Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-07

months ago, man got up and gave me his
seat in q L car. was SO amazed that It
took me some time to recover from my con-
fusion. When I did recover my composure.
however. leaned over and said: You are
not New Yorker, sir, are your No,
madam. he replied. lifting his hat, am
from Baltimore. Why do you ask, madam.
II may beg to Inquirer Well. explained
to him why. and you should have seen his
face! But as say. we never think of being
treated with courtesy by men in public
after We've been over here for q year or SO.
The New York man seldom or never holds
open door for a woman. he never. under
any circumstances whatever. removes his
hat In an elevator with women. They never
step aside to make room for women in a
crowded space, they climb into cars vio-
lently In front OF a dozen struggling women.
young and old. they stand and pun cigar
smoke into the faces Of their women friends
while they are talking with them, and they
conduct themselves like Doors of the worst
description in general. But we get bravely
over expecting anything else in New York
Inere Is one compensation in It all. though
lit is 30 delightful when one goes down to
washington to be treated considerably and
cautiously by the men,
From this they often drift to the subject
OF the suspicious aloofness Of New York
people, the difficulty of becoming acquainted
with desirable friends here, and the lone
someness Of existence in New York for hat
dwellers- who are compelled to live upon
moderate incomes.
And what positive task 1t Is to go to a
New York theater. and what fun 1t was to
go to the theaters IN Washington one OF
them Is almost bound to exclaim In the
course of the evening. II always have to
remain in bed with a headache until noon
on the night after I go to the theater In
New York. the thing is such distressing
bother. The process Is SO tedious. when one
makes up ones mind to go to the theater
here. First, you've got to pick out what
you want to see, and IL it's anything worth
while your husband always finds. when he
stops off on his way uptown to get seats.
that all the seats are in the hands of the
SPECTATORS. and that 1t will be weeks and
weeks and perhaps months before thereIl
be a possible chance to get seats at any
thing like reasonable price.
Beginning Of the Trouble.
'Then. when the seats are got. the trouble
Is only begun. Ny husbands business keeps
him at hts office until 6 o'clock In the even
Ing. and then, on the night we are to go to
the theater. he has to make a Wild dive to
scramble up here to Harlem In time to dine
and dress.
"He generally gets home. more dead than
alive, along toward o'clock, and then he
has to positively bolt his dinner while he
Is dressing, and he's always peevish IN con-
sequence on theater night. 1t Is absolutely
impossible for US to get out OF the nat De-
fore o'clock, and then We have to get into
trtct. We always get to the theater when
the first act is fully half played. and then
we have to spend the remainder OF the
evening picking up the lost threads ana
the performance 10 all about. Then.
throughout the entire evening at the thea
ter in New York, there ia that dread OF tho
terrible job Of getting back home. As often
as not we have to stand in the car and
sway at the curves all the way to Harlem,
and by the time we get home 1t Is after l
o'clock In the morning. and my husband
misses his sleep, and he is grumpy and
swears at the theaters and tells me that he
is through with them for life. and that II
want to have any more theater fun III
have to go to the matinees-and desptse
ter was in Washington! My husband got
home from his Office there at 4:3O PM,
then there was leisurely dinner, then the
slow, deliberate way OF dressing, after my
smoke without which most men are gloomy
after dinner. Then a nice, cozy ride. al
ways with a seat In the car, down to the
theater, and always on time to see the peo-
pie come in and to see what the women one
knows have new to wear-and then the
short little ride home, again with seat
that's what call honestly and truly going
to the theater, as we used to go in Washing
ton-not this awful nightmare Of an adven-
turous evening that we have to call going
to theater here in New York;
From this these sad-souled exiles from
Washington often get to speaking mourn
fully of the scenic beauties of Washington,
and Iamenting their absence from Wash
ington upon the approach Of spring. The
men smack their lips ecstatically over the
memory of planked shad down at Marshall
Hall, and hurl verbal darts at the only
compensation for Marshall Hall planked
shad over here. namely, the indescribable
mess known as Coney Island clam chowder.
After Ibis the women drift onto the subject
OF the saleswomen Of New York.
Trouble Of Shopping.
1T was looking at some stick pins down at
-'s this afternoon" says one Of them.
land the girl behind the counter, who was
talking with another girl about her beaus
when came along, became more and more
impatient with me. couldn't help that.
however, finding It hard to make a selec-
ton. Finally I held one Of the pins up to
her, and asked, How much? 'AW,
dunno she replied. 'Youse don't know wot
youse wants. Does youse eKpec' me { tell
youse tn price o. everythin' in tn store?
Crushing. wasn't It? Did I complain? Not
at all! What would have been the good7
The girl might have been discharged. and
that wouldn't have been pleasant to think
better. Of course. But certainly am get
ting tired Of having the shop girls in New
York approaching me with Hey, wot
d. youse want? when walk up to a coun-
ter-indeed, am"
The men Of this little Washington circle,
for their part. have plenty Of gloomy COM
parsons between their old life in the Dis
trict OF Columbia and their newer life on