The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-13

makes work most desirable for her
makes her least desirable as an en-
| pioye. Employers hardly believe that a
| cripple can accomplish much worth do
| ing. So she struggles along as best she
can, and has to accept the assistance
of others who are better to do than
| she is. l know all about her, and know
her by sight, and / had the anything
but pleasure of witnessing this cpl
sode.
1t was on Twenty third street, but
on the sidewalk opposite the great
shops. There is a bank near the cor
ner. The lame woman was passing it
when she saw a bundle of bank notes
on the walk. The bundle was as much
as two inches thick and was held to-
gether by a strip of paper pasted
around it. She hobbled quickly to it
and placed the end of her crutch upon
it to hold it, while she stopped to pick
1T up. Before she had bent over a ne
gro knocked the crutch aside, grabbed
the bills and ran. A dozen men saw
what had happened and many women
saw 1t, but in such an emergency Wo-
men don't count The lame woman, de-
prlved of her necessary support, fell
The men we're so intent upon helping
her that Tor the moment none of them
paid any attention to the thief. But as
soon, and it was only an instant, as it
was clear that there was abundant
help for her, some of the men started
to pursue the negro. They were then
too late. He had dashed to the middle
of the street and turned into Sixth
avenue. The amateur pursuers gave it
up when they found that he had disap-
peared by the time they got to the
corner.
The lame woman was carried into
the bank, where she recovered shortly
from the shock. She was not injured
but it was pathetic to hear her say: st
was dreaming that perhaps the owner
would give me a dollar for finding his
money for him." A man who had come
in remarked ruefully that he would
have been glad to give her a good deal
more than that. 1t was the owner of
the money. He said there were $500 in
the parcel. And TO make it just as
bad as it could be not even the police
succeeded in tracing the negro. He got
away with the money, and / wish it
could have poisoned him!
1 wouldn't have told the story about
the lame woman if l hadn't been posi-
tive of her honesty. There are others.
you know. One Of them went to
matinee at a Broadway theater the
other day. A friend of mine was in line
My friend had a two-dollar bill in her
hand, and when she came close to the
window she placed her hand with the
money in il on the shelf. At that mo-
ment the woman in front was receiving
her change. Having completed that
operation, she took up her ticket ana
started on. At that instant my friend
missed her two-dollar bill. 1t was all
in a second She had not actually seen
L. l.
had seen the bill go, and had felt a
slight twitch as it went. Without q
particle of hesitation or embarrass-
ment, my friend called loudly:
THAT woman has my money!"
Sensation in the entrance! Women
gasped and withdrew from the win
dow. The party ahead met the accusa-
ton in a way to challenge admiration.
Turning quickly she said, with re-
markable GOODNESS:
Here it is: it dropped on my skirt"
She pointed to the floor and the bill
was seen slipping down the side of her
dress. Transparent? OF course it was,
but what would you? Have her arrest
ed for a theft she didn't quite succeed
in making? My friend was content to
give her a whitening glance and pick
up her money AS for the would-be
thief, she was not apparently in the
least disconnected by the episode or
the glance She just sailed on into the
theater and went to her seat. Probably
she enjoyed the play as well as any
body.
There is a general opinion that peo-
pie marry later in life now than they
did a general ago. 1t is said that young
men must amass a fortune first, wait
until the Orirl has taken har at
some woman's college, or something of
that kind But from statistics which
have been collected in England and
have just been compiled and made
public, it would seem that this is not
so, at least as regards that country,
and the conditions there are fully as
unfavorable to early marriages as they
are in the United States.
1t would seem, says the New York
Press, as if marrying and giving in
marriage has gone con and will go on
in the same old way until time shall
be no more. According to the statistics
in 1858 the average bachelor married
when he was 26.19 years old, the aver
age spinster at 25.03. the average wild
over at 41.S7 and the average widow at
1902. In 1899. the last year for which
the statistics have been completed, the
average, bachelor married at 1856 and
until 1874 the marrying age rose sone-
what; then, with an increase in the
number of marriages, younger people
were found to be constructing alli-
ances.
Again in 1885 a change was noticed.
There were fewer weddings, and those
who did marry were y trifie older. The
1885 average is practically that of 1899
Statistics are cold bloodedly deficient in
humanity, and we would have 10 go
long way before coming across bride
groom of exactly 26.65 years or bride
of 1892 to the minute. One festive old
man who marries at the age of 80, and
a young lady of Is who qualities as
chaperon for her maiden aunts, exer-
else an effect upon the average which
IL takes a score Of normal people to
rectify.
1t is possible. and probable, that
worldly wisdom and prudence are IN
ducing a large number Of people to de-
fer the day Of their marriage to an age
beyond what was thought the proper
one a generation ago. But. on the
otber hand there Is another crowd