Newspaper Page Text
GOTHltt GIRLS.
And Why Fifty Thousand Bachelors
Are Afraid to Marry the
Lovely Lassies.
The Men Say the Girls are Elegant to
Call Upon and Go Out With,
but so Expensive.
\ Special New York Letter . ]
“Hello, ( holly, how are you? Lost
vour heart, evidently, this season.
Who’s the fair one? Might as well con
f esg
“Yes, lost it again, Spirto, and this
time for keeps, and my head and peace
of mind as well
i i What’s the row? Can't you get the
~
ladv’s heart in return?”
‘Tve got it and there's where the
trouble eoroe« in. If I hadn't got it,
and knew I couldn't get consent, it
wouldn't be so bad. You see I can't
i possibly marrv, couldn’t think of it for
minute on my income, and there’s no
prospect of an increase that I can see, so
I’m in a nx.”
"What's your income?"
“Well, about $2, .00 per annum, at
present.’’ “Marry the girl.”
i 4 What! Do you ready mean to advise
a man to marry on such an income! Why,
it wouldn’t more than pay rent for the
apartments my girl would want to live
in. Do you know what it costs to got
married and live In New York in any
sort of shape, and with any sort of a
stylish girl. It can’t be done on Jess
than $6,000 ayear, and if youhavn't got
that much at loast. the old man wouldn’t
thi’nk of it, even if the girl would, which
is very doubtful. No siree, no marry
for me on $2,500 per year, not if I know
''***-V*
m
It
*
i 1 Li
“no marry for me.”
it. Now if you really wanf to know
something about the geography of mar
fied life in New York just look around
among your friends aud see how few
of the boys get married, and tho number
is decreasing every year, too. I tell you
it is a dangerous thing to boys marry know nowa it
days in this city, and the
by heart. There’s at least fifty thousand
of them that havn’t married and never
expect to, in this city alone, and l am
one of the unhappy band. So long,
there's Miss Carrie B., and I want to see
her. See you later.”
And as Miss Carrie It., connected with
some of the best revolutionary blood of
Gothan, bowed sweetly, he joined her
$nd they walked up Broadway. Miss
Carrie was certainly a stylish and hand
m
\ \
A'crg
MISS CARRIE R.
some young lady, and as they walked
away I couldn’t help thinking of the
graceful awing she gave her body,
and the neat fitting dress which she
managed with so much finesse that it
seemed born a part of her.
What did her get-up C 03 t? Ifow much
did her guardian angel, otherwise her
well to-do uncle, lay out for that swing
of her dress? Evidently it was gained
different only through a long series of and seasons high- at
watering places, find that
priced ones, as you don't just
peculiar undulation at any second rate
hotels, and it cannot be learned in a
single season. That swing a'one is evi
dence of an expenditure of at least *5,
000 af hi g k watering places. Her
must have cost something like
twenty-five dollars, at a low est mate,
and six in a season is none too many,
k:d gloves run about four pair a month,
Dresses, well, heaven and the wearer
onl y knows what they cost, to say noth
> n g of the numerous unmentionables not
visible to the outward gaze but neverthe
l( * ‘here. » n,i probably ins.de costly, provided the
one could judge the from out.
And so a young man with an income of
*3,500 per year couldn t thmk of marry
i«S » l«*y brought up m this way, and
s'* wouldn’t think of marrying him.
Can it bo possible that there are 5ft,
000 bachelors in New York city-bach
dors of marriageable age who expect to
remain so through life. It is undouht.
edly so, and this, too, in spite crowded of the
fact that our streets are fairly
and jammed every Saturday afternoon,
especially Broadway and Fi th avenue,
with throngs of the most stylish, good
looking, and generally admitted, heart
breakers in the land. What is the mat
ter with the boys? Why is it that there
is apartment building after apartment
building fitted up exclusively for men,
and no ladies admitted, while all promi
nent fiat buildings in the city have their
suits of rooms known as “bachelor
apartments,” and well fil ed with jolly
single gentlemen of marriageable age
who haven’t any idea of marrying in this
life—men who enjoy life for ail there is
in it—generally men who have made
their pile, and have enough to marry on
if they so desired—men other who belong and to
the Union League and clubs,
men who have become wedded to a life
of celibacy through what?
“Sam, why is it that you have never
married?”
Sam Thaxman, a jolly bachelor of
some forty well spent winters, a member
of the Lotus club, and who is abun¬
dantly able now to mavrv, the having grown
grey in the service of ladies of his
acquaintance, had stopped wenty-third in front of
me on the corner of 1 street
aud Broadway, in front of the lifth
Avcnue hotel, the general loafing place
of the swell dandies who wish to ogle
tho ladies as they pass, for here Broad
way crosses Fifth avenue, and if a man
will only linger there long enough he
will meet all the friends he has in the
city, since all who are able to walk pass
this spot at least once a week.
“That’s a funny question and demands
a serious answer. I never found a girl
whose nose just suited me.’
“Pshaw. \\ hat is the reason, seriously
speaking?" seriously speaking, , the
“Well, same
thing that keeps the boys generally here- from
marrying-a wholesome fear of the
a f ter -”
“Explain yourself.” minute, watch
“Stand here with me a
the ladies that pass by, and listen to
what T have to say to some of them
whom I know. Y’oil know I am a priv¬
ileged character, and they won t take of
fense if I ask questions. You see tha
lady coming across the avenue, I mean
that elderly maiden lady, with the enor
mous hat and military looking suit, bhe
belongs to the past tense, as the bojssax,
and will never see the sunny side of
forty again. . he s as prim ns t iey make
’em, and as*proud as Lucifer before he
fell like the snowflake. Here she is, and
I’m going to astonish her.
“Bung Jure, Madam Juvte. May I ask
you a question on an important matter
for the benefit of my friend?”
“Bon Jour. Meestair Thaxman. Cer
tainlee certainlee.”
“Madam Juvee, what would you re
quire 4 “Mon'Dieu, in a husband?”
Mistaire Thaxman. Tell
youwh frieu’zat I wouldna’ marree ze
bes’man zat leeves in ze worrl.”
And with a sarcastic glance at me she
passed bv like an insulted tornado.
“Whew, good heavens, she thought
you wanted \o marrv her and refused,
Ha, ha. ha, ha,” and’he laughed until
could have forsworn his friendship for
ever .
“Well, the next one you tackle, just
m
p*
®n
A.CfB.
“MON DIEU! MEESTAIRE THAXMAN.”
leave me out, if you please and perhaps
you will get more information and have
less sport at mv expense,
III do it and here comes the very
lady we want to see. She s as winning
and pretty as can be found in Gotham,
spent last summer in the Adirondacks,
«?<» »'« b re “ k your heart in three eve
J 1113 " 9 8 * , ie wants to. Wha she will
*
have to say about wedded bliss will be
Why, Mr. Thaxman, how do you do.
I haven’t seen you for an age. I r-t* nought
y° u promised to come up m the moun
tains before we left?’
fi
-n/l
7a ,a 'O'* /»• ll* 3©^ M
C <V'i Uv | W ///
“WHO IS IT? I’m DYING TO KNOW'.”
<<g 0 j di(J> M j 33 Catlin, but the fact is
j am n0 longer a free man, and
haven't b een since spring. I’m en
ffacre( ° ®Engaged, i >*
Mr. Thaxman! Why
you give me a chance? who’s Who is
j* m dying to know going to
et mar ried. Havn’t had an invitation
a wedding this summer.”
“Why don’t you get up one on your
own acC ount, Miss Catlin? Can’t you
^ r j~ k t one?”
£ ; 0hj yeg# i foun( j a dozen of the
right ones this summer, but I couldn’t
marry all of them you know, and so
here I am, still in tfie market, and
autumn is here, too. Well, I suppose
jqj have to wait till your fiancee quar
re l 3 with you aud then fall back on
you j^ after all,” with a roguish twinkle in
er eves.
“\yhat kind of a man do you want,
Catlin, anyhow, and what do you
expect to marry him for, if I may
ask ?”
“For love, Mr. Thaxman, pure, un
adulterated love, and I want a man that
i can rea ^ Uy love,and waste my affection
oq a ; liTe m too None of your
Jim dandi< 3 that loaf about gtreet cor .
ne ’ carr y silver headed canes, and look
like golden calve, would or brazen images.”
“So you really marry for love
,
uy nn.j' e9 Everv time/ ,
SuppoS a. thc gentleman tynnilpman was
poo
dear , Mr __ Thaxman, I ceriainly
„ m
-
gom^to marry for love if I ever marry
i at a ^» but,—wed—to be candid with
! y° u 1 dou,t think 1 could Iove ? P 00r
man. Come up to-morrow ovemng and
teU me al1 about your engagement,
, won again, 1 you^and and now with fareweli the sweetest till I see of
; you tripped gaily
smiles she away up the
avenue.
j “She’s right. She’s no business to
marry a poor maD. bhe’d break her
heart in a year it she couldn’t have what
j j she the wanted, most of and them,” that's said the trouble Sam. “Her with
father is a broker who once had consiA-
erable money, but I gues3 the most of it
is spent, or soon will he, for he’s a risky
speculator, and has made som 1 ha i
breaks in the market lately. However,
here comes a young lady of a different
stamp. I’ll explain before she arrives
that this girl is an organist, or rather
has been an organist, and i-> now a music
teacher. If she got away for two weeks
this summer, and took it out at Ashbury
Park, it is probably all the vacation she
had. Just for curiosity I myse f would
like to know what her ideas of matri¬
mony are.”
4 . Good morning. Miss Linton. I
haven’t seen you all summer. Where
have you been putting in the time, may
I inquire?”
“Mr. Thaxman, good morning. Real
glad to see you. As to putting in time
this summer, why I’ve had an elegant
time at Saratoga. Newport, and in
August we went to Cape May—but—my
name isn’t Miss Linton. I’ve changed
it, you see.”
4 4 Married, Miss Linton, or Mrs.—
“Y"es, Mr. Thaxman, married, and Mr.
and Mrs. Devlin will be pleased to see
you at the Windsor Hotel any time you
may wish to call. You see, George,
that’s Mr. IX, is building a new house
on the Avenue, and it is so very eiegant
that it wilL take several months to com¬
plete it. We’re going to furnish it from
Paris direct, and quite up to the latest
designs.” Mrs.
“Allow me to congratulate you,
Devliu, on your marriage; but it sorely
cannot be George Devlin, the retired
merchant, that is your husband.”
“It just is, though, and we would like
to see you very much. Call wheat you
can, Mr. Thaxman, and good-bye,” and
the visitor vanished up Broadway.
“Well, well, well. So poor old Dev¬
lin, who retired so long ago that the
street has forgotten him completely, has
married this young lady of twenty-five
or six. Why, he must be at least seven¬
ty-five or eighty, and I haven’t heard of
him before in five years. Got lots of
money, though. Do you wonder that I
am single after this, and don’t marry?
I’ve seen this thing of money, unadulter¬ position,
blood, ancestry, and “pure,
ated love” for twenty years, and it i3 get¬
ting worse every year. I tell you tho
reason I never married and never will
marry can be summed upin a few words:
I never found a girl with a nose just passed to
suit me. Good morning,” and he
away, striking the ground viciously with
his rattan cane as he walked.
Pondering deeply on what had passed, Kitty
I walked slowly home and met
Wayland just entering the door. Kitty
is a niece of the lady of the house, and a
great favo r ite with the boarders. Sbe
was just returning from a trip to the
country. Fresh air would give her fresh
ideas, perhaps, and beside she wasn’t
over sixteen.
“Kitty, what is your idea of married
life? Give a serious answer, for I’m pus
zled.”
v
m
a
4^ rm; / {
P -j.
\
I
KITTY WAYLAND.
‘ .... Good _ t to
gracious, you aren going
propose I hope. ■
“No, Kitty, no to-day. But what , , do ,
you know about proposal sany way?”
“Well, I just know this much, that
the man who proposes to me and ex
pects to get me will have to have a
pretty solid bank account, for I’m going
to live in one of the handsomest fiats in
this city when I marry, and keep ip
with the best of them.”
“Wouldn’t you marry a poor man if
you loved him, Kitty, and be satisfied
with a small apartment over in Jersey
City?’ the best
“I wouldn’t marry man
living if he hadn't money, Y'ou don’t
| think I'm going to marry and be a maid
of all work, do you, just to please some
man.”