The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-06-06
EMBARRASSMENT OF ADVICE.

those of her friends who have already
taken the trip one or more times.
AS she went down the street the
other morning she was hailed by a
young woman, who ran after her al
most block to say word or two of
warning.
Il just wanted to tell you," she
exclaimed, as she came up, painting,
"that you must be sure not to take a
trunk with you. Trunks are nothing
but bothers to women who are travel
ing alone. You can live in dress
suit case perfectly well. Just carry
some shirt waists and a short skirt,
and you'll be all right. I'll come
over TOMORROW and make a list for
you of the things you will need
Belinda thanked her meekly and
went on her way. But directly she
ran across another woman who hailed
her.
"Going to London, hear ~ said
this person, genially. "Well, for
Heavens sake, take some decent
looking 'duds' with you The Amer
ican woman and her perpetual short
skirt have become joke in England.
For the sake of your country, take at
least one dinner gown and a passabIe-
looking hat. Every dowdy woman
that an Englishman sees he exclaims
There's an American school teach
er'-which isn't fair
Belinda said that she would wear
her best, and went a block without
being stopped. Then she met man
with whom she is only slightly ac-
quainted, but he halted to say that
she would need pair of rubber-soled
shoes on shipboard, and to be sure to
take cap.
The next acquaintance she met re-
garded her commiseratingly.
"You are the very sort of a person
who will be seasick from the time
you start until you land. By the bye,
did you see the other day that wo-
man died in Baltimore from the effect
Of seasickness? If I were in your
place, would take at least box of
lemons with me. You get sick when
you ride on the cars, don't you?
thought so. l declare l hope your
attack won't be serious; it is SO
dreadful to be i'll unto death among
strangers.
Then she smiled cheerfully and
went on her way.
This so discouraged Belinda that
she changed her course and switched
off to street not so frequented, but
almost Immediately she ran into an
other acquaintance. "I hadn't an
idea l knew so many people |" mur-
INJURED the heroine of this story, and
then she pulled herself together and
smiled at the girl, who seemed anx-
ious to tell her something.
made the awful mistake of taking
every frock had in the world. Then
1 bought lots of things over there.
Well, just wish 1 had time to tell
you what a miserable lot was mine.
lost my baggage no less than five
times, and had all the officials of three
Governments looking for it at once.
chased trunks all over Europe. The
only thing l ever was sure of having
was the suit case that 1 did not let
leave my side. Consequently, 1 never
had chance to wear my pretty clothes
at all. Then, when I came home, /
had the most awful time with the
customs people. While 1 was away
1 used to get right down in the dust
and salaam every time 1 saw the
United States flag; but after my in
terview with the customs officers /
lost all my patriotism and declared I
was going back to Germany to live.
don't know why 1 haven't done it,
unless it is because I never had the
nerve to cross again. The moral of
all this is hard for you to find, I reck-
on, but 1 expect it is that you had
better go to the White mountains and
leave Europe alone. If you don't,
the customs officers will git you.
Don't buy so much as a belt pin on
the other side if you don't want to
have trouble with them.''
The three persons whom Belinda
saw after this had infallible preven-
tives Of seasickness to offer her. One
of these said that he had always in
tended to patent his remedy and put
it on the market, but that if Belinda
would swear never to divulge the in
gradients, he would give it to her.
Belinda swore, and then, mention
ing the subject to friend of hers
who was also friend of the medicine
inventor, she discovered that he had
tried the others infallible cure the
year before and had been very i'll in
deed all the way across.
Two more women advised her to
take very little baggage, and three
counseled her to take everything she
had, as she would surely Deed vari-
ETY. of gowns.
One young woman told her not to
think about wearing anything hand
some in the way of coat on the
steamer, and the other warned her to
appear to the best possible advantage
on the boat, because it was just like
a great floating hotel.
After these last words of wisdom
Belinda went home and took to her
bed. Whats the use of anything 2"
she groaned, and sat up and wrote
five notes declining offers of loans of
steamer chairs and rugs and silk
sheets.
"AND THIS is the first time you
have seen the old home for twenty
years I" his former friends said to
him. "They killed the fatted calf
for you, didn't they? ?"
mo-" responded the prodigal son
of a later neriod "They said that in