Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1886-10-14
A PLUcKY WOMAN.
How BY Energy snd Indus&1y She Has
Built Up . Large Business.

How By Energy snd Indus*9y She Has
Built Up . Large Business.
Down on Chartres street there is
fourishing factory. running an engine
OF eighteen horsepower and employ
ing thirty-five men, women and boys,
that has been established, built up, and
is now under the sole direction and
supervision of a clever. plucky woman.
Ten years ago this lady's husband died.
leaving her utterly unprovided for,
with large family of children to sup
port. In just such desperate circum-
stances has many a mother had to face
the world. but there are few, unfort-
unately, who have the energetic deter
minatiOn of this little widow.
Her husband had been bOx-makeE
employing number of Northern
hands, from whom his wife had learned
every department of the trade. little
guessing when she sat up at night to
help the girls out in the work given
them by the piece that this same knowl-
edge would one day stand her in such
good stead. But so it was, for after
failure in business and long illness
the husband died, leaving debt instead
of money to his family.
Something had to be done, she says.
and that done quickly, for there was
not money enough ahead to pay even
the eight dollars rent for the attic in
which they lived. A brave heart and
high courage, that refused to be
daunted, helped her to decide on turn
ing her knowledge of box-making to
practical account, and way upstairs.
in the tlat-roofed. crowded garnet, she
began her work. making herself every
variety of paper box the market de-
mands.
She went around to the wholesale
confectioners, druggists. shoe shops,
milliners, every business house that
used large quantities of these packing
cases soliciting patronage and meeting
with marked success, being another
grateful woman to testify to the uni
ve:sal courtesy, kindness and good
will New Orleans people show to the
working classes. So many orders did
she receive that in few months she
was enabled to double the space occu-
pied and descend one story. Another
year went by, and the trade having
grown to large and flourishing pro-
portions, warrahting another increase,
the third story WAS added, and this
factory was no longer an experiment,
but an establishment of reputation.
The successful manager travelled for
her house, getting orders from all
parts of Louisiana, and going on
drumming tours through Texas that
always resulted in large increase
of patrons. A fact of which she
seemed most proud was that when she
once secured customers they were hers
always. Two large houses she men.
toned here in the city, that had first
given her work, had never wavered;
she made hundreds of boxes for them
to-day.
Three years passed, and at last the
cautious head saw her business guar
anteed. adding the fourth and ground
floor to the three others, now too
crowded. Then the exposition came,
with its countless engines for all man
ner of work, and one was found that
would very nearly double the capacity
of her factory. She bought it, had it
placed, and then felt the battle had
been fought. 4 good fight won; for.
thanks to her own untaltering courage
and the help of kind friends, she was
mistress of an establishment of which
many MEN would be proud. To-day
there is no box, from the small dark
blue sample box that fastens with an
elastic to the large dry-goods packing
case, that can not be made by her
workmen. Every variety is to be seen
heaped and stacked on all sides. Hun
dreds of yellow patent-medicine covers.
tall pyramids of round and square mill
liners boxes, fancy cases for candy,
and big green drawers that hold no.
tons on a shop shelf, all can be made
by her employees, most of them having
grown up in the business. q. Times
Democrat.