Telegram-herald., 1890-08-08
MOURNING STATIONERY.
Back Borders Can Be Put On by
Hand Work o1ly.
q Ls1s II Eoxk AsnePoAEsd ~ "sH@ss-
rhsy Msst Lsesr Early A0a Late 70
Make PAR Wages The
Srsss 81 ths Trade

~YoU cant tel re there Is 10 gooo n
novels, said rhe girl in glasses -
New York Trib0ne man. Some years
ago ny father read IL . novel Nnach
Vas then coming cat IL one o. the nag
aElnsS-I 6on't rene u Ter the name o. II
nov, nor IN what m2gaziae u VAS oen-
Ing eut-thst every glrl should kno"
how % 90 one thing vel enough %
earn her hving By IL and be Vas 80
much taken with tie idea that be ce-
terulned then and there that ] should
learn trade. vas his snly caCgater
--only child. in fset-4ad there we're
but two OF Us IN the family, C. ny
mother had died some wears before.
First l tried telegrzphy. ana fo1nd
was no good 81 that and then J tried
typewrlting and f0und thst wzsa't my
forte either. gave them up and told
papa If he couldn't support ne d either
have u get married or SO 10 the free
hone for destitute young girls, bat he
lad lately visited a paper-mil ane 50 he
suggested another trade-the ono you
see me working st TOW. Do l call my
self = paper decorator? No. ! an q
black bordereF; but al the same l an
Just as much Of : skilled laborer aS any
girl who paints flowers and newly
hatche6 chickens on Easter cards and
such things, though l do nothing but
blacken the borders OF mourning paper.
Thought that was machine work2 No.
that 10 isn't,
1T is woman's work. They have tried
time and again 70 invent machines that
would 90 II, but they have sll turned out
fat failures. and I an glad OF IL. IS this
is the only kind OF work by which have
been able 10 earn my bread and butter
for the last three years-since papa was
taken of suddenly by heart failure, and
IL was found that be had laid Up no
money and his insurance policy had
lspsed.
Profession much crowded? No, cha-k
Heaven. this is one profession in which
there is a little elbow room. One rea-
son, suppose. is that il is not 50 we'll
paid as il might be, and another is
Though | say il that shouldn't say in
that il isn't every girl who could learn
the ap. You thought yourself that il
was done by a machine, so you must
have noticed how very smoothly the
black is laid on. OF course / do not
take such pains with the inferior quail
ties as with the best linen, such as ! am
doing now; but the worst must DC done
woll or 1t won't pass muster. Ny en-
ployer, when be advertised for girl 70
do this work, didn't get moro than a
dozen answers, and most of them were
from girls who didn't know any thing
whatever about it; they only thought
they could do it, as they had taken les
sons in water colors. They didn't know
that this kind of painting is q trade by
itself
Trying to the eyes? Yes, when ones
eyes are not very strong to begin with;
but If find my eyes giving out can al
ways stop and rest awhile. 1t is my loss
you know. as mine is piece-work, paid
for by the ream.
How much a ream? For fine quail
ties, S1.50 a rearn; for the very common
est, IS cents; but there is very little OF
that kind TO be done, for which mercy
am thankful. Unless we are awtully
busy, l can come when l Ike and &c
when like. Usually get here at s:3(
in the morning and leave at in the
afternoon. In that time, il don't give
my eyes too many resting spells, can
border a ream and half.
Lonely? No, am too busy TO fee
lonely, though ! sit here all day by my
self, seeing nobody but the man who
brings in my paper. That is, be bring:
it to me in the buy season, but IL the
work is any ways slack | have TO 60 FOL
it myself. The slack season begins il
June, and wora; does not pick up agaiI
till some time in September.
Treated as lady should be? Yes
my employer is as p6Sto as pie when
ever ! see him, as indeed be should bt
to girl he knows by this time is work
! ing FOR ell she IS worth. At first /
/ seemed TO me TO be an awfully solemn
| kind OF work, and ! used 10 think abou
deaths and funerals, and sometime
would get 20 crying, though took goo,
care not to damage the paper by lettinI
ny tears fall on 1t; but one can get use'
TO any thing, and now don't any NOR
mind painting black borders than II
! mind painting rcd ones"