The  "homes"  some  women  left  to  care  for  themselves
were  shocking.  They  were  dirty,  dark,  unsanitary,  floors
unswept,  dishes  unwashed,  clothing  hanging  over  chairs  and
reeking  with  the  smell  of  garments  long  worn  and  seldom
washed ;  curtains,  stiff  with  dirt  and  so  rotten  from  lack  of
washing  that  they  crumbled  when  touched,  obscured  such
light  as  the  filthy  windows  allowed  to  enter.  Here  is  one
sample.  The  place  was  reached  by  a  narrow  stairway  whose
treads  were  well  .worn.  The  few  feet  of  entrance  space  was
occupied  by  two  old  women  whose  faces  were  literally  brown
parchment,  seamed  with  wrinkles.  Both  of  them  were  an
offense  to  the  nostrils.  Each  of  them  was  guardian  of
children  whose  mothers  were  working.  One  baby  of  four-
teen months  squirmed  on  the  lap  of  its  grandmother.  Asa-
fetida  was  as  attar  of  rose  to  the  odor  which  this  child  gave
out  every  time  it  turned.  There  were  fifteen  homes  simi-
lar to  this  in  as  many  different  places  visited.  In  other
abodes  the  houses  were  not  as  bad  but  all  showed  lack  of
care  and  hurry.  In  35  there  was  neatness  and  order  but
these  were  presided  over  by  a  mother  or  aged  relative  who
had  evidently  been  addicted  to  cleanliness  all  their  lives.
There  were  no  children  "sewed  up"  for  the  winter  in  these
residences.  Instances  like  the  first  cited  are  not  rare.  Any
doubting  Thomas  or  Thomasine  who  wishes  to  enjoy  them
personally  can  do  so  by  making  a  tour  through  some  of  the
tenement  districts  in  Hartford,  not  omitting  Windsor  Street
and  its  surroundings.
