Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-09-11
GIRLS WHO WORK.
Pretty Clerks Whose Life is One
Long Horrid Grind.
Devices by Which the Guueless Creatures.
Whose Lot 1t Is to Toll, Deceive the Pub
lie Eye-The Female Clerk Abroad,
at Home and In the store.
Tst. Paul GIobe.1


mo, they are not going to take music
lessons, aud those little morocco cover ed
cases are not filed with perfu ned sheets
OF music but with mach lunch as
would cost a quarter at a restaurant" /"
was the remark of the proprietor of a
dry-goods st ore on Third street to Globe
man the other morning as a dozen or
more young ladies'. some of them carry
ing ordinary music-rolls, went past at q
lively walk. 1t was not yet eight O'Clock,
an | the remark had been made that it was
early for young ladies to pay a visit to
their music teacher, for such, to all out
ward appearance, was the errand of the
young ladies.
YES" continued the owner of the dry
goods store, "those Innocent looking mus ic
cases are possibly fillei with q ham sand
wich, half-dozen cookies, al apple, and
general assortment of bread and cold
meats"
''They are of for an early picnic?"
Picnic? Yes. picnic; ut not to any
OF the lakes. Those young ladies are
clerks in some of the stores down town.
They live too far away to go home al
noon, and so they carry their lunches, an d
those music rolls arc their dinner pals.
why do they use them? Didn't you
yourself just make the error of supposing
they were a merry party of for an early
music lesson? Won't other people think
the sameI The young lady that works be-
hind counter in some shop, is woman
"A lady who, aside from some school girl
pride and desire TO look sweet and attract
i've under all circumstances, possesses that
natural female delicacy and sense of the
eternal fitness of things that tells her that
there is something out of harmony be-
tween her own pretty fgure-and she
knows it is pretty-and a dinner pail II
it is not this feeling it is desire to con-
ceal from the public the fact that she is
obliged to work somewhere for a living,
and hence the music-rolL Savey?" and
he handed the reporter fresh cigar and
started for his dry-goods store.
As a rule the young lady who works in
store does not give this fact away to the
general public except to such of it as has
occasion to care for her professional serv-
ices behind the counter. Hundreds of such
young ladies pass along the streets two or
three times each day. Probably on Third
street, anywhere for two or three blocks
largest and most frequent. Always tastIlv
dressed-though of,en-nearly always
with plain material, with a parasoI il the
sun is shining, carry ing q music-roll or
book-for ofttimes the lunch basket
is disguised in this shape-pretty iu
figure and feature, and with a pair
of eyes that seem a little reck-
less as to the owner of those into which
fhpV ~
the morning, q score of Jung girls NAV
be seen within n single hlock. An hour
later they will lie behind icounters or at
desks earning an honest livin-. Asarule,
the lady clerk-shop girl is too vuI yar-is
not given to Irritation to any lreat extent,
ether on the street or behind the counter.
and exc pit for n little good naturel semi
deviltry that com from natural spirit
ana an acquaintance with many people
she is strjctly business.
"The successfulIclerks," sa ID the roprie-
tor of house where fifteen girls are en-
ployed, "are girls OF better taste IAN two
thirds OF the customers that thny try to
please. II they have enough good taste
to handle their goods properly, and be OF
assistance to lady customers in making
selections of goods, you may b. sure they
know how to ges thems 9ives up in the
most attractive style. No, they are not
all pretty, but Dme who are most plain in
appearance are the most sefuI behind the
counter and draw tho highest salaries.
Whatever delay and annoyance tho fair
ones may be subject to from allesei
mashers, who often frequent the stores tc
take up the time of the young lalies who
wait on Them on the pretexs of some
trivial purchase, does not come to those
who have not pretty face"
There Isn't anything interesti ng to be
said about the way we spend our time" I"
said young lady with pretty brown
eyes that looked through a pair Of spec.
tacles at the reporter, who hal intro
duced himself AMI asked the question as
she stool bshind tho counter. "I.,s
just hard work an that's all there is to
it. When th re are no Gus toners to at
tend to we are expected to g pu ting the
counters ami shelves in more attractive
condition, and in other ways helping in
the b1sin Bss
"What do we do when we are not In the
store? We have our rooms to take care
OF, our dresses to make and repair, and I
expect we do as much general home work
before coming to the store and after we
leave as most girls who do not have to
work for a living. OF course we have
to have some recreation, and 50 in the
winter we go to the rinks once in while,
or number OF US meet in some girls
room and we play progressive euchre.
THAT man." she continued, pointing to
ayoung man sitting before the counter a
little further down the aisle, who was ex-
amining soma handkerc chiefs in a leisurelv
manner. doesn't want to buy anything.
He thinks he is starting a mild sort of
Irritation with the lady who is waiting on
him, hut right there he is mistaken. We
can tell one of those men as soon as he
comes in"
"Do these people give you much trou-
ble!'
"If they do It Is the girls fault. Such
men never troubled me in the least. II
they don't find our company congenial
they soon quit aud il that young lady had
anything else to do aud didn's want lit.
tie recreation she would be very icy in her
style Of showing goods. In some stores
there are lady superintendents who have
an eye on all such people, and don't al; ow
the girls to waste any time with them,
even they have nothing else to do"
PuvSEcIAUa anr,ao- e. l..