Wichita eagle., 1890-02-08
WAYS OR WOMEN.
What They Find to Do to Make
Life Enjoyable.
IN OUR HAPPY HOMES.
Gentle Hands Which Guide to Path.
ways Where Duty Lies.
THE MANICURE AND HER WORK.

THE MANICURE AND HER WORK.
A Sensible American Giri-A Few Useful
Don'ts-Kissing Mother-A Louisiana
Hone-Tho Kind of Rebel She Is-The
Trials Of Working Women-Lady Paunce-
fots's Diamonds-A Woman Steamboat
Mate-1Iusic at Home-The Great Paint
or of Animals-How Oranges May Be
Served.
ut is horrid to be young, +" said a manicure
apprentice to the writer, at the same time
stealing a glance in the mirror near by.
'Don't you think so! Can't remember how
it feelsa Why, you don't look so awfully old.
As for me look younger than my age, and
that was against mo ever since / came to this
city. Dad you know that came expecting
to go into training school for nurses3 had
filed out blank that had been sent me from
an up town hospital, but either made mis-
take in writing or the superintendent read it
wrong, for instead Of understanding that l
was 20 on the 18th of March, she got it that
was - ON the 10Th, and 50 when | came, after
being written for, | was told that I was
strong and healthy enough, but too young, %
was the youngest age for applicants, and even
then they must look %. Now dear knows
when shall ever look 25, but as was bent
on nursing, and had a letter of recommended
tion from doctor who had seen me bring
patient through case Of typhoid fever,
concluded to stay in the city and look for
Y,ri vrnrly | ppSWaraI advertisement
for nurse to take care of an insane person,
but might have saved myself the car fare,
as all the answer got was, not old enough
Then, as had some experience in housekeep-
ing, thought I'd look out for work of this
kind to support me until | should be cd
enough to enter training school, but when l
Went to an agency and told what l wanted,
they only laughed at me.
''And so l answered an advertisement for
young ladies to learn to manicure. Paid while
learnings Not bit Of it. l had to pay SIS
for being taught. | am nearly through my
apprenticeship now, and soon I'll be paid IS q
week for my services. Don't you wish me to
beautify your nails for yous like to prac-
tice all l can outside of the shop. Keep them
cut yourself7 l suppose you can; but you
cannot file and polish EN-, and make 'em look
stylish. Look at mine, will yous OF course,
! must have 'em in the latest fashion to show
that know what's what. Don't like pointed
nails2 You ought to like whatever is style.
When | first saw folks with pointed nails /
felt like asking en- if they were getting ready
to grabble up graves. but now think round
nails hook awfuuy plain and oountrifed.
''See, this is my case of files, and this pointed
stick use for pushing back the skin that
grows down on the nails. Ny first lesson was
to learn how to use the stick properly. I was
as nervous as cat at first, but now they tell
me I have q steady hand and correct eye
You know one must have correct eyes IN this
work, to see if one side of the finger nail is
exactly the length of the other. am little
bit slow yet, but am improving. and l know
that before long can finish off customer
in half an hour. All my customers young
hdiess No, l have old ladies, and young
ladies', and old gentlemen and young gentle
men. No middle aged peoples Oh, you
know, when say old mean middle aged as
well as real old The real old ones take as
much pleasure in having their hands look
nice as any of the young ones do, and
have filed and polished up many an old
gentleman with one foot in the grave how
particular that kind are to have their fingers
touched with sweet scented pink powder
puff tell you it isn't us girls only who
want to look pretty Some of the ladies are
as stuck up as duchesses, and haven't a word
to throw at q girl who works for a living,
but some of 'em are real good natured. My
file slipped the other day and cut lady's fin
ger. l said to myself, when | saw the blood
come, Now she will complain to the mad
am, and III be well scoidedr but instead of
that she only said, Accidents will happen,
and then she went on to talk to me about
Paris, where she lived for quite while, and
where she first get into the habit of having
her finger nails attended to i'll a manicure es-
ta blishment. Nice of her, wasn't it2 And
she was nicer stall when | had finished her,
for she gave me a handful of fancy candy
out of a bag she was carrying. l think she
saw that that slip of the file hurt me worse
than it did her.
MANY custonersa As many as we can at
tend to. Tbs manicure parlor is good rest
ing place for ladies when they have run them
selves down with shopping, and most OF EN-
have lots of half hours and half dollars, too,
that they don't know what to do with. Are
the gentlemen stuck up! No, they are all of
them ready enough to talk to a girl that's
young and not very bad looking, and has her
done up with the stuff that's kept
for sale in the parlor; but l know the madam
is eying US sirls all the time we are attend
ing to customers, and SO | am awruliy proper
and precise III my answers try to keep On
the good side Of the madam. though needn't,
for if l get the bounce after have got my
training l can so around from house to house
and file and polish folks for fifty cents head
at least that is what some other girls do,
and they make good living out of it. t.n-New
York Tribune