Newspaper Page Text
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STORY ABOUT A Gflfr WHOWILL:MAfiRYt FOR'
RELIEF FROM, DEPATMEf STORE WORK
BY JANE WHITAKER
A girl who anticipates marriage in three -weeks as a -relief from thr'.
tyranny in a store position sent for me to tell me about .overtime work in
the store. f . - ' " -v r '
And she introduced me to .the, m&n.;she expects to .marry as anjescape
from present impossible conditions. f- ;
I did not, listen1 Ve 'affefltivelyj to' her complaint of" overtime, work.
It seems a-little 'foolish to make the pig kick" about the extra hours . in the
evening and -the time on Sunday, when you know and I know that in one
hour every dayJyqu give your employer in profit the amount he pays you
for the. entire' day j so that yoliTare working free every additional "hour of
service you let him have. " ' T j . , - , - V
And it only depends onrhow many hours over one that'yoii work as
w mucuia jiuu give-mm seven, eigui.,
nine, .ten or twelve hours for nothing.'
But I wasn't thinking of that as
I listened to the girl. '
, Ask your mother to tell you about
thfe girls wha-married when she, was
young. Ask her to. describe their
healthy color, their vitality, their joy
in .living." -: -
And then-let me 'give you a picture
of the" girl who marries in three-
weeks as a.release. ' 't
Hei"4jice was gray whife; her-.eyes
were heavy, and the lids drooped. She
had a handkerchief in her hand that
she twisted' into knots and then 'un
twisted,' Justas -I played with '-my
watch-chain, tangling- :an'd' un
tangling it.
When she walked across the floor
her- feet dragged languidly, ier
shoulders drooped sligh'tly. Her
blood was impoverished. She told
me she had nervous indigestion.
Ami that is the girl who, in mar
' rying, pledges herself to become one
of .the mothers of the race.
And the man he,- too, works in a
department store, but the makes,
eighteen dollars a week. And he is
thirty-two. '
Eighteen dollars represents the
pinnacle of success to both of them.
- Yet Jimmy Simpson, who started
as a cash .boy so it is said today
is a millionaire society leader.
And Jacob Kessler. who occupied .
the same lowly position with The'
Fair, owns several blpcks, of real es
tate in New York city and is rich
enough to go into banknipty once in
a while.
What is the secret of that, when
a-man who works honestly for four
teen yearsvreaches:the top of the lad
der and is- paid only $i8. Perhaps
these phenomenal successes wjill.give
us'their secret some day. Or perhaps
it will be un earthejl . without their
consent. ' ' - .'- r. ''- -
1 Arid the lhari whcTearns$18-and
Is. a success waVNhite-facedj too,
-and "he yawned 'perpetually, .even
.while he looked, with, pride at the girl
he is going":, to- tike away from i
dnidgery. z . ,
I led her away from her grievances'i
to talk of herself and her future.
"I suppose you will be very happy
when you ' are married," I 'asked, 1
timidly. '" - '
"Oh. yes," she answered, as she
looked at" the man with an air, of pro j
prietbrship.V'l'w.ori't have to get up )
in the morning and rush to ihe store, r
will I Fred? And I can sit all day
in a wrapper', pee, but that will be j
a. comfort! I can't remember when
I haven't been -dressed up.".
' The- answer didn't quite give me 3
what I, wanted.
'Thare always wished I had no rc-
Lsponsibilities, so that-1 could marr j
