The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-12-07
A HEROINE IN RAGS.

that such was the case. She was an
American working-girl of mixed parent
age, her father being Of French eXtrac-
zion, and her motIer true-born Amerl-
can.
She had neither beauty nor education
to assist her to gain livelihood; hence
she was obliged to toll daily in an i'm
meuse fac,ory, along with at least a
hundred other unfortunate girls ana
women.
Ihe factory was rafting and buZZiDg
away in the midst oil one of the busiest
parts of the great city. 1t had been
there for years, and its tall, grimy BRICK
walls stood like a specter amid the busy
marts of trade which surrounded it.
The office OF this factory was upon the
ground floor, easy of access and model
Of ease, elegance and comfort. Inc
owner was very robust, tat Ill opulence;
a prominent MEMBER of an uptown
church. A man whose name was tre-
quently seen in the daily papers heading
some subscription for the support OF
foreign missions with liberal uonation,
1t WAS IA good advertisement. lie AKea
it. 1t paid well.
Tuls good mans factory room, where
his hundred female slaves toiled through
the week to tatten his already adipose
purse, did not possess seat, except the
lew boxes the girls had begged rom the
store-room to receive their weary bodies
after their limbs had given out and re-
fused lor ger to support them. These
| girls worked from 7 o'clock in the morn
| ing until 6 at night tor-hoW muohf Not
enough to buy food proper for their
sustenance, not enough to keep lie
blood i'll their veins and strength
in their muscles. 1t is the bit
! tor tOn we'll.
! tnat the majority OF these workers re-
ceive only from two to three dollars per
week, OF less than fifty cents per day,
Then, hanging over them like
| Damoclean sword, is the docking sys-
tenn, which eats iuto their wages ike a
| hungry rat into the malt. Inese hard-
working souls have made the opu.eht
proprietor, who row can scarcely spare
an nour day to business, as his time ls
| entirely taken up by drives, CLUBS, pup
lie gatherings aud other pleas ures.
In this den-yes, den!-thaL is the
right word. WHAT better name for u
place where young girls are taught that
| their time 10 almost worthless, aud learn
! the usefulness of honest effort. In this
| den Jacqueline Dubois labored.
She was very earnest worker, and
wonder. utly adept, consequently she
was one of those VINO received three dol
lars were week. She was generous to a
fault, and frequently divided the scanty
luncheon she mad provided win lei
| ioW-WOrker less fortunate than herself
| Thus she made friends and thus she
made enemies, for the ehVious and
mal!-sOuled can not Gail generosity
| friend.
Some few girls there, who were dressed
much better than their position should
indicate, thus making their means 0i
procuring their hnery equlyocaI, looked
| down upon her and sheerlnsly re
marked:
"Ihat JAG. Dubois is terribly stuck up
for as h0meIy girl as she is"
| But blessed is plain, honest face to
a girl in these circumstances, as it keeps
her from temptations and miseries.
| Jac. Dubois, as they called her, had a
larger soul and a more intrepiu spirit
Lnan all the enviOus lot put together.
1t WAS a bright, sunshlny day in May,
almost the first bright day we had ex-
perienced. 1t cheered the hearts OF the
| girls aud melted them to renewed eff
lorts, Jac, Dubois had worked hard all
the forenoon, but she was not tired, she
was happy. Her face sparkled with vi
yacity aud her mouth wreathed itself in
many smiles. She had been singing, as
she worked, singing snat ches of Mission
!; school melody, which harmOnlZed
strangely Wlth the WAirr Of the maoAin.
cry.
The reason she was so happy was be-
cause her mind was so filed with the
image OF u young and handsome man
She had met George Durham teN
/ evenings before at a lrlenWs. lie was {
young carpenter, and hard working
, man. They had since been walking to
getner. and he had asked her if he nigh
| liuger near the factory after working
hours and walk with her homeward.
1t was two long miles fIom he factory
to Jac. s home; 6uI the poor have 70 llvt
where the rent is cheap, and many haV,
greater distance than this 70 wall
after their days work.
|. | WAS the hour Of noon. Jac. hat
eaten her luncheon and made known bel
determination of going down on tht
street to get a breath OF fresh air. Sew
eral girls offered to accompany her, 81
hat quite number were in the part!
that oiled down the suDny street to
busy tDoroughlare below. AS the.
: neared the crossing quite crowd me
hem, surging both ways. A few OF tht
girls stopped on the corner 10 ogle {
party OF mechanics, who sat with til
puils between their Dlue-oVeraHed legs
ehLIuS Lue CVlu DltCI Nu1SA uaIuIt
: craVed.
Turee girls attempted to cross tht
street. One OF them was Jac. DUBOIS
omlng toward them from the other sid,
was u nurse and child, about four Year,
old. As the nurse endeaVors to pull the
little one along it stumbles ana falls
the woman relaxes her hold upon TIM
} little white hand anu spEInge forward II
} avoid the approach oil an express Wagon
, partially loaded.
: The child knows not its danger, bu
the bystanders see it. The nurse and
several women scream, but no one trie
10 save it. Tne burly driver strives il
vain 10 check the restlve horses. Al
most miraculously they step ,oV9r thu
little creature lying 80 helplessly ther'
: without even abrading the skin. Rl
sec the lovely little mead with its clus'
! tering curls ls directly in the course 0
t the heavily tired wheel. No one cal
! grasp the infant and no one stirs. VIVA
y an instant, what terrible suspense
: when the frightened bystanders expec
to hear in AL instant the cracking bvne
!, Of the child's head.
u Stay! One hand does strive to gras
} the infant and fails. What can she do
+: slIghL girl? "W hat is JAG. Dubois DIT
c ingp springs into The brains OIL her CON
: paniOns.
Rpndily tho Girl aaw that nothin