
le.'
1.-THE woman of whom the statue
had beea borrowed felt like remon-
strating in no gentle terms, for
that statue had q souvenir value to
her as well, and she cherished it.
But tue borrower was au old we'll
loved friend. She was taken by
surprise, and hardly knew how to
act, so she let the matter pass in
silence. Perhaps by this time she
has begun to collect souvenirs in
this manner herself, for the fad
seems to have spread fast and fur
iously, and about seven out of every
ten people whom one meets are al
ficted with it.
Eyes" declared another Chicago
woman who has wide and varied
acquaintance, I'm sorry to say it,
but, it is growing actually unsafe
to expose anything pretty which
has no excessive commercial value
in Chicago. Women take whatever
they fancy under the cover of the
new 'lnckey souvenirs fad, and
although they seldom abstract auy-
thing of great cost or worth, all
manner OF dainty and simple things
with which the average woman sur
rounds herself disappear constantly.
| had little silver paper knife, for
instance, which cost only a couple
OF dollars, but which had been given
me by dear friend, and one day ]
saw woman OF my acquaintance
who is suffering Severely from the
new fancy cycling it with admiring
glances. | feared for it's safesy.
but could not well remark upon the
intentions OF which I suspected her.
When she came to leave, however,
she candy picked up the knife and
slipped it into the front of her waist.
Lucky souvenir, my dear, she
told me carelessly, although she
really had the grace to blush little,
and it's 80 pretty that | shall en-
Joy it doublg.'
Yes responded, a little point.
edly, notice The pretty things are
usually chosen for the so.calIcd
"luckey souvenirs | have lost
few such trifles myself.
"Well,' she answered, blushing a
little more, when YOU cone to my
house you must help yourself to
something, too And SO the mat
ter ended. But it's an outrageous fad
in my opinion, and the women who
indulge in it, like the college boys
who used to camly bear away your
pretLiest and most cherished stick
pins and fans before your eyes, ap-
parently consider that TO take q
thing in plain sight, or, il they do
not this, to tell you OF IL afterward,
quite slraightens the matter out,
both socially and morally