"Hey, you see them washin' lines?" a city guardsman asked his partner then continued before the man could answer. "Got that rat bastard squealin' right good yesterday. Says the washer woman's usin' th' wash t' tell 'em where t' go." He nodded at the line of petticoats. "Says th' red one's us."
"And you believed a rat who'd blame 'is own ma for 'is crimes?!" his partner asked.
"Well, it sounds clever. Let's go ask her."
"You're mad!" his partner punched his arm hard enough to be felt through their leathers. "Askin' a woman about her petticoats?! If'n ever' man here didn't mob us th' cap'n 'll hang us!"
"Damn clever woman," the first man growled. "She's th' perfect spy."— two patrolling city guardsmen
The red petticoat is every common woman's fancy under dress. Wealthy and noble women also have them, though theirs are made of fine silks and satin. The bottom frills are meant to be seen beneath a proper dress and are all the rage during dances. Washing of petticoats is a frequent chore and petticoats of all kinds can be seen drying on lines on most good weather days.
In the more common neighborhoods of cities, washer women can be seen hanging the daily wash. These neighborhoods have a rather distrusting view of authorities who often escort the Tax Collectors who sometimes forcefully take what little hard earned coins these citizens have.
THE WASHER WOMEN
It is very easy for rebels, dissenters, and thieves' gangs to bribe washer women to help them avoid the authorities. In every common neighborhood, there are a few safe havens to hideout in and avoid the authorities who can't be everywhere at once. Knowing which hideout is safe, is very important.
A washer woman on the take will dedicate one hanging line of the wash to be nothing but petticoats, one for each hideout in the neighborhood. Each hideout not safe will be represented by a red petticoat. If things change, the washer woman is informed by the street children, and she will take down the petticoats and hang fresh wet ones representing the new conditions of the hideouts. Who would ever suspect children talking to a woman to not be an innocent scene of a mother and her child?
Affording several red petticoats is beyond the means of most washer women so in addition to the bribe, extra red petticoats are given to her so she can maintain her petticoat code.
On foul weather days, a washer woman still has to the hang laundry but on such days it is in her house. Hanging one piece of clothing below the other in a window, leaves room to hang more on inside hanging lines stretched throughout the house. One window of the washer woman's house is dedicated to just petticoats bearing the code for the hideouts.
To this day, no washer woman has ever been accused of aiding and abetting criminals.
Comments