Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-24
WOMAN IN DANGER.
Can Be Depended on for Something Un-
usual When Frightened.

From the Chicago Tribune.
Speeding down Michigan avenue The olher
evening in his automobile with feminine
companion, Sidney Gorham. secretary of
the Automobile Club, suddenly spied a cat
In the middle of the road staring at his
headlight.
Now, I'm going to get that cat" he re-
marked to his companion, who earnestly
begged him to desist NO. he persisted
there was too many stray cats prowling
about In the world already" and he speeded
his automobile straight ahead. Within five
teet OF the bewildered animal, which fer
some strange reason had not budged, the
girl leaned forward in her intense sympathy
for the poor cat about to be crushed Mr.
Gorham, running his machine at the rate
OF twenty-five miles an hour suddenly veer-
ed TO the side. He saved the cat, bu. pretty
nearly lost his companion who unable
10 preserve her poise, went pitching out of
the vehicle he catching her by the coat
Just In time to save a catastrophe.
This is only one of the many incidents in
which the eternal feminine will do an
unusual or unguarded thing in the presence
of sudden fright. Not that women are any
more susceptible to loss of presence of mind
than men, generally On the contrary, from
the testimony of those who have had wide
experience in dealing with both sexes in the
presence of scares of any kind women
hold equal rank with men-in eases Of fires,
mobile scares, in spite OF The exception
given.
I'm fact" continues Mr.. Gorham speak
ing of automobiling, Il find nay wife keeps
her head just as well as do and the same
thing is true of pretty nearly ali the women
l know. OF course, we don't have much
TO frighten US. Accidents are really much
more rare than people generally suppose
With confidence in their operator-when
they are, not scared out of it, as i'll the case
l have just related-women 10 no. always
realize real danger when it comes.
The narrOweSt escape I ever had &C.
CURED when there were three women in my
auto. I was running down a small hill over
4 narrow road with high banks on either
side and only four feet of way when l spied
a broken bottle in the middle of the track
l turned to the side, seeking to save my
tire, when 1 suddenly found the wheels slid
Ing down the bank. 1 called instantly to
the women to jump. Then I sat and waited.
At that moment l would have taken a hun
dred dollars for that machine which l paid
81. $40 for. 1t looked as IL it still might 60
over any moment and land at the bottom
OF the bank upside down. l managed to
save 1t. but would you believe. when l ask
ed those women to get out they simply gig
eled l knew, of course. the switch was
thrown and that we might be hurled into
eternity any moment"
An energetic but inexperienced girl will
act differently from a sympathetic or we'll
poised woman. A case is related of one ,i1l
out in an automobile for the first time The
WiIO WAS uheWlSe inexperienced,
had the lever reversed and did not know it.
Suddenly the machine began backing t;riv-
ing straight for a curb The energetic girl
rose up and called whoa, who9.' much
to the amusement of the crowd Watching
the performance. Her lack Of reserve and
loss of presence of mind manifested itself
in the presence of sudden fright
Another energetic woman. perfectly able
to keep cool on all occasions. may perform
a deed of real heroism in the ease IF sudden
danger. I'm fire Scares. says Marshal
Campion of engine house No. >. Il can't
see but a woman is just brave as a man
any time. / pretty nearly lost my life once,
and would have had it not been for Il wo-
man. / was down in the basement of an
old dance hall on the west side. which was
in mass of flames, and I iad simply lost
my way. 1 called up in my dilemma, and
1t was woman who stood at the head of
the stairs and directed me out with flames
sweeping about like mad.
still, women do lose their heads Just
a short time ago one woman came out of a
burning building with her hat and bandbox
and left five hundred dollars worth of
jewelry on her dresser. AS luck would
have it though, they were buried in the
plastering and she recovered them later