New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-27

ia the clothes room. adjoining. and tcd
Cd brass tag Ou Be-. giving me % S.uta.
one. which She told noe 10 hang around
nav neck. Thon she led me. still in my
bare feet. 20 the dormtory.
F.ftv-seveu beds were in D.. J found
later. and every one was occupea.
some hsd cribs beside them. which hc.d
sleeping babies She showed mo q cot
in the Ear corner
"Uurol the blanket and put lt on,
she ordered.
IL was q rough, thick blanket. al the
foot Of the bed. ] lay down and spread
il over me The mattress was "a similar
blanket. folded double. But there was
a woven wire mattress below that, and
there were clean sheets between me
and tEc blankets.
/ glanced at the motionless forms all
around me in the dim Light II was
appalling that they could sleep SO
peacefully waits and straTs. hardly
one Of them. probably. knowing what
was in store for her ou the morrow. d.
was q blessing that they could come
INTO this haven and forget fen nIcEt
But all the same 10 was appalling
Not for long. though. was trer, quiet.
a loud wall arose from one Of the
cribs. Il was o sick baby. evidently. j.
passed from crying into coughing and
choking. ] heard the mother trying TO
hush u, ana then the nlghtvatcn
came IT,.
ooh, Them Kids"
Bring the kid out into the other
room" he ordered.
The mother wrapped the child lu
blanket and battered out When the
little thing was huSned she came back.
But It wasn't FOR long. Baby gave an
all night performance, 20 the great Dis
I gust of Some Of the women.
"Oh. them kids / heard the one
who lay next 10 me mutter YEARLY.
couldn't have slept even had there
/ been no baby crying. | was glad 90
have q haven from the street, but ] lay
rigid from nervousness, every muscle
taut ! counted the different kinds Of
shores from the beds around me. ]
/ had never imagined there were so many
ways Of snoring. ! watched for the
\ RAISING Of an elevator that went up
and down on the other side O. ground
glass window. When II went mp IT
carried loads Of men, who talked do
rough voices. wondered i they were
Migrants who had come 10 seek refuge.
/ and what were their reasons FOR being
, so late Then ] listened 20 the poor
baby that cried, and coughcd, and
cried. and was carried in and out by its
mother, and 10 two other babies that
woke and cried III sympathy, perhaps.
As the night wore on ! grew very
. cold. The air was pure, the ventilation
GOOD, but IL certainly was cold. My
llanket was an unacconmodatlng
blanket. and wouldn't stay on the bed.
At intervals ! sat up and wrcstled with
la 81
shin between it and my shiveriug body,
but il simply wouldn't mould itself TO
zee.
At the end / must have dozed for |
reused with start 10 hear the night
watch saying:
"Out OF your beds, LADIES'
lit is q nice custom they have az the
Municipal Lodging House always 30
address the women who seek shelter
there as ladies'
Have a Needle?"
From bed 70 bed the nightwatch
went. ordering us 70 take of our
sheets and pillow eases and drop them
on the floor Some of the women were
slow to rise. The nightwatch mad an
arduOus ten minutes.
The woman in the bed next mine sat
up and muttered vaguely She had q
wrinkled mouth that caved IN. ! could
hardly understand what she sand. But
/ made out at last that she was talking
10 me.
what is it," ! asked her.
"Dearie, will you have d needle ~ she
said. IL learned 10 in the worhhouse.
Have some?'
She held out box full Of black
something.
opium ?' / said
ooh. no. dearie." she answered.
"Suuf Just some snuff, that's all
She put some 20 her nose and snu.fed
copiously. while ! drew on my shoes,
remembering what / had read about
drugs creeping into the workhouse, and
wondering what she meant by needle
BY degrees We all got up, the moth
ers leaving the babies of whom there
were fourteenth their cribs We went
out 10 the entrance 90 the clothes
room, where we waited for our bags.
A motley crew we were. I'm our short
nightgowns There were old, old WON
en-. with gray hair flying around their
faces One. the Oldest Of all. wore an
elaborate red wig which She must
have sacrificed much TO keep through
hfe's ylcl5sltudcs. There were young.
young girls. and the youngest had
babies in cribs m the dormitory. A fat
woman, grotesQue IN her short gown.
talked 10 any who would listen about
her recent stay on "the island in the
tone Of one relating the experiences Of
visit az the seaShore or at a mountain
resort.
"Place aux Danes"
We stood there a long. long time.
7 Occasionally a quarrel arose as 20
which Of the ladies should have prece-
dence at the door of the clothes room;
but differences were quclled sternly
by the woman who gave out the bags.
got mine last of all, but one OF the
little Enclosures with curtains partly
around them, provided for dressing, !
found empty: inside put on my clothes.
+ ] found a place 20 wash and then stood
aside. watching mothers dressing thelr
+ babies. and feeble old women lettering
around and wondering II we would be
given breakfast.
We were. a tall thin woman who
was. I found. Miss Mitchell. assistant
Of the supervisor Of the woman's de-
partment Miss Reid, told US TO go
downstairs. There 7 found a tin cup
filed with coffee before me, and bow.
Of oatmeal Cruel Huge plates OF
bread. cut thick. were on the table, and
there was no limit TO the amount you
could take.
Some Of the women ate heartily, and
the food when tasted IL was pretty
GOOD. But ! couldn't eat. The woman
next me noticed was not eating
either. She had a gentle. kindly face.
Her voice when she spoke 20 me was
sweet
81 can't eat" she said. with so many
funny people around. You cant, either"
NO replied.