REAL LADY FOR A DAY

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 9

REAL LADY FOR A DAY

Hilda Threw Her Weight About In The Fashion Emporiums

(From "N.Z. Truth's" Hastings Representative.)

With tear-stained eyes, a handkerchief which frequently was used to wipe away the outward signs of grief and remorse, and with her whole body trembling m a most pathetic .manner, foolish little Hilda ,Edith Bollard, a 20 year old girl, looked a sorry figure when she stood up m answer to her name at last week's sitting of the Magistrate's Court m. Hastings. Hilda had strayed so completely on to the wrong road, that she Was faced with no fewer than four charges of false pretences.

A CCORDING to the story outlined m J\ court, the young. girl, on one of her week-end excursions to Napier, evidently suffered from something like a strange brain-wave. She called : at the well-known drapery firm, Blythes, Ltd., and explained that her name was Myra E. Williams, and that she was staying with Mrs. -Fred Douglas, of Hastings. It may be said, that Mrs. Fred Douglas is quite a well-known lady m Hastings, and it is fairly common knowledge that she is m such a position that she should have no financial worries. Apparently, Blythes. Ltd., had this impression; too, and it was good enough for them to allow, Hilda credit to such an extent that she was not slow ; to take advantage of what she thought was a glorious opportunity. With the gate at the entrance to Easy Street so wide open, the foolish girl went right through and emerged with a fur coat, three frocks, two pairs of gloves,, a hat, three pairs of hose and a bundle of Fuji silk, the value of the lot £46/10/-, being charged up to her "account." " Flushed with success at her first taste of crime, Hilda then desired a gramophone, so off she went to Lockyer's music stores, and, representing that she had been sent by the matron of the public hospital, she got a gramophone and records, the value of which was £9/5/-. This venture of the - girl, however, .was not quite so successful, and evidently i n q v i r i c s were started m ■ Lockyer's shop. The young lady had not gone far away before one of the shop assistants at Lockyer's got hold of her and relieved her •of her recent purchase. Still, another successful coup was m Hilda's mind. It was her day of days, and she dearly wanted a wristlet watch, so George Peter Styles, jeweller, was her next place of call. Here Hilda told the shopman that she was Mrs. G. H, Barrett, of Clyde. Road, Napier, and this was apparently sufficient for the watch to be handed over, and a debit of £3/3/- put to "Mrs. Barrett's account." . Neither was Hilda yet content to call 'it a day, so she made one more call and recorded another success. From W. P. Henderson she secured a whole heap of fancy. goods, the value of. which was £2/5/-, and to get these she told the shopkeeper that she was "Nurse .Ellis" of the public hospital, and so 'down went a debit to Nurse Ellis. - Like the ploughman m Gray's "Elegy," she then plodded her weary way to Poukawa, where she was employed as. a domestic. She had a wonderful array of purchases, so simply obtained on credit given by an easily- gulled business community. : . .. „ Bu.t at home, Hilda came to realize the foolishness of her actions. She

Woman's Ambition

wore and used the goods she had procured, but .all the time the fear of discovery hung over her head. Each day found this .fear getting stronger and stronger. , The suspense — the waiting for the law to point its accusing fin-ger-r-told its tale, and the girl became almost a complete nervous wreck. That she had suffered considerably was made clear by her appearance m court, and it was little wonder that when her case was finished she collapsed and had to "be assisted from the courtroom by two policemen. Kepresented by Lawyer El. J. Hallett, the girl pleaded guilty to all charges except that' m connection with the gramophone, and this was withdrawn by the police. - Detective Fitzgibbon told Magistrate Mowlem, who was on the bench, that the girl was the daughter of a respectable tradesman of Hastings. Lawyer Hallett said it was difficult to understand this 'particular case. The girl's father was a respectable and well-known man, /and the girl had had a good home and was well treated. Because of an argument with her father as to. the time she should be home at night, however, she had' left and gone out to service, and her employers spoke very highly of her. He pointed out that the girl had no . . . mother, and m view of all the circumr stances he. urged that the girl be granted probation. ■ This request was : even seconded by [ Senior-sergeant Dempsey, as probation officer, who suggested that if the girl was sent to. mix with other women undergoing reformative treatment, -it might not be m her best interests, whereas, if she were given a chance, she might go straight, and if she did not she could easily be dealt with. The senior sergeant went on to say that all the clothing had been worn, including the fur coat, at which the magistrate interjected: i "Whatl Do you mean to tell me she got a fur coat? Senior-sergeant Dempsey: . Yes. A fur coat seems to be the.ambition of most women. His Worship: Yes, perhaps it is; but I- don't, think, my wife could get a fur coat , oii credit like that. ... Lawyer Hallett: Nor mine either — even if our names were mentioned. His Worship: Perhaps there\ would be more 'chance if our .names were not mentioned. (Laughter.) His worship said it was extraordinary that credit should have been given m this way. He could see that the. accused had taken her position seriously and he hoped she would make' it the lesson of! her life. j To give the, girl a chance to yet make herself a .decent citizen, he would 1 place her on probation for two years, one of. the terms of probation being that the .value of .the goods, to an amount to be decided by the probation officer, be repaid, '