Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-03
A HEROINE IN SHORT SKIRTS.
Little Mamie Corrigan's Thin ShouI-
ders Bear q Heavy Burden.
New York World i

The ideal child martyr doesn't wear
a long white apron from her chin to her
heels, carry shallow wicket basket
and trOt about all day in the jostling,
busy throng Of New York shop, re-
spending to more or less vociferous de-
-nands for "cash.n Yet this is lust what
is done by small maiden whose life is
full of as noble, unselfish devotion as
ever earned a crown in the "noble
army"
Little Mamie Corrigan looks about 10
years of age. She is frail creature,
who might be pretty IL her wan face
did not carry a painful suggestion of be-
ing half starved. She has big blue eyes
shaded with black lashes, and mass of
soft brown hair, brushed till 1t shines,
hanging over thin shoulders. which
have pitiful, weary droop. For three
months little Mamie has been the chief
support of her family. Her mother has
been an invalid for more than year.
Her father was stricken with rheuma-
tism this winter, and there are four
brothers and sisters younger than the
heroine of the cash basket and the white
apron.
Mamie, who left school to become
the bread winner, earns So a week.
Early in the morning she rises to pre-
pare food for the family before going to
the store. Many time, however, there
has not been any breakfast to get, and
the little one has worked fasting until
some of the kind saleswomen, discov-
ering the child's hunger, appeased il
from their own luncheon box. After
the tired feet have tramped about all
day and carried the child across town to
the top story of the east side tenement
at night, her work is only half done.
She sweeps, cleans, cooks and washes
and irons, often working until mid
night to make the humble home COM
i Portable for her parents and little ones.
"How do you manage to do so much
work, little One?" she was asked. And
she answered very simply:
II love them" She went on hurri-
edly, as if to divert attention: ~ can
wash and iron pretty well for little
girl. See l did this apron" 1t was
spotless and had fine "gloss" on it.
"How old are you"
II am going on 15"-with a shy,
startled glance around.
"YOu don't mean to say you are IA
such a miteW
"The cashes all have to say they're IA
to get engaged" put in saleswoman
who listened to the conversation. The
same young woman told how she had
gone to see Mamie at her home one
Sunday, and found only bread ard wat
er in the house, but the small place
shone with neatness, having been swept
and scrubbed by the small, roughed
hands of the little cash girl. Hitherto
a relative, living at service, has helped
pay the rent of their rooms, but now
she is unable to give them any more as
sistance, and so Mamie and younger
brother, who has just secured place as
cash boy, are the only support of the
family.
The truth of this pitiful story was es-
tablished by visit to the child's
mother. Mrs. Corrigan said: ut breaks
my heart to have my daughter drudge
so, but what else can we do? My hus-
band would rather starve than ask for
so much as crust of bread in charity.
And yet the little ones (the youngest is
A. must be fed. hope to get on my
feet so that Mamie needn't work after
the long day in the shop. Often now it
is midnight before she can get to bed,
and then she has to get up very early.
l had to keep her at home two days
once when I was too i'll to be alone and
my husband was helpless, and she was
docked thirty-five cents for each day,
and seventy cents is good deal to miss
out of $2."