Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-10-08


Little Tkxcns or sH0F axR1s.
snnocent Receptions Practlssd BY
Hard-worixfne xounR Women.
New York Mall ard Expires.
The lives OF the class of the population
whom we know as ''shop-girls" are as
full of petty tiials and small deceptions
as those Of the ladies Of society, and fre-
quently, 80 far MS character is concerned.
these sometimes maligned young women
ore as little TO blame for the annoynnces
which they experience as the best Of their
more favored sisters. A pretty little
''acted lie" Is reported all the way from
st. Paul, Mimi. A reporter of the Glo6e
Of that city asked the proprietor Of dry
goods shop early one morning If some
girls whom they saw passing were going
TO take music lessons. The man Of the
yardstiok answered:
mo, they are not going to take music
lessons, and those little morocco-covered
cases are not filed with perfumed sheets
Of music, but with as much lunch as
would cost quarter at a restaurant,
Yes, those innocent looking music cases
are possibly filed with ham sandwich, q
haif-dozen cookies, an apple, and gen.
eral assortment of brend und cold meats
They are off for an early picnic ?"
"Picnic? Yes, picnic but not to any
of the lakes. Those young ladies' are
clerks in some of the stores downtown.
They live too far away to go home at
noon, and so they carry their lunches,
and those music rolls are their dinner
pals.
"Why do they use them? Didn't you
yourself just make the error of supposing
they were q merry party off for an early
music lesson? Won't other people think
the same? The young lady that works
behind counter in some shop is q
woman-a lady who, aside from some
| schoolgirl pride and a desire to look
sweet and attractive under all circum-
| stances, possesses that natural female
delicacy and sense of the eternal fitnesB
of things that tell her there is something
| out of harmony between her own pretty
| figure-and she knows it is pretty-and
| dinner pail. II it is not this feeling it is
desire to conceal from the public the
fact that she is obliged to work some
where for living, and hence the music
roll"
As a rule young lady who works in a
store in st. Paul, as elsewhere, does not
give this fact away to the general public,
| except to such of it as has occasion to
care for her professional services behind
the counter. Hundreds of such young
ladies pass along the streets two or three
times each day. Always Hastily dressed,
though often, nearly always, with plain
material, with parasol, if the sun is
| shining, carrying music roll or book, for
ofttimes the lunch-basket is disguised in
this shape, pretty in figure and feature,
and with pair of eyes that seem little
reckless as to the owner of those into
which they look, shortly before o'clock
in the morning, q score of young girls
! may be seen within single block. An
hour later they will be behind counters
or Mt desks earning an honest living AS
rule, the lady clerk-shop girl is too vulgar
lis not given to Irritation to any great
| extent, either on the street or behind the
counter, and except for little good
natured semi-deviltry that comes from
natural spirit and acquaintance with
many people, she is strictly business.
1.-The successful clerks" said the pro-
| prietor of house where number of
| girls are employed, fare girls of better
taste than two-thirds of the customers
that they try to please. If they have
enough good taste to handle their goods
| properly, and be of assistance to lady
customers in making selections of goods,
| you may be sure they know how to get
themselves up in the most attractive
| style. No, they are not all pretty, but
some who are most plain in appearance
are most useful behind the counter and
draw the highest salaries Whatever
delay and annoyance the fair one may
be subject to from alleged Washers, who
often frequent the stores to take up the
time of the young ladies who wait on
them on the pretext of some trivial pur-
chase, does not come to those who have
not pretty face"
"There isn't anything interesting to be
said about The way we spend our time"
said young lady with pretty brown eyes
that looked through pair of spectacles
Mt the reporter, who had introduced him
self and asked the question as she stood
behind the counter. Its Just hard work,
and that's all there is to it. When there
are no customers to attend to we are ex-
pected to be putting the counters and
shelves in more attractive condition, and
in other ways helping in the business.
"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 expect we do as much general ome
work before coming to the store and after
we leave as most girls who do not have to
work for living OF course we have
some recreation and SO in the winter we
go to the Kinks once in while, or num-
Der of us meet in some girls room and we
play progressive euchre.n
"That man." she continued, pointing
10 young man sitting before the counter
! little further down the aisle, who was
examining some handkerchiefs in a
, lelsurely 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, but right there he is
, mistaken. We can tell one of these men
, as soon as he comes in"
DO these people give you much
trouble?"
"If they do it is the girls own fault
, Such men never trouble me in the least
' II they don't find our company congenia1
they soon quit, and if that young lady
1 had anything else to do and didn't want 1
s little recreation she would be very icy in
i her style of showing goods. In some
stores there arc lady superintendent who
0 have an eye on all such people, and dom
allow the girls to waste any time witt
D them, even when they have nothing elst
q to do.
g II can tell you something else, bu
You mustn't say anything about it. Som,
1 Of the proprietors of the stores are wors
4 than the dudes. They come around whei
( they are not busy, and on the pretense o
telling MS how to do our work they tr,
G to do the mash act themselves. o
o course the girls have to talk to them a
i long as they see fit, but it is worse TIM
: waiting on fussy customers to have then
/ SIT and stare at one for Is or 20 minutes
/. but they don't make many mashes, TO
e the girls all dislike their extra attentions
N and Ihave known some to leave the fri
o just on that account