The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-08-25
, Mrs. Pinta
|, Goes Summing


NH. how nice II would be to ro
summing! I've always Just
longed to-" said Mrs. Pinta, a
pretty widow. "Td just dots
on seeing how the lower classes really
act In their own element"
well. I'm sure your wish can be
gratified." replied Tummy De Byrde
gallantly. 'Ill get a guide who knows
all the ins and outs of the slums, and
we'll start out at 10 o'clock at niGht
and take In Chinatown and then some
OF the places even the college settle-
ments people cannot get into"
"oh, how delightful" cried Mrs. PIN
Ia. clapping her hands. "And maybe
III get an inspiration and see a way to
do these poor, ignorant people good.
Womanly sympathy often reforms a
wicked person when nothing else can
do IT, I'd like to spend the rest of my
life reforming the lower classes. and
the wickeder they are the more I should
enjoy reforming them"
How sympathetic you are!" said
Tummy. looking at her admiringly.
Can you go tonight?"
She clapped her hands again and
again exclaimed. How delightful
She was ready at the time set. She
wore some OF her good clothes so as to
impress the lower classes with a vision
of bright. cheerful prettiness that they
might see how nice II Is to be good and
respectable. Tummy De Byrde was In
the evening dress OF gentleman. They
did Chinatown under the wing of the
guide.
Down here underground there's a
! leper." said the guide. Its real Iepro-
! sy. hut it's not contagious. You pay
him what you like. That's the way he
makes his living"
! The leper was a very bad looking
| Chinaman indeed, and Mrs. Pinta shud-
dered and shivered and held her train
very carefully away from contact with
the ground. Next they went TO an \opi-
um den which the guide told them no
white lady had ever seen before except
the lady opium victims who went there.
/ IL was only by special agreement with
the proprietor and by paying him a
round fee that the guide was able him
self to get into the joint. so he said
He looked as IL he ought 10 know what
he was talking of. the guide did. for no
had beak like a hawk and eyes that
could see a lady's face through three
wells. one black. one white, one green.
In the opium den bleary creatures
squatted around lamps and melted
! their particular dope" TO put into
pipes; other miserables lay like logs in
the hunks that lined the walls.
Some o. them people in there's mill
lionaires." said the guide.
How wonderful said the lady
THE next place / take you TO is ono
even the police don't know about" con-
tinued the guide. You must order
some refreshment just so nobody will
think you are any different from,
them.'
They went along dismal hallway Ia
a smoky, bad smelling rear room. but
Mrs. Pinta did not mind for the more
bad smelling the place was the more
certain the lady was that she was
really Summing. Some men and wo-
men sat at tables drinking and over In
a corner were some card players. On
a cracked piano a young man played
| Amt II a shame a measly shame p
| The tobacco smoke was OF quality
that half strangled Mrs. Pinta and
made the tears cone TO her eyes.
though she herself had protested many
a time to Tummy that she rather liked
the odor OF a good cigar. She Tummy
and the guide sat down by table and
ordered drinks. Mrs. Pinta took lem
onade. She watched the jewellers ea-
gerly
'Oh, those POOR, ignorant. wicked
people!" she murmured TO herself. II
must do something TO elevate those wo-
men who sit there and drink that nasty
beer. i think I'll dress in gray. like &
ceaconess. and make visits among them
and tell them of the higher life. ! al
ways looked well In gray. No woman
is ever wholly bad. There Is always o
spark off,
The back door was burst rudely open
Lock the front door and don't let q
man or woman out! Arrest every one
of these here persons!" roared hoarse
voice. Ii came from a horrid, coarse
creature who wore a blue uniform. All
the other rude men who had burst the
door open wore blue uniforms too.
The guide found his mind and tongue.
This is a real lady" he said to the
rude blue creatures. "She and the gen.
tlemen are Summing under my care.
Don't you see she's a real lady? Don't
you
"All hands march 10 the police sta
ton" roared the hoarse voice.
Tummy protested frantically. the
guide protested angrily. Mrs Pinta. too
scared to speak word or understand.
protested dumbly, but all was no good.
Not till they reached the station house
was the mistake explained and the trio
permitted TO so free. Even the hard
hearted policemen grinnc4 unbellev-
ingly A deeply interested rabble gath
cred at the door and mace humorous
comment on the fact that ''one OF them
swell stunning parties had been ar
rested In next mornings newspaper
the gentlemanly reporter ms in duty
bound appended the remark:
"And the lady became hysterical."
| Il An,II A ID INrLr I1I INtr1.