El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-15
Married Life the Third Year
Helen Lives at a WOmans hotei
and Learns Much Of the
woman Alone"
Bv Mabel Herbert UrHeF

L
/ Helen vent over to a lounge beneath
| a discouraged looking PAIN anu Sdze9
l around curiOusly- she Hstu otlel Heal U
of this woman's hotel. but had never
| been in it and the scene was fun of
She was to dine here with Miss Car
son. who had invited her so many
! times. AS Warren had gone to Phila-
| delphia and would not be back until to-
morrow, Helen had been glad to accept
the invitation for this evening
| 1t was probably the busiest. and most
| interesting hOtr to view this hosiery
I for women were now streaming. in
I from their various days activities.
[ Many were professional women.
/ Most Of them went straight to the
I desk for their keys and mail; then hur-
/ ried over to the elevator to be Whisked
! chat in the lobby. Some turned into
! the tea room to sustain their weari-
ness
Besides these homecoming workers,
| there were a number Of elderly women
I drifting about. who had eVidentfy rot
/ been out. but had come down from their
Z rooms TO spend this hour before dinner
! in the lobby viewing their more active
1 A Man Calls.
It was a relief to see a man swing
| through the revolving doors and striCe
. up TO the desk Even the rather sslUm
| woman clerk smiled gracIOuSiy as she
! 'phOned up his name
most attractive woman Helen had seen
I there came down in the elevator and
/ greeted him cordially. He did not even
/ let her sit down. but hurried her out. eV-
/ identity wishing to get away from the
( target OF feminine eyes.
We'll where shall we 2atS EeIen
! heard him ask as they passed
! ANY place where there's life and
( music" laughed the girl
And Helen could well imagine that n
one lived in a wOman's hotel one would
| want occasionally to dine OUT at some
! place with life and music
! Front" called the clerk at the desk
| a bellgirl ran Up and was given
Miss Fuiton-726.~ Down the hall
and through the restaurant switched
/ the girl calling shr1ly, Miss Fulton
All Looked Alike.
The bell girls all looked alike-smart,
/ pert. little girls about 10. with big
They sailed around Importantly IL
[ short. saucy black dresses and stlfI
| white collars Helen Wonds5red1 now
] they could attend 10 their duties SO
intent were they in perking I'd the
big bows on their hair
"Oh. I'm so sorry 70 keep You wait
ing Have you been here long,
1t was Miss Carson. flushed and
breathless from hurrying-
"Oh. I haven't minded waiting,
I laughed Helen Its been so interest
ing to sit here and watch if all"
At the sixth floor Miss Carson led
the way out and down the hau TO ner
old fashioned than one would have IN
ferred from the pretent1ous and mod
ern lobby downstairs
While she freshened Up Tor dInner
she told Helen about some settlement
classes she had taken lately, in addl-
ton 10 her regular work as music IN
structOr in fashionable boarding
school
and while am working so hard I've
got to have some comfort just
couldn't stand boarding houses any
longer OF course, it's more expensive
here. but it's less than any other hotel
I pay ST. so for this rOOm-and / have
TO get most Of my meals out, anyway
"a dollar and a half a day. repeated
Helen. Why. L thought you could get
a room without a bath at any hotel for
that"
No Tipping Here.
Yes, YOU can; but there is no tipping
here-or at least very little These
beIlgirls would faint if they ever sot
more than nickel-and imagine ofter-
ing a bellbOy a five cent up!
DO you mind If i open the win
dow" asked Helen. who, although she
had taken off her coat, was almost
smOthering in the close room.
4 knOw-it's sitting" admitted Miss
Carson. as she threw Up the WINDOW
They keep the whole place roasting
hot It's on account OF the old people
I suppose Now shall we go DOWN.
The restaurant with its many tables
filled only with women seemed to Hell
en- to have almost an Institutional air
Were breaking one Of the StrlctesI
rules Of the house tonight laughed
Miss Carson, as she shook out ner nap
kin You know they don't allow any
kind of wines or liquors here, but /
bought a bottle OF claret this morning
and persuaded one of the mattresses TO
serve il to US as grape juice
Helen, who knew that Miss Carson
means were limited, wanted 10 order a
simple dinner But Mss Carson insisted
on a rather eNtraVagant one The ser
vice was painfully slow. as there was
only one girl for about a dozen tables,
g al al n @
"Oh. YOU must be almost suffOcated-'
exclaimed Miss Carson, noticing HelenS
flushed face ITS slzzllng IN mere
She beckOned to the head waitress.
Gould we have this window open just
Yes, but I'm afraid they won't let
She lowered the window from the
top hardly more than an inch. but in
stantly there were giances of protest
from several Indignant old women
You see" shrugged Miss Carson, as
the waitress closed the window again,
they can't stand breath of air
The Claret Is Good.
I'm afraid yOuu have a demoraliZlnz
effect on the place laughed Helen, as
they slipped the excellent claret, which
was served in a bottle with grape
juice label
I'd like to-" grinned Miss Carson;
they need stirring up bit
Have you noticed what disSatlsfled
expressions most Of them have?' unused I
Helen 81 was watching them while 1
waited in the lobby
You don't think women who live
alone are ever really content, 90 youE I
Do YOU think there's a woman here
who wouldn't be happier If she were
living in her own home with husband
and children
and vet some women claim that |
their work. their career and their indie
pendeuce are more to them than the D
love of any man." ventured Helen
When they say that it's to save their I
pride, because they couldn't get the I
man they wanted" declared Miss Car
son. bluntly. NO woman ever said lt !
truthfully'
1t was after 10 when Helen got home I
Without waiting to take off her wraos. I
she sat down at the desk and wrote a
hurried note TO Warren, so that II /
might reach him at his hotel in Phila-
delphia before he left at noon:
Dearest
I've just had dinner with Miss Carson.
as ] had planned. And. oh. my dear, z
I'm so glad and so grateful that i IN [
Mrs. Warren T. Curtis. with my home
and my husband. and not a lone woman I
living at a Womaus hOtelt
Miss Carson says some of them have /
areers-successful CareerS-bUt they I
don't look very happy. Oh, I'm sure /
there isn't any career for a woman /
that's so satisfying as lust being a wife. I
Helen.