The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-19
STORY OF NEW YORK LIFE.
PART III,

doctor had given her; ut don't look near 80 bad
as that ] shall have to find some work to do,
to pay our expenses till you get work. That's
ALL" says she.
That's what she said; and she meant it.
Every day for more than week, she went
about, hunting high and low for work. She
reckoned getting some washing and ironing
to do; but she didn't meet with what you might
call a brilliant success, on account of this how,
that she wasn't acquainted with no rich folks.
and the folks she was acquainted with-nelgh-
bors chiefy-was pretty much in the same box
as herself, and done their own washing and sew
ing. At the end of that there week she begun
to get rather discouraged, when, all of sudden
one day, she struck what she thought was oil.
Outside of kind of a missionary building in
Division street, she seen q sign, which read
Work given to respectable and INDECENT fs
males" In she walks. and asks for work The
people in charge there, they made her sign a
printed form, in the way of an application, and
then they asked her for her references. She
said she didn't have none They said that her
responsibility would have to be established be-
fore they could give her any work. and that in a
day or two their agent would call upon her to
investigate it. So, in day or two, sure enough,
this agent. sort of g parson, guess, he called.
He looked around the room, and he talked some
with Jake and Hetty, inquiring what their re-
ligious belief was, and whether they went regu-
lar to church, and such like; and then he went
off, remarking that he was satisfied and would
report the matter favorably to the committee on
character Hetty asked when she should go to
headquarters to get the work. He said that
she'd receive a notice in due time-after the
committee had passed upon her case.
Well, sir, six days later there come postal
card directing Hetty to show up at the mission
house. You can just believe that she didn't lose
no time about obeying. The work that they
gave her was seventeen pair OF overall trousers,
already cut OUT and she was simply to sew the
pieces together. She worked at them trousers
for considerable more than a week. She had to
set up late nights over em, because during the
day her time was pretty we'll took up, cooking
and cleaning the room and nursing Jake. But
when finally they was DONE and she carried
them back to the mission house, how much do
you suppose they give her for them? Recollect,
there was seventeen pair. Five dollars, did you
sayi You think that would have been fair pay?
Well, them mission people, they thought differ
ent. They gave her fifty-one cents They paid
for them at the rate of three cents pair.
Hetty, sir; Hetty she was all broke up. She
cried ana cried, till thought she'd actually cry
her eyes out Jake tried hard to comfort her
and cheer her up, but it wasn't much use, be-
cause, the truth is, he himself felt about as bad
as she did. Things looked uncommonly ugly, as
coming, and they didn't have a shadow of ten
cent piece in their pockets, let alone the sub
stance of four dollars and half Then, besides,
they'd been aliving off cats meat for the last ten
days; and one of the curious effects of cats meat
on the system is, that it makes you sort of glum
and low-Spirited if yoa eat it steady for
any length of time. Don't know what
cats meat is? Well, that's a pet name
given to kind of meat which they sell to
the poor people down on the East side and
which is the waste stuff thrown away by the
slaughter-houses. It's mighty tough on the
Jaws. and it amt got particular sweet flavor;
it's cheap, and it's filing for the price, and, TAX
ing it all In all. it's an Improvement upon starva-
ton. Jake nor Hetty hadn't either of them
tasted anything else for going on two weeks; and
80 it wasn't strange that they should be rather
out of sorts and faint-hearted
However, they couldn't mend matters to sit
still and fret; and next morning Hetty, she
started out again on the hunt for work. When
she come home, says she to Jake, Jake" says
she, "Pve got something to tell YOU
{ "Fire away dear" says Jake.
And then Hetty, she says this: Jake" says
she, 'as / was passing the London and Paris
Theayter. on the Bowery, awhile ago, Wanted,
Forty LADIES' and I went in, up to the box
Office, and asked about it; and found that they
wanted them forty ladies 30 stand around the
stage In costume, and join in the chorus of one
or two songs, In play which is to have its first
performance on Monday night. The wages is
three dollars week-50 cents performance
And thought you wouldn't mind. Jake, seeing
how much we need the money; and / said l
should like to be one of the forty ladies; and the
man In the x'office, he said for me to come
around to morrow morning at 10 o'clock and see
the manager. So if you don't mind, Jake and
if the manager is willing to take me, why, why.
then, Jake, we'll have three dollars week regu-
lar. Just think of i'll"
Well, of course, it rather went against the
grain to have betty a-standing about on a Bow
cry stage in costume: but beggars can't be choos-
erS and consequently Jake. he said amen; and
on the following morning Hetty, she went
around to the theayter, and sees the manager.
and got the job. Every day for the rest of that
week she had to go to the rehearsals; ana then
finally Monday night come, and she babe good
bye to Jake and trembling as if she'd been the
prima donna instead of only chorus girl, she
started out to make her first appearance before
the public.
The play, sir, was about two-thirds over. and
1t was in the neighborhood of half past 10
o'clock, and Hetty, sir. she was setting in one of
the wings waiting with the rest of the chorus
from the street outside, there sounded rafting
of Wheels and ringing of bells, and a hula
balloo of voices so that everybody knew that an
engine was passing on its way to fire. The
fireman on duty there-they have one. you
know-posted behind the scenes in every theater
he stepped to the door to find out if he could
where the fire was and when ne come back
pretty soon, he looked uncommon sickly about
she gills.
"Well n asked evsayone, all together.
hoA hac; La. ~
Horrors is burning down"
Hetty, she was standing right in front of him.
not more than two yards away; and she heard
him as plain as you hear me-
Whats cried she. Them who was present
said afterward that that word came az loud and
as sharp as pistol-shot. ''What2o
YES" says he, tits the House O. Horrors the
big tenement house down in Roosevelt street
Hettie. for about one second. she stood as still
9s If she'd been turned into stone Then, sud
dnnlu RhA Oiva inrnn. and in N 4.