The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1890-04-04
SEWING FOR THE DEAD.

SEWING FOR THE DEAD.
Girls Who Make Good Wages and Are
Contented in an Undertakcr's Shop.
''Isnt it lovelyG" asked a young
sewing girl, holding up for inspection
something of white satin and lace.
1--WE are crowded with work just
now, so I brought this home to finish
it tonight"
You have trousseau on hand,
then2 / suppose that fancy garment,
whatever it may be. is for a bride"
The sewing girl opened wide her
eyes. I'VE don't make no trousseau,"
said she. did you think worked at
a dressmaker's2"
''YesG Aren't you with Nine. X.g"
mot muchi / left there month
ago. The madame gave me too much
sass and too little pay. I'm in Us
undertaking establishment and am
earning half as much again as did
at Nine. ks, who is the most
awful screw in this city. The season
is longer too, though of course there
amt half the number of girls employ
ed where I am now that there were at
madame's. When I worked there l
was laid off regular three months in
the year, while four weeks is the long
est that the girls at the undertaker's
are idle. When there is full supply
of robes in stock they are put to max
ing coffin Innings, which most of em
like because it isn't fussv work,
though, for that matter, none Of their
work is half so fussy as what had to
bother with when I sewed for live
people. Miss B. Ghe is our fore
woman) used to have the same place
at a dressmaker's, and she says she
has grown ten years younger since
she went into the robe making bust
ness, because she has SO much less
worry of mind. She sometimes used
to have to keep her girls up till IL
o'clock Saturday night to finish a
dress for some rich customer, and early
Monday morning here would come
the dress back again to be altered, and
q sassy message along with it about its
want of fit. Now, there amt any par
ticular flt about burial robe, as you
can see by this; it is made only to 60
over the corpse. Miss B. says it is
great comfort to her to know that
them as wears 'em don't make no com
plant, and in the main they are be
coming. which can't be said of live
dresses-I mean the dresses live PEG
pie wear.
ITO see them in their collins 70,
would think they were completely
dressed, but really all their finery i
on top. Even the mems solid looking
black coats and smooth shirt front
can 90 on and off without removin,
the corpse. What / am making is TO
. a young girl who died yesterday, an
will be buried tomorrow. She was
have been married next month, an
her trousseau was begun at Mime
Ks before I left there. She wi
look just as sweet in this robe l al
making for her as she would hav
done in her wedding dress.
:, ssAfraid of the cohns2 Not ate
: the first day. It would be a pity
= we were, as our sewing room is at tn
r end of the loft where piles upon pile
II of them are slowed away. We tall
and laugh, and sing, just as we did
Nine. Ks, and Miss B is
awful lot nicer than the forewoms
we had there, because, as have g
ready said, she isn't being constant
p' worried out of her life by fussy ladie
and. as it is piecework, she never b
to scold the girls for loafng. 81
II saws that what she can't get used
is to have to 60 downstairs and Ia
orders for robes for folks that st
have breath in their bodies. Son
on people seem to be in an awful hur
to get their dead put under groun
When Miss B. was Downstairs
M day at noontime, and the rest Of
~ were eating lunch, one OF the q
- had her chair break down under Z
and as there was no other TO be hf
/. what did she do but go out and di
in a coffin to sit onl When we
finished our lunch we took aud i
n her out in it and covered her wit
IL robe; and then we began to cry, q
talk about the virtues Of the deceas
and were having a real jolly wa
considering there was no cand;
when in come the boss. We die
81 know but we'd all be fired out for m
ding with the coffins. but all ne
was that it would be money IN
sses pocket if we lazy loafers were al
irst us in our collins, as our custom wo
1aG. pay him better than our work.
w %s'- girl IN the cofin-she's awft
= cheeky-jumped up and told hui
q was play time, as it was not yet
~ past IL, and then he said what
fun to us would be considered az
by most folks, and with that he "
out One Of the girls said ne was
}. good humor because there was tai
the yellow fever coming here
summer. but that wasn't 50. Un
q, a, takers amt no more heartless
other men, and when It comes to
ing their girls they aint half
''" skins as some women. New
paid AIOuAos
lsdic.
To Cure Proximity.
0. Atlanta, Ca, is said to have q q
NAV Of furnishing profanity In