Evening journal., 1899-10-10

her masculine makeup. suspended
over her shoulder by means Of strap
was a satchel which contained some
linen. She looked at herself in the
glow of May moon as she tripped
boldly down the country road. She was
very much satisfied with her burlesque
Of her brother
Down the road she walked until she
reached the railroad tracks. A walk of
three miles along the ties and sleepers
to Newark was before her, but she
bravely faced it, At Newark she ar
rived just in time to get aboard a
Royal Blue express forBal-
timore. Late the next day she took
passage on a boat for Norfolk.
When she left Stanton she had SIS
in her purse, and after paying rail-
road and boat fare and ordinary living
expenses she did not have fortune
to spend in Virginia's hustling city.
Two weeks away from home and her
money all gone, Hettie was confronted
with the necessity Of seeking aid. She
did. She engaged to do some chores
bout the home of a well-to-do family,
but her awkwardness in the perform
ance Of a mans work aroused the sus-
picions of her benefactor Confronted
with the question as to her real sex,
she tearfully confessed that she was a
masquerader. A telegram to her father,
who meanwhile had discovered her
clothes in the woodshed and dispatch
ed detectives to look for her, railroad
ticket and boxful OF luncheon wound
up her exploit in Norfolk. She fail
ed to find the minister.
The quiet folk of Stanton accepted
her return with the belief that her ex-
perience had cured her Of her ambition
to see the world. To their opinion Het-
tie gave no answer Rather than a
cure the trip had sharpened her ambi-
tion. She had only got to the edge of
the precipice in the great man-world
beyond. She wanted to take the jump,
and after a years wait she did. People
of Stanton were forgetting her first ex-
plot, when they awoke one fine morn
ing in March, 1894, to learn that she
was off again. As before, Hettie plan
ned this trip carefully. The woodshed
was again the scene Of transformation,
and the railroad tracks had their share
lin the picture of her departure. but, in
stead of the cover of night, she chose
the clear, open light of day. And
strange as it may seem, she made heI
way out of the little village without
discovery.
It was 5 o'clock in the afternoon
when she started down the road. Trip
ping along the tracks, she noticed two
men approaching from the opposite di
rection. A cornfeld fanking the tracks
was handy and into it she crept tC
Iavoid the men. When they had passed
she resumed her walk to Newark ThiI
time her purse was we'll filled with hel
savings Of a year She bought ticke
for Chicago.
She stopped at a cheap lodging hous'
in Lake street as long as her funds per
mitted, eating at lunch counters and II
restaurants alongside men withou
causing any suspicion. Thirty-thre
. dollars in big city like Chicago
! where there was so much to tempt he
purse, did not last long, but while
lasted Hettie went where men did-t
concert halls. saloons and theatres. Sh
says she saw Chicago like a man. Sh
avoided women as much as possible
Then she found herself hopelessl
stranded. For shelter she wandere
about three nights in vain. TIL
fourth she located a box car on the Ill
y nois Central tracks.
e Five nights she rested her head an
courted sleep in this car. A watchmai
4 discovering her, demanded her to leay
u it under threats Of arrest Next sh
i found herself sleeping nights in
small track-house where brakeme
= lodged A fear that one of the me
70 suspected her sex caused her to see
~ some other place of shelter Frol
% place to place she wandered sewers