The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-10-01

THE advantage ON people take OF the
simplicity OF children to find out the
secrets Of families and private matters
which in no way concerns them Is shock
ing. and nothing short of It," a woman
said to me the other day. you have no
idea what busybodies hero are in the
world" she continued, land they will
leave no stone unturned to find out other
peoples business"
You seem to know some of their tao
TICS 1 said, "tell me about them"
"Tell you" she exclaimed; "it would
take a week to tell you, but what puz-
zles me Is why the affairs of other people
~irlefest these low-prin eiotsd creatures.
Excuse me IL 1 seem to lose my temper.
] just can't help 1t when 1 think of how
mean some people can be-"
l was beginning to think that all her
innermost secrets had been discovered by
some one. and was puzzled to know the
proper form for expressing regret on such
an occasion, when she concluded: II met
one OF the worst BIZ 'ybo1ies this sum-
mer that / ever met in my life. We
boarded at the same hotel, and | had a
good opportunity to watch her tactics.
She sat on the hotel porch from morning
till night, except wheR she was eating
her meals, and I can tell you she didn't
miss much that was going ON.
"One day a family consisting of the par
ents, a grown son -aad daughter and a
little girl of 10 came to the hotel. AS soon
as they registered and were assigned to
their rooms this woman examined the
register to find out where they were from
and I was shocked to hear her telling the
woman beside her that she would nave to
find out who they were and what social
nNatffon f1aH aorranfaI Md uha Rant hnr
word. too.
The next morning she drew her chair
up alongside of the little girl, who was
waiting for her mother on the porch. and
began to ply her with questions regarding
her family. She soon learned TINT the
family lost all their belongings in a recent
fire, and that the father was a victim Of
nervous prostration brought on by the
shock of his loss. She also learned that
the elder girl was engaged to be married
to a wealthy young man, but that she
was going to IKE a position as stem
o%grapher in an office until the family
was once more on Its feet.
These are only d few Of the things she
found out, but when / left the scene,
almost ashamed of being a woman, she
was asking questions of a more personal
nature. and which the poor confiding ohild
knew no better than to answer. / discov-
cred that it was an old rick Of hers to
find out all she could about people on
their arrival and exchange her stock in
gossip with others of her calibre of whom
there were two or three about the place.
DO you know she continued, IT
really felt that 1t was dangerous to be
around that woman, she had u a
faculty for finding out things that I
believe she could tell what. one was think
ing about. / gave her q wide berth, / can
tell you"
We ave all met this type of gossip at
some time or another. They do not seem
to get sufficient satisfaction out of ordi-
nary gossip, which at the most is none
of their business, but they seem to think
they nave a perfect right to quiz chill
dren: they do it anyhow when they think
there is anything to learn that will create
talk.