The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-07


She Buys q Tag and Waitb-Careful
or Careless. She Goes Unscathed-Even
lis Loss Made Her No Less Lucky.
She had never thought that an accident
tag was a necessary part Of the feminine
outfit, but after talking with the business
woman, who happened also to be a friend,
she concluded that there were still many
things for her to learn.
i have heard people talk just the way
you do said the business woman impa-
tiently. The other day a very famous
Gctor-well, l won't mention his name but
81 cid you would know right away-came in
here and said he had never realized that an
accident policy was so necessary. gave
him his tag, no paid his dollar and going
out he fell down stairs, drew his salary and
his accident rate for six weeks. Wasn't
that providential?
Then another day a woman Just dropped
in for friendly call as you hRyei She was
simply obduTate / couldn't move her.
Going home she fell into one Of those open
coal holes, smashed her nose-they say
It will never grow out--I mean they can't
graft 1t or anything-a sight She was bad
enough before, and now-well it's well she q
married. that's all l can say.
a man who was going on the road was
induced by friend to take out one Of these.
They weren't fifty miles GU tside Of New FORK
before they got into an awful railroad rash
and II II hadn't been for that accident tag
which entitled him to 80 a week, where would
he have been? That was all velvet, for he
could sue the company besides
The girl took the tag and went out. She
had never given the subject Of accidents
much thought, for like the great majority
she had believed herself immune from that
special form Of earthly chance.
The tag, No. SO,5o4, which looked like
the medal that good Catholic keeps along
side OF her rosary and orucifix, she stuck
into an empty compartment Of her vanity
bag.
She shook hands with her friend the
business woman very hngeringly. Sup
pose she should never SIS her again. She
remembered that her friend had been very
careful not TO alude TO the long list Of acct
dents that had terminated fatally and for
which the ak dollars per probably went
10 purchase an urn suitably inscribed
She crept down stairs very slowly, hanging
10 the railing and peering anxiously into
the menacing shadows Of either landing
How good it seemed to be in the street
with the bright sunlight She wondered
how much longer she would have to enjoy
IT, She shuddered along the sidewalk,
looking for open coal holes and danger
signs by which she had formerly coquetted.
t''tiDI 20 the fate that looks after the fool
and child. She had proved herself to lie
neither by the purchase Of policy.
She hesitated at the crosswalk; autos
four-in-hands, cars, hansoms, q pushing,
Slfsh crowd bore down upon her She
recalled wildly the story Of the young and
pretty girl who had been run over at the
first crossing after purchasing No 70, 1852,
and who was a cripple for life
She beckoned TO q policeman and shlvered
into his dark blue embrace. She had
laughed at women before who depended on
the escort Of the force; It had seemed TO her
provincial, 80 uncithed-
Should she take a carr II she did perhaps
It would start before she could get on and
she would be left MANNED and helpless
It Is true she could call a cab, but that
was even more dangerous. 1t Is well
known that half Of the accidents that 90
cur in hansoms are never known to
the public. Intoxicated cab drivers, reck-
less ones, blind horses all menaced No,
she determined 70 walk.
She wondered idly as she peered along,
her eyes looking for r1naways at the cross
walks and for banana skins between times,
II she had done well 10 make her sister her
beneficiary, Perhaps che ought 10 have
made her brother. She hoped there would
be no jealousy in the family. A beneficiary
sounded pretty grand and her family had
always thought her rather a black sheep.
They would feel sorry when they spent the
money coming to them.
Then she remembered that the dollar
tag did not entitle her family TO anything,
that was the other and more expensive
policy. This was simply 10 help take
care Of her, in oase-and in the other case
70 pay her funeral expenses. She won
dered what kind Of a funeral she could
get for six dollars;
IL was a week later and nothing had
happened She had recovered from that
frst hypnotism that Aasails the purchaser
Of an accident policy. She wss a little
Indignant now that nothing had happened
Why should one 60 10 all the trouble OF
writing the color Of ones mothers
ewes before she was married II one were
not 10 profit by itl
She did not want TO be killed, Il Il true.
nor TO he MANNED, but Il did seem a. II an
accident tag was a. umch proof against
accidents az an asbestos suit against fire.
pl'e commenced 10 be more daring, TO
saunter across crossings, to refuse the
pohceman's help, 70 ignore footing horns
and cabby's whips. She no longer smiled
a. truckmen 10 induce them TO allow her
night Of way. Nothing happened
why had she thrown away a dollar and
why had she received no returnY There
We're other years coming, and perhaps she
would be induced to spend other dollars
and go through life without a scar She
would throw the accident tag away and
be bothered with Il no more.
81, The vanity bag with the tag was gonel
She had lost Il. 10 had been stolen, with
$40 10 boot. The last time she remembered
anything about Il was when she had swung
j a. she minced her way across Thirty
fourth street and Broadway, lust to show
That she could take her time n she wanted
TO-. She remembered a man who bad looked
q, her admiringiy. She thought Il WAS her
nerve. IL was not, Il was her bag.
Wei, a any rate, the ACCIDENT tag had
accomplished sOmsthingi