Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-01-20
She Lacks the Courage of the
English Woman.
MAY TRY TO Be COMFORTABLE
Is Uncertain in Her Grasp of
Umbrella.


wearing of short skirts, heavy boots,
plain hats and tho carrying of stout
umbrellas on rainy days, but somehow
II you are out on rainy day il dawns
on you that on n rainy duy the Ameri-
can woman 10 not success. She lacks
the courage of the English girl. who
does not care now she looks provided
she 10 comfortable, aud who, feeling
perfectly secure in a good storm coat,
strides through mud and water in
broad s1led shnrs n GalccheH sura Of
coming out In fl 'iition. Sha mikes
one big stop over crossing and does
not mind tho soft ram ,lrops falling on
her face. She knows this kind of water
is good for the complexion, Now, the
average American woman does not
louk we'll on a rainy day. She may 20
IN for comfort, put on a short skirt,
long ulster and felt hat and carry an
umbrella, but she is uncertain in her
grasp Of it, She either takes it by the
extreme end 20 that it wabblea TO and
fro, as the wind listeth, or else she
grasps it 30 far up that il looks like a
perambulatlng mushroom, while abe
cannot see anybody, and the people
VINO meet her run the chance either of
having their eyes, knocked out or the
digoatlons punched in. After a block
or two OF walking the rainy day girl
concludes to get on "a car, and her UNI
hrslla ia Wildly waved 10 stop it, Then
she makes the usual feminine effort to
get on the platform with the umbrella
still open. As the car was not built
With this in view, tho conductor yells
Ut her, "Shut that" My lady stands
perfectly still, says something about
reporting him to thu superintendent,
willis the nearest man clUses her UNI
hrellu for her, and after that she enters
the car. Ten TO one she sits down next
to somebody who has had the rheuma.
tism, and that vile umbrella tlrips on
him or her until he or she nearly has a
nervous Chill Twenty to one her
money, instead Of being in her ulster
pocket, is in her dress skirt, SO that
when the conductor comes for it she
uuhuttons the coat, squirms around TO
end the popket and has the whole car
interested in her efforts. Then, when
the mouey is discovered, she gives 1t
to tho unfortunate conductor ia way
that suggests he ought to be giving
thanks that she is in his car instead uf
making her pay for the privilege. After
this she takes out her handkerchief,
,dGbs her face and looks around the car
with her best smile and says with a
longing sigh, "Oh. | am SO tired -
This expression of weakness conuuers
every man in the cur and absolutely
permeates the being of each one, and
my private opinion is hat if any woman
did tho the second time there would
be riot among the men as to who
should have the privilege OF letting her
umbrella drip on him.
When she gets out, il is fun TO see
her IL is evident that she ia used to
IksaIf4 IalK i, nk..n i.
man. She grasps her skirt in one naud,
looks around, stands on her tip roes,
gets in the middle of tho street, secs
wagon coming half square away and
Ghasss back. Then she waits a long
time, makes another rush across Just
when the electric cars are racing down
the street, after a block, and rushes
across at the risk of her lifa without
any regard for appearances or niHe is
meekly lud across by some man who
knows the ways of woman and feels
sorry for her. a French woman would
never make herself 40 ridiculous. She
lifts her skirts in dainty sort of way
with both hands, gives full view of q
perfectly fitting boot and tine 6ugges.
tion of black silli stocking but that
is on " suggestion, and then with the
quickness of a bird she getH over tho
Her skirts ara quickly dropnel, madame
is as demure as possible, while she has
the absolute admiration of all the men
standing around her.
The electric car is not an Incentive
to gracefuneas. without asking your
leave you are deposited. Immediately
after you enter, into tho lap of man
who does not appreciate his blessings,
and later you spill your change on the
floor because of tho car wabhling in
your effort to be businesslike and count
your money. You are literally thrown
Off 1t ia true you may not land fat
in the middle of the street, but delib-
GRAFTON in getting oil is an impossi-
hility. There is no standing on the
order OF your going, but you go at once
and with such quickress that nine
times out of ton you Rre put oil Mt a
street for which you have no utilization.
| wonder why it always rains when you
have an appointment at your dress
makers? And with that type of dreHa-
maker who, il you lose your fitting,
.makea you suffer by Keeping the dress
longerr The dressmRker is very pusi
tive this winter, and no matter how
ahominabe your neck may he she in
aists on making an evening dress with
u very low bodice. | sometimes wonder
il men have the same trouble with
their tailOrs and if they are as imnu-
dent to them as GiressmakerH are 10
women. IL woman wants frock Oh
Wednesday,, she has to lie about it and
tell the dreHsmaker that she must have
ii by Sunday night, and il she has a
reverence for bodice that does not re-
quire the united efforts of the family,
assisted by the took, to fasten il on
iber she has to warn the dressmRker
that unless it is an easy fit she wont
ipay her bill. Then she has to endure
tbeing told that her figure is bad; that
tnhe doesn't wear the right kind oil
lingerie and to be sympathized with in
an insulting way and given to under
stand that it lie pity she doesn't lei
those people choose her clothes who
really understand dress. Nine times
out of ten the dressmaker objects to the
& kind OF stays you wear, and one par
u ticularly swell one had the impudence
to tell new customer. "You are tine
N first lady l ever fitted who did not veal
n sntin corsets - Fortunately the woman
II Ito whom this remark WINS made had the
W courage of her convictions and re
VA lsponded, Probably l am the frat re
5& ispectabe woman you ever made dres
WI ,ior,'' III you are long wasted, the.
M oh ject to that. If you are short waisted
# they object to that. II you are slender
i they speak of you us "bnny," and i
!# tyuu are plump they say. Fat is 81
|M Vulgar" The good Lord ought to maxi
I| N low wontnn IN or1er IN nleaan th