The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-06-06
THE EMBROlOERER.

An Occupation in Whteh Women Work
from Ten to Fifteen Roars for so Cents.
thine noneyf'' said tie pale faced wo-
man, as she shook the many calored ends
Of floss silk from the white apron she had
taken off preparatory TO donniag her hat
and sacqUe. well, my tins don't amount
to much Honey-not moro than five cents
an hour, no matter how steady work; and
that don't take IN the hour spend in going
and coming between here ard the shop. I
was six hours working this (unrolling a
piece of cotton velvet that lay On tie table,,
and all I'll get fer it will be thirty cents,
and maybe a little jawing because the
stitches amt SO near together as they might
be on that rose IN the corner, though that
atn't my fault, as the girl who deals out the
materials gave me- scant supply OF pink
silk A double carnation you say it isS
Well, I call all the pink flowers roses; it
don't matter to NE what they are, just SO
they are made like them in the p2tte rn.
you needn't count the flower clusters;
can tell you how many they are-jIst two
dozen. One dozen pair Of slippers VIII be
cut out Of this velvet, and though they viii
DO sold cheap, being cotton, you may DO
sure there will be money made on them,
one pair comes only to a little over one
penny, and the material is bought whole
sale. No, these amt the only kind Of slip
pers embroider There's them I get fifty
cents a dozen for They are of better
quality of velvet, and the flowers has to
have more pains taken with them. A
dozen pair Of that kind viii keep me busy
from half-pa5t in The morning til in the
Z. hal for
lunch. The best kind-them / get
sevenvy-flve cents a dozen for-are
worked on silk velvet, and to get a
dozen of them finished in a day
I have to begin as soon as l cen see in
the morning, and keep at 'em till 10 o'clock
at night. Often, though, don't get 'eIn
done because the girldon't give me enough
Of one kind Of silk and ! have to lose an
hour by going back for it. Hope 1 scold
her well? Why, bless you! if say word
to her she only gives me sass. she will
say waste the silk; ard she has even in
simulated that hook it for my own use
just as if had the time TO make fancy pin
cushions or any Of them sort of thirgsl
can never get used to the ir1pudence of
these young girls who are all bangs and
boot heels. You Just ought to hear this
though they have sos pressers in the shop,
and if the cook here don's happen to be in
good humor when / go into the kitchen
she is sure net 20 have any iTCns not.
mo, there amt no money to speak Of in
embroidery Of this kind That the sisters
have to do on altar clothes and such things
is different, and a good worker can earn
$40 week at it. But all thet is given to
them that have been to the sisters schools,
and learned to do the best kind of work;
what they do is whatInight be called skilled
labor. l learned in one morning how to do
this kind, and if was to tell madame to-
day that wouldn't do no more she would
only be at the trouble OF putting an adver-
tisement in tomorrow s paper; that would
bring her all the embrGiGerers she wanted
and lot moro girls who live at home, and
would like to make that sort OF work an
excuse to get OF from washing dishes and
ironing clothes.
why do l make this my profession?
My! do you suppose I'd work at this reg
lar, year in and year out? Pm only doing
it now TO keep from getting into debt for
my board while l am out of q place. Ive
got my name down at an agency, and
made EN- understand there Just what 1
want. Folks say | am patient woman,
and 1 am looking out for work that can't
be done by nobody but patient woman
nursing fractions invalid that amt sick
enough to require trained nurse, or look
ing after weak minded child that's too
much for one of the sort Of girls that's
usually engaged TO mind children. A place
of that kind wiz turn up sooner or later
sooner, l hope, as 1 am tired to death of
these roses, or double carnations, or what |
ever you may call EN-. New York Trib- !
uue.