The Point of View.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 73, 27 March 1909, Page 10

The Point of View.

o The classes at the Girls' Club are from eight to half-past nine, but the girls begin droppjng in any time after seven, two of the older members keeping sdeh order as is kept with the help of the caretaker, a woman of warm heart, silent tongue, and heavy hand. If any •of the "Club lydies" care to turn up before eight they are very welcome, and it is a great time for " 'avin' a good talk." To have a good talk chairs must be drawn very close to the fire, so that feet in damp, leaky boots may steam pleasantly on the iron fender ; some one must have a sticky paper of peppermints to pass around ; arid every girl must have her arm round hey particular chum's waist Or shoulders. Then one or another begins in a cheerful voice to tell the last gruesome story which the papers or experience have supplied. " 'Aye you 'card, miss, of that little byby in Grearly-streeb what 'ad a black bat (beetle) crawl into its ear and strite inter its brine and it doid?" ""No, what rubbish ! A bat couldn't do that." , "S'elp me, it ain't rubbish. Ah sor it in' the 'Erald, strite Ab did. It's the troof, miss." "Yes, miss," adds another for confirmation; "and Orearly-streefc's the very next street to ours." And yet another— "Yes, miss, and I've 'card tell of a mau what was sittin' drunk, miss, in his chair of a Sattiday night, and a black bat crawled in at 'is mouf and strite inter 'is 'cart." To doubt any longer would simply be another instance of that lack of worldly wisdom and experience which the girls have felt in my sister and myself ever since" they tried to gain our confidence on the subject of our love affairs. We had all been exchanging informa"tion as to our ages and the dates of our birthdays, and when I said that I was twenty-three, and my sister owned to twenty-one, Florrie Hicks remarked : "Whoy, me sister's twenty-three, and .she'd look quoit a gurl beside Miss Eleanor, or Miss Mary either. Sho curls 'er 'air beautiful, miSs, she does ; and 'er wiste is 'ardly twenty hinches; but I dessay (kindly) you could get yer wiste dahn to that if you was to troy." "I s'pose you'll *ye got a young feller?" said Betty Flowers, encouragingly. "You 'aven'fc? Well, Ah'n,» 'ardly sixteen, and Ah've had two." "And could 'aye another hanny time yer thought good," said Florrie, shyly, and there was a general giggle for Betty's benefit. It was ,on the following Saturday that my sister took a party of the girls to visit the Public Art Gallery. They were a rather noisy crew, and a young man who was looking at the pictures kept glancing in theit direction. Betty, who was a kindly soul, nudged her and whispered : "Miss Mary, there's a young man a-iookin' at you." "He's looking at all of us because you make such a noise." "No, ifs you 'c's lookin' at." "Well, anyhow it's no concern of mine nor yours." "Yes, it is, Miss Mary," said Betty, with some impatience. "Yer should look back at 'im. . . . 'E wants to go aht courtin' wiv yer." "But J don't know him." [ "Well, and 'ow would yer get to know 'im if yer didn't go out courtin' with 'im first?" Betty after that remained kind in manner, but pitiful amazement at such stupidity was in her soul. And, doubtless, our position and views of life were much discussed among the girls. At any rate-, one- evening before we we're well inside the door of the club-room several girls* flung themselves, eager , with questions, upon us. "Is ib true what Betty says as yore lydies?" "Reel lydies?" "Lydies what keeps servants?" i "Don't neither of yer go to work?" [ "Does yer fawther keep yer both?" i "Course they're lydies. Else wouldn't they go aht courtin'?" drawled Betty from her chair by tho fire. '"Ere, Miss, this is yore chair, next ter moine." "Let 'em take their 'ats and jackets awf, and then teU us theirselves." j When we were all settled, and each had a. peppermint tucked into the corner of our mouths, the questions began again. I "'Aye yer really got servants?" seemed to be the most pressing. "Two servants-? Thre«!? Not four? Whoy, ! whathever do jer' aye?" "1 know," cut in Maggie, daughter i of a publican, who boasted a mincing ! manner of speech and some elegance of ideas. "They'll hey a cook and a chief cook, and a butler, and a bottle-washer, I and a door-boy." i • The list was accepted, out led to further problems. "Whathever do yer do all day?" We tried to explain, but the account i was difficult and lame. "I know," said Maggie, "for one thing. Gentry has their food put on the tabie one thing at a time, not altogether ; semtirnes they'll hey as many as six courses." "That'll help 'em to pass the toime loike," mused Florrie. "What do yer 'aver" "I know," said Maggie again. "They hey' soup, and then preps a mussle or two, and poultry, and then " "Ow, shut it, Maggie. Let them tell theirselves. Begin at the beginning Miss. 'What dyer do when yer gets up?" "Have breakfast," we replied. "What ? if as yer breakfasts afore yer blacks yer grites !" "Didn't they tell yer they've got servants to do them sort 6' things ?" | Betty, who had not spoken for some time, drawlect out with "a tinge of pity, "Ah'll tell yer what they do. They puts flowers in vawses and plys on the pie-banner. . . . Ah knotf one thing, Ah shouldn't loikc to be them — no fear." ."I think ,itld be jest levvly," said Maggie, with two nods of her head at the last two words. But Betty laughed through dosed lips with her chin stuck out. — E.M.A., in the Westminster Gazette. }