The San Francisco call., 1906-07-16

to all. Again we made an dll-Sldy
stand. but at II o'clock those VINO
had been there since were
waited upon. and at 8, when the
supply officer closed Tor luncn'
we who had been there since halt
past 9 were still some way from
the door. Now, I'll give you
numbers for tomorrow, declared
Mr.. Chenhall, as his postponed
lunch appeared a little after 8
o'clock, "and I'll promise TO
tend to you in that order. | was
"a, but it looked as if my getting
an order the next day would not
help me, for there were still no
blankets or cots in the warehouse.
Announcement was made TO us
waiting there that good second
hand clothing would be issued at
the storehouse around the corner
at o'clock, and more than an
hour before that time fully 200
had assembled to share in this
dispensation 1t proved a poor
assortment. Yet many were
grateful for the things. There
was grandmother, such carica-
ture of a grandmother, with a
face like one OF Zim's characters
mems shoes, a black skirt
reaching to her boot tops in front
and almost to the ground in the
back, too-tight coat and small
iaunty, rusty black sailor hat
with a weird bunch of coque
feathers on one side-but no ele-
CANT, perfectly gowned grand
mother ever showed more gentle
maternal solicitude or more self
effacement than that old soul who
stood in line for hours to get
clothing for her little people.
Amt they ine?" she asked me
with glistening eyes, as she held
up some worn old coats. They'll
do the little felless. | have three
grandchildren, all boys, and they
need so much. My daughter,
poor dear, buried her husband the
Thursday before the fire, and she
can't get up the spirit to try to
get these things. We had a nice
home before the fire. She kept it
nicely furnished and helped by
working as a waitress. | have
rheumatism and couldn't work,
but | could see after the boys.
Those children look so bad | am
ashamed to have them go into the
restaurant" (Think! ashamed to
have them go into the ''slop
kitchenr') Their clothes is a
sight, and their faces is broke
out, too, because their rest is so
bad. You can see them for your
self down here in a tent together,
three pore little boys that has laid
on the bare floor since the FIRE
first came, not thing under them
but the tent floor
Sleep on Bare Boards.
"I've been here myself most
three months" declared one we'll
hammered Enghshwoman, and I
have had neither mattress nor cot
beneath me. Recently | could
have had a canvas cot, but they
are flimsy affairs, which break
down after few nights, and leave
you in as bad a fix as at first, so
| declined the offer of one and |
am waiting to get wire one"
Number 81 in our line was a
middle-aged woman. Il had Just
closed up a lodging-house and
settled down, thinking | could get
along with the help of few room
ers for the rest of my days." said
she. mine has been a hard life.
one of constant work, and when
the quake FIRE came it swept away
my little income. You see, / am
not a strong woman. See, | have
a doctors certificate" She show
ed it and Tread, Exempt from
standing in hne owing to physical
inhrmity" Yet she had been
there Just two ahead of me since
early morning. She hadn't the
nerve to thrust herself to the
front and chance rough setting
aside by the more persistent sort,
so had patiently waited her turn.
The next day, for the fourth time,
she took her place in line and was
granted the requisition she wish
ed. But when, after half a days
wait with those at the warehouse,
she finally reached the window
she discovered that none OF the
things she had patiently sought
were among the stores!
"Oh, | know how that ware
house is, exclaimed a young wo-
man. "We have tried hard to get
things, sometimes successfully,