The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-28

to go shopping with-zo for candy and soda
water and 10 for car fares?"
This really seemed plausible. / did once
know a woman in New York, who, descrfo-
ing the agreeable simplicity OF friends
to go down to Wanamaker's and buy q
spool OF thread"
BUYING GLOVES.
And 1 myself have a vivid recollection
OF going with a friend to buy a pair OF
gloves. and how we went into every glove
store down a long mile Of Broadway. In
each place she looked at the gioevs, felt
them, stretched them. asked as many Ques-
tons about them as a doctor does about a
patients health. and went out again with
out buying them. At the end or our walk
/ said, in a low-spirited tone: Now,
suppose we'll go all the way back again,
and you'll take the pair you liked best?
NO." she said, obviously, II didn't really
like any of them very much. think I'll go
out tomorrow and see IL can do better ON
Sixth avenue"
OF course one can get rid OF good many
hours this way. AS a timekilling device IL
answers the purpose accurately, and IL this
is what is generally meant by shopping
l can see how Ii can be made to I'LL an
otherwise blank afternoon In a perfectly
comfortable and comprehensive manner.
From my own observation, l think the
modern unoccupied lady finds the social
her ancestress in Mile. de Scudery's time.
When everybody had a day at home. one
could call all afternoon. from lunch TO din
the parlor fattened for the sacrifice. Those
were the days OF short visits. when ex-
perts could get In ten calls from to 6.
provided the recipients lived on or near
car lines. The call was as arid OF cheerful
social intercourse as were those which the
spirituelle Scudery described. There was. as
Omar khayyam has IT. "a little talk OF
thee and me- and then the visitor fitted
on. But It killed off the afternoon quickly
and effectively. BY o'clock the dying day
had not a kick left in 1t.
One OF the strangest things about these
time-killing women is that they are al
ways telling you how frightfuily busy
they are, how they hadn't minute to
effusively. and say how they long to see
you. how to call upon you is one or the
dearest wishes OF their hearts. but they
really haven't minute In the day. You
smile, and try 10 look IL you believed
1t. BY an effort OF will, you Danish the
expression of startled incredulity from
your face; You even refrain from saving
are you so busy about? 1 never knew be-
fore that you were really working at any
thing?"
thing don't often use the phrase about be-
ing so busy. They als 0 appear TO have more
time to cultivate the society they AFFECT
When the work hours are hard and long.
the play hours carefully and profitably
arranged. Women who are ensrossinely
engaged in domestic life or professional
work are always easier to find. simpler OF
access, than women whose lives are ar
ranged entirely on society basis.
A TESTED TIME-KILLER.
One of the most universally known and
practically tested ways Of passing time
among 1.-THE frightfuliy busy is sitting
round and talking" Hours romp joyously
past when one is thus occupied. You 'sit
around and talk" after breakfast after
lunch. and after dinner. From three to
five hours, according to the staying ca
pacity OF the sitters, can be worked
through in this manner. The subject or
the talk does not matter. 1t can range
through the fields OF art. literature. science.
religion, scandal. politics. dress. Some
times the takers rock in rocking chairs
and sew. I once had a friend who asked
me to lunch and said: And bring your
work, and after lunch we can sit round
and have good talk. l was afraid To
go. and said / couldn't bring my work. as
was making a lamp shade of the circum-
ference OF an average umbrella, which was
all lie
great deal OF the time Of the unoccupied
women, but I hear now that such Is not
the case. My masculine friend, when I
He said nobody ever sewed now except
thrifty bachelors. who did their mending
on Sunday. and people who were paid. 4
most of their own clothes. but here again
II is true they were poor. and the clothes
L making was squeezed in at odd times. like
the bachelors mending. The prosperous
women of independent means do not sew
at all, except when "the sitting round
process is In progress. and then IL Is In a
desultory fashion. because the talking ID
what one IL sitting round for. the sew
ing is merely sort of decorative adjunct.
All things considered. we find that the
way Mile. Scudery divided up the day OF
same in her epoch as II Is In ours. Per-
haps she gives an undue length OF time
| for sleep. Eight to nine hours is the av-
erage allowance for an American woman.
| though IL you count the hour or two spent
| I'm waking UP before the actual getting up
| takes place, you can run the resting half
| OF the day to nearly her figure The two
or three hours spent in consuming her food
| is very moderate allowance: one often
| sits two hours over n dinner alone, and
| the three or four to dress herself which.
| To me. seemed excessive. Is evidently not
| by any means an unusual length OF time
! TO spend In front OF the glass.