Sunday morning globe., 1901-10-27
WclSSlTUDES or A GIRL IN MALE
ATTIRE.
IA rrnc Slorrl

uNA ol uNl uuaoAuu ana forced by her nee
essities TO make her own living, assumed
male attire for the special purpose sci forth
IN her history. Her adventures on the road
were not only interesting but startling
ana sometimes quite sensational Thev
Will all be truthfully detailed in the columns
Of the SUNDAY MORNING GLOBE on the
staff Of which this well.kuown newspaper
writer and clever young woman is now a
valued member. EDITOR GLOBE.
Everyone living has something to tell that
would be of interest to his fellow men. and
although the public generally does not agree
with this statement, or rather, does not en-
irely understand how Il can be- il Is a fact
that those supposed to be the most skilled
IN composition oftentimes spoil a good tale
IN the telling, while those least skilled in
welding the pen can, through experience
tell poor tale IN peculiarly characteristic
and vivid way that makes il readable.
These facts are here stated not because
they are new or for any other reason than
to serve as an excuse for the telling of the
experiences of a girl not at all skilled in
writing and who here tells her story in her
own words, without embellishments Of any
kind, believing that the incidents related
are OF themselves of sufficient interest to
warrant the telling in the crude style which
must necessarily be employed
Virginia avenue, as everyone knows, is
not very desirable place to live, chiefly
because Of the fact that the railroads seem
to have appropriated this broad and other
wise beautiful avenue to their own undis-
puted use and to the eternal disturbance of
those who are compelled to live in this dis
trict Long about 1884 / was a working girl
ting choice of residence, I was compelled
as are thousands of others, to locate my
home according 20 the contents of my purse
In order to reach my room-I cannot by
any possible stretch of the Imagination call
It home--it was necessary TO walk through
the Smithsonian grounds or along Seventh
street southwest My work was night work
The hours were from seven p. m until three
a. m. 1t needs but little explanation to
recognize the fact that was a reporter. or
to be literal, a gather of scattering items of
news to which no real reporter would give
his time. There were two editions Of the
paper which employed me- one in the
morning and another in the afternoon To
be ON the night force, therefore, except in
some departments of the work, was not
desirable. Still it was better than nothing.
and was not at all dissatisfied with my lot.
II was, however, a rather trying thing to 60
along Seventh street at three O'Clock in the
morning, alone, morning after morning, but
/ soon began to realize that the very fact of
my going so regularly was my safeguard,
and such a thing as fear had never really
entered my brain. To do what had to be
done and do it to the best Of ones ability
had always seemed to me as simple a fact
as to breathe, because it could not be helped.
grew to love the early morning walk, the
quieluess that euveloped everything broken
only by the putting of the nearby steam
engines in the Pennsylvania shed and by
passing milk cart or other struggling vehicle
In fact, | began this article by blaming the
railroads for usurping the broad avenues
formed by the crossing of two streets iu
different directions. and leading directly
from the Capitol to the Mall, or rather lust
back of the Mall; but, come to think of it,
those steaming, putting noisy old engines
were my sole sources of comfort for several
months, and many times I have passed
along and caught myself watching to see If
No 80 had come in or 7S was ready to depart
promptly on schedule time, and who the
people were iu the coaches, and what was
their mission, or where were they bound
One morning decided not to go straight
home, as 1t was drizzliug rain and my um-
brella had been left in the room the night
before, so not knowing what else to do and
wishing to get away from the workshop. I
went TO the depot aud sat down to finish
a novel in which was very much interested
but which there was little time to enjoy in
my busy existence. I did not notice any
body around me, in fact there were but few
persons In the station at this early hour,
and / soon became deeply engrossed in my
story. So much so, in fact, that It was
presently nearly daylight and / began to
feel the need of sleep Several times as I
looked up from my novel / caught the ma
tron eyeing me in the most persistent man
ucr 10 so irritated me at last that closing
my book I got up to go home This was
evidently what she had been expecting.
for she Immediately came over TO me and /
said. Where are you going2 Have You a
ucketN To which replied, iu as pleasant
a tone as ] could command NO, have no f.
ticket and only stopped In to rest awhile I.
before going home"
" thought so, " she said IN a spitcfu /
tone lust you come along with me and .
you won't need TO go home. It's a bad /
anyhow, and you no doubt live a
distance too far to go alone at this hour in /.
the morning. In fact have been looking
for you for some time and ann glad to catch /
up with you at last"
To say was surprised Is putting it all too
mildly wac so thunderstruck that did /.
not roalize what the woman had said or
what I was doing until was actually out in |
the street with her And then / was so
sleepy by this time that it seemed TO me
that had been asleep and this was all a
dream. 1 did not really wake up to the /.
knowledge that it was not dream, but a
hard fact and one which I would find il |
troublesome to dispute soon made itself /.
plain TO me and to everyone concerned, F.
whenin commanding voice the police ser |
geant said to me- We'll, my young lady, !
what have you TO say for YOURSELF"
Say for myself about what 2 / stam-
mered
You have heard the charge against you,
aud ] am willing to listen 10 anything you
may have TO say
As matter Of fact / had not compre.
hended a word that had been said, although F.
l could not deny having heart the conver
sauon between the depot matron and the /
police sergeant So / was entirely at a loss .
what to answer, and simply replied that |
had nothing o.. saw because did NOT know ]