The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-04-07
ODD WORK FOR WOMEN

lam a mild monomaniac upon
TIE subject of less wearing and more
remunerative work for women thar
hat supplied by the school-rooD,
the counter, the needle and the
washtub. During many years the
following instances OF original occu-
nations have fallen under my per-
sonal observation, one of which may
give a hint TO some struggling soul.
know q well educated, charming
little married lady who makes quite
a.um regularly BY the sale OF Sara
taoa POTATOES. These were always a
%fayorite dish of hers, and ameng her
circle Of friends she had acqulr-
ed quite a reputation for Their deli
cious cooking. Thinking one day
how she would love TO make a visit
To her Eastern home, with plenty OF
new clothes and a nurse to relieve
her from the care of the children,
the idea of frying Saratoga potatoes
for sale occurred to her. She saw
her grocer, taking a sample OF her
wares. who willingly became her
agent. Soon it kept her busy TO
supply the demand. She added
several to the number of her ser
wants, teaching them her methods,
and she now frequently prepares a
barrel of Saratoga ships, to fill a sim
gle order. Her reputation has
spread to New York and San. Fran
cisco, where her potatoes are regu-
larlv cent, ard are as much IN de-
mand as in St. Louis. The receipt
for preparing Saratoga potatoes is as
follows: Choose the largest potatoes,
peel and cut extremely thin, the
long way, with a patent slicer, into
cold water, where they may be left
a short time to extract the starch
FRY 10 a deep kettle, where the lard
is boiling, dropping in a crust of
bread to prevent burning. Have a
long-handled wire dipper in which
to lift the potatoes frequently, as adj
mitting air TO them produces the
desirable blisters. When cooked a
light brown, put in a sieve to dry
off, sailing well. These potatoes
sell readily at fifty cents q pound.
A lady and her daughter living in
Chicago lost not only fortune, but
their husband and father. For the
decoration of their own home and
as gifts to friends, these ladies had
frequently made most beautiful
feather flowers. Now they earn their
entire support by manufacturing
them for sale. The exquisite white
lilies that every body tries to smell,
the fuchsias-in fact, limitations Of
all the howers-are made simply
out OF chicken feathers, with the as
sistance Of dyes for colored bios
SONS.
Passing down the principal street
of a thriving town n day, | was
struck with a very ferocious looking
sign. 1t was eight feet high by two
wide.of white canvass,a and represent
ing an Indian arrayed in all his war
paint and feathers, grasplng several
scalps, upon which were the letters,
"B. and o. r. r., 20. and M. X
r, -" p. r. r., etc. ! called a
friends attention to this work OF art,
who said IN reply to my interroga-
tory eyebrows. "Come and zee"
We stepped into a large pleasant
room, whose front windows where
all filled in with blooming plants,
canary birds, gold fish and a parrot
added TO the attractiveness ofthe the
apartment, one side of which was
almost covered with historical wood
cuts taken from the Bazaar. But the
greatest surprise. after such a terri
tying sign, was the occupant of the
room, a lady-low voiced and gentle
to whom my friend introduced
me. Yankee fashion, | soon asked
an explanation of the remarkable
picture at the door. 1t was told me
that this lady was a "scalper" or
dealer in railroad tickets, and that
her income was from seventy-fve
TO one hundred dollars a month, ac-
cording to the season Of the year.
The customers coming from the
great city of Dan, instead of buying
tickets TO their own little town.
would purchase them to the me
tropolis of Beersheba, five hundred
miles beyond. The fare from Dan
to Beersheba was only twenty dol
lars, but n passenger buying TO the
town where our scalper lived, less
then midway, was charged twelve
dollars. and had he decided to con-
tinue his trip TO Beersheba, he would
have to add fifteen dollars more to
his travelling expenses. So it is
plain that our little lady could
easily afford to paw ten dollars for
the remainder of the ticket brought
her, which was always in demand
at thirteen dollars and saved her
passengers two beside the two she
put into the pocket of the traveller
who bought her the ticket. Though
the United States is full of dealers
in railroad tickets, though most of
the roads offer a generous commiss-
ion to brokers if able to command
much trade, though it requires but
small capital, as the money is turn
ed ever very rapidly, there is but
one woman in the United States en-
gagged in this business.
1 know a finely educated woman,
school-teacher for manv years,
whose health gave way under this
work, and whom paralysis
stared grimly in the face. She drop
ped her books, locked her school
room, hired an acre or so of land
with q little cottage and barn upon
it, and called to her side as assis-
tant and protector, an elderly wo-
man who was without a home. This
lady is now at the head of a pros
porous chicken-farm. She uses the
Incubator successfully, raises fall
chickens for expectation TO the city
in January and February, receiving
large prices for them at that time,
packs her eggs and those of all her
neighbors in summer, thereby doub-
ling her profit, has regained her
health, and feels thankful every day
OF her life that she had energy and
courage TO escape what what was
coming so rapidly upon her