New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-20


and cackle Of dcrision went down
OF one thing my taste OF the Hote
knickerbocker's bread line convinced
me the women who stand al its doc
have gotta stand" there. About IN,
men don't know. for didn't tall
with them. but among the women ther,
are few panhandlers. 1t isn't WORT
the real panhandler's while.
Women Broken by Hard Luck.
The women saw were mostl!
broken down scrubwomen and tn
like: old. many of them; sick, SOM
Ci them: renting a room for nlSh
O, week when they get few cents
sleeping in free lodging houses or Turk
ing on the streets at other times, no
knowing from day 10 day what ROOF
if any, will cover their heads next.
Few OF them know what it is TO 81
down at a table TO eat. They get then
food in the bread lines, eating in th'
morning al Mrs. q. II. P. Belmont
free soup kitchen in East Forty-hrs
Street. and in the afternoon at th'
door Of the Hotel knickerbocker, II
West Forty-frst Street. ! think tht
majority Of them are glad when the!
snatch a days work.
When. r little before o'clock,
reached the empty building adjoining
the hotel. where the hungry are per
mitted to wait till the giving out OF
food begins at 3 o'clock, there were
$50 women inside. and hundreds, II
seemed to me, Of men. They were
silent, pitiful. depressing throng, anc
! myself was depressed by big hole
in one OF my shoes. and by the fact
that my coat was fastened with safety
pins instead Of buttons.
The lady who gave me that coat cut
the buttons off before she let me nave
il. Of all low down deeds, the worst
il TO remove the buttons from gar
ment before you give it 10 the poor
Never do il. II you must keep those
particular buttons, sew some others on
in their places.
Longing for the Coffee.
A cold wind swept through Forty
first Street, and we we're grateful for
the shelter Of the empty building. Al
least | suppose we were grateful. Most
of US we're longing for the hot coffee
too acutely to have room for any other
No one thought OF the
sandwiches. The coffee was the thing
"Ah. coffee warns your inside,
5 .ghed a frail. white-haired woman,
the except for her haggard face
and her clothes -that an artist might
choose for a fireside picture Of WON
ans place is the home"
Al 3 o'clock came the word, and the
line moved out-women irst ! should
say ladies" for everybody three
bluecoats who kept guard at the edge
Of the pavement. and the hotel en-
ployes who served us addressed those
Of us 10 whom they spoke as LADY.
/. was a misnomer, since lady means
loaf giver, and we, alas, were Loaf
takers, but il was nice. all the same.
We moved on, battered. moth-eaten
specimens Of humanity. II IS horrible
how moth-eaten a woman gets wheh
she is down and out. There WASH I
A decent complexion among US. Inc
faces matched the SCARED, nondescript
clothing. The woman in front OF me
had lost an eve, and the woman at
nv side had a twisted knee JOINT.
Cause Of Much Concern.
Two white-capped, white-aproned
men and a woman wearing DIue-aud
red army cape over her white UNIFORM
gave us generous slices of bread each
with a "hot dog" and bit OF cauIi-
flower on it, and pint cups OF steam
ing coffee. | took the sandwich, Dut
no coffee. which last caused great CON
Germ among the women who stood IN
further along the pavement IN
me lee of the hotel 10 eat and drink
"Ah. dearie," they said 70 me, why
didn't YOU get your coffee? Go back
and get some coffee Sure, 1t does
you good idod
p, one coffee urn and Al intervals
hustled among US, collecting empty
,ups. was also worried over my ao-
.tinence.
Have some coffee, lady" ne urged
You're welcome TO it,
As we stood there together. eating
and drinking, the thing took on q
grotesque resemblance 20 an
,fternoon tea. Food and the not drink
tongues, and there was plenty
Of gossip. .uu ;udic
osnt over the report that kind per-
.ons had given those in the bread
inc s36 the day before. A squatty
little woman. with an old fe!i cap
,ulled down over her unkempt hair
old the others about 1t.
They Talk Of Money Gifts.
81 seen it IN the paper this morn
Ing," she said, but | never seen the
money"
"It's lie" said a gaunt lrishwom,
an. "Thirty-six dollars! Humpn.
7 hirty-siX cents, more Ike.
"Mebbe the men got II. they az
ways do" sighed little, stoop-snouI-
iered creature. a mere GIRL WIN d
glance al the long line OF hungry men
on the other side Of the urns ana
sandwich table. ~,
A tall. hatchet-faced woman walked
estlessly among the others. snnoune-
ing that she didn't have 10 take money
from nobody. she didn't. She earned
, dollar BY workin' yesterday, and she
was goin' right up 20 Mrs. Flnnegan
and get her suitcase. She wanted
everybody 20 know. she reiterated, that
Mrs. Finnegan couldn't keep that SUIT
Ease for back rent another night.
"What does she keep telling US that
forep complained one of the women 10
me. "She acts like she thought I'd he
mad. amt jealous. I'm glad II any
body gets a dollar -,
There was no limit on the amount OF
coffee and sandwiches each might nave
and as soon as we finished the FIRST
serving We gathered in groups for the
second, Some took four helpings.