The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-10-26
CAN IT BE DONE.
How Four Girls Started on a Happy
Summer Holiday.

the table with her lead pencil to attract
the attention of the other three, who
seemed disposed to wander from the sub
ject in hand. "What do you say, Elsieg"
"IS we all agree we want to do it, then
it can be DONE" replied Elsie. with a dc.
ternlined nod of her head.
Good" responded Margaret. "What
say you, BELIEF"
81 agree with Elsie that whatever we
undertake we can carry out, and l am
willing TO do anything, provided my
blessed mother approves of it,"
"SplendidT' cried Margaret. CHOW,
Lizzie, let us heal from you"
"Well," began Lizzie doubtfully, "you
know / think nothing could be l~ovelier
than to join the camping party at the
beach for a whole month. but, first, we
are poor, second, here we are stuck down
in a little country village where there is
no chance of being richer II one lives to
be o thousand years old; and lastly, !
cannot see how we can ever make $50 If
we can't find something to make it by.
Why, girls, that $50 looks like a noun
tain"
"But will you consent to earn it if you
CAM" persisted Margaret.
Eyes" assented Lizzie slowly.
"Well then, listen to my plan, and
don't say IA word till I've finished. OF
course, | have consulted mother, and
she approves and thinks we can do it, so
that encourages me to tell you. We can
get work in Penton, easy work, that we
can do without much practice; wages,
IS a week. We can get a comfortable
room for $40 a month, and / am sure
our mother would give us enough plo-
visions to last o week and send us MOI g
from time to time. In that way we
three could at least ave $40 a week, and
at the end of two months have enough
to pay the fare here and back and the
$50 for the trip to the beach. What do
you think of my plan?'
"The plan is lovely, but you haven't
said what the work was?' objected Lizzie.
SIN my uncle's match factory in Pen
ton"
"Matches," cried Clare, in surprise.
"Nhy, / never made a match in my
life" from Belle.
"What would people say7' asked Liz
zie.
"Of course, girls, if we do not want to
do it WI are not compelled to, but we
a earn the money for the beach trip in
that way if we will, and be more than
repaid in the end. AS to what people
think of us, 1, for one, do not care, and
as to making matches, it is the easiest
thing in the world, when we know how.
Girls, Uncle John says we can have
places in the sorting room and can begin
at once. What do you say; to go, or not
to gog"
Lizzie looked down at her fingers and
thought how ~disagreeable the continual
smell Of sulphur would be. Belle and
Elsie stared gravely at each other. Two
whole months in o match factory wasn't
a pleasant thing to contemplate, but the
lovely trip afterwards would more than
compensate.
"What do you sayy' urged Margaret.
"Wen do it," chorused the others.
A week later four girls, a trife home
sick, but too proud to confess it, sat
down to their first meal, picnic fashion,
in their own room in good Mrs. Blake's
house in Penton. The rooms looked very
bare, but with a few home photographs
and a scarf here and there, the staring
white walls lost half their baroness. The
table was spread in the middle of the
room and made pretty with some early
spring flowers.
81 did not know mothers bread was
SO good" said Margaret, 'but I really
must curb my appetite, or there won't
be enough left for breakfast. What a
blessed relief it will be to take our din
ners at Mrs. Blake's table"
Mr.. Crashaw from his Office window
saw with a grim smile the four girls APP
proach, the next morning.
''It won't be a paying business for me-"
he said to himself, sbut girls with such
pluck deserve to be helped"
.'Here we are, Uncle John, ready for
business announced Margaret, and her
uncle, taking his hat, led the way to the
factory.
"We might just as well go over the
whole building and give you an idea of
how matches are made" he said. "You
see here, the timber is being cut into
planks or slabs the exact thickness of a
match, then with one blow from this
guillotine-like machine, which, you see,
works with a treadle, the cut matches
fall into this box.
"Then three little splints, just the
length of two matches, are fitted into
this frame, and are ready for the dip
ping, first, however, passing through
the hands of the inspector yonder, who
shakes out the loose splints and fastens
the frames; the dipper next takes them,
and laying the ends of the splints on
this heated surface for IN instant to dry
all moisture, deftly dips first n end
and then the other into the pan of sui
phur the thickness of cream, and then
into the pan of phosphorus. When dry
they are placed in trays and carried to
the room where you will work. There
the matches are cut in two by the little
machine fastened to the work bench and
placed in the boxes ready for shipping.
This is your room," he said at last, leav-
ing them where the hands were busy
filing boxes, 400 in each, never too few
nor too many, SO accurate were they.
Snow, young ladies, don't eat, SIT
down ON or step on the matches, or go
H.. AL l.~~s.m .x.l =, ,.,.ll