The Washington herald., 1907-06-02
WOMAN ABOUT TOWN
What She Hears and Sees.

some friends Of mine asked me for an
/ all-ddy trip I'm their touring car The,
| telephoned me so early in the morning
/ that / wasn't up yet. and they told mo
/ they were going 90 take with them
/ doctor man that I've been perfectly crazy
I to meet. flew into my clothes. because
/ you naturally hate To begin an acquaint-
ance with man by keeping him waiting.
/ and because 1 wanted % make a good
/ impression I logged myself out in nv
/ new brown suit, hat and veil and gloves
and pumps and everything 10 mitch
/ Imagine my disgust as I Ecudded into my
/ apparel 10 discover that my new brown
| stockings had hole in one toe-just "A
weenty little hole but still hole-and
/ Of course no real perfect lady ever wears
a thing ike that 1 did. though, for Z
hadnt time 10 mend il, and I wanted
| 70 wear that particular pair I said 10
myself that nobody would ever guess the
awful truth Well. after we'd wbizzei
along ten miles or so. we stopped 10 pick
| some dogwood. I don't know why ua
| wanted It, because il would withor before
/ We got nome. and we all knew IL. buf We
! picked il, and I fell over a gtrimr and
/ sprained my ankle While I was piolffuo
myself up ] was thinking ten times mo
/ speed limit l knew that II I so nuch as
/ said ouch that doctor man would dfl0-
| nose the case on the spot. and got fo
/ work on that ankle and them couIdn.f
bear 10 think Of II. didn't make moan
| l climbed back into the car with ser
| smile. ] think that day was a wear long
/ had 10 keep my foot hidden because
/ the thing began TO swell Being burned
at the stake couldn't hurt me more. and
/ it wouldn't last SO long We got home
/ after dark and / hoped UP TO the door
ana went down in heap in the hall.
waillng and bowling. Mother chased fo
me madly and got my pump off in no
/ time. The stocking-well. the one with
/ the hole In it was on the other foot
/
/ The chocolate colorad lady who rnendg
things for me has a recently acquired hus-
band who is at present engaged in blast
ing work for the foundations Of a public
/ building ia another city. She rather ex-
/ pected a visit from him on Sunday last.
+ but he did not come
He didn't keer 70 lose the time" she
/ explained TO me. He gifts good wages
/ and extra pay for working on a Sunday.
/ II they gifts the building done sooner than
/ they expects. he'll git extra money for
/ that, too. That she added. pitving my
/ ignorance, lis what they calls boneless
/ money"
/ She is from some place in North Caro-
/ lima, so she tells me. and the ways Of
/ Washington negroes don't please her.
These here culIud people in Washing
/ ton. she says. sure is b.gEetv. Every
{
/ just what the doctor ordered and nothing
/ else. The truth is"-and after she'd told
ne the truth I was forced % admit 10
/ myself that truth does indeed lie al the
/ bottom OF the well. for il was entirely too
/ deep for me 20 grasp-"The truth is. thevs
dicted TO. and dicred 10 tell they thinks
! they owns the earth"
There was pretty gfrI dining in hotel
on Pennsylvania avenue on Memorial
Day, and she solved for me problem
/ in the aesthetics Of Eastronomlcs which
has weighed on my mind for a long time.
/ When the salad came on. the elder man
/ IN her party If four insisted on dressing
/ the -ettgce-it was the romaine variety Of
/ lettuce. bE the wav-himseIf He called
I for a bowl and for the oil and vinegar.
from his ceiiiHE-C0cksd eye as he srneuei
the oil. and his WashiuEton-erossing-t
+ Delaware look IS be mixed and stirred.
/ that he was n man who had been about a
great deal and knew all there is to know
about salads. The girl looked q little be-
w.ldered when her portion of perfectly
dressed leaves vas set before her Left
/ 20 herself. ] think she'd have susared
. that romaine and minced 1t with her knifs
and fork. A masterpiece of salad
. dressed by a man who had been every
where robbed her of her ease She a--
tackled the first leaf with her fork Il was
/ "a large leaf, and difficult 20 fold up or
I fork up into anything small il took two
pokes % get Il into her mouth. and she
turned redder than the uanrisa Before
. she ess8yed a second leaf she had a mo-
meutary look Of one who is about 10 saw
she never eats latture-but nobody has
/ the courage 20 say thar now She heSi-
/ tsted. Then a brilliant idea came % her.
. She Unfuricd her fan with q Spanish
/ wom7n's flicker of the left wrist. and
/ that's all 7 saw of her salad Nobody
could see what became of H. She ate il
/ behind the shelter Of her fan. and how
many times she poked at any leaf nobody
/ knew. Next tg the plan of a friend Of
mine for having small screens To set up in
/ front Of people who want 10 eat fried
crabs in public. It was the neatesr thing
in the way of tllinS a lgnE-feit want 1
ever saw.
IF 7 could go 70 some country where
| they'd never heard Of coffee or tea. says
q woman I know, I'm sure 7 could shine
. in conversation. I'll never get a chance
20 try here in Washington. don't drink
/ tea and J don't drink coffee Both drinks
/ are exceedingly distasteful 10 me I cant
/ bear even the smell of them. and now
/ I've told you that, I've explained the
/ hooGo0 that hangs over me. Suppose
I 60 to see some woman. and I'm just
/ loaded up with epigrams and quibs and
/ witty saliieS2
/ Won't you let me give you cup of
/ tea2' is the first question she asks.
"NO; ] don't drink tea. thank YOU" 1
/ have to say. because can't sit and stir o
cup Of it without feeling faint
Perhaps you prefer coffee" she says
next.
/ No I don't drink coffee. either" T say.
and there it's all off BY the time she's
asked me why, and got over her wonder
/ at my remarks it's time for me to go on
| TO another house and have the same
| things said 70 me. When I was invited
/ to a tea some of the writer-vomeu here
gave, just reveled in anticipation Of the
/ bright things ! was going to hear them
/ say. Did they say them No. stree.
/ Every single woman I met had TO have it
/ explained to her why it is I don't drink
/ tea or coffe, and after that they all com
pared notes, trying to figure cut how on
earth I manage 20 live. ! never hear any
/ thing worth repeating. I'm a sort of mu-
scum freak. People take the same sort