The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1892-11-02

A Woman's Ingenious Device for Making
Money When She Was Hard Up.

A Woman's Ingenious Device for Making
Money when She Was Hard Up.
A woman who is now one of the most
promising artists in this city, and was
lucky enough to get two of her pictures
accepted by the Academy, told this story
of how she earned her first few pennies
in this big town:
"When / came here five years ago /
had just twenty-five dollars in my pock-
ct. | got a room-or rather a cubby
llOle next to the roof-in a boarding
house on Fourth avenue. 1t was three
weeks before got anything to do. Then
place was offered to me as a primary
teacher in a private school. The salary
when you got it was fair enough in
amount. But unfortunately you didn't
get it until the end of the month.
"By this time there was such ire
mendous hole in my twenty-five dollars
that | couldn't afford to move up town.
The expressage alone would have made
o bankrupt of me, forI had absolutely
some to such pass that hadn't enough
money to pay my car fare to the school
and back. explained the situation to
the landlady. She really was a dear old
thing. She told me l wasn't to worry
about my board bill. She was perfectly
willing to wait for her money until the
end of the month.
THAT was one weight off my mind
of course, but had still to grapple with
the car fare problem. l was in dread
full pickle really. For four days /
walked every inch of the way-4I miles
each journey. used to leave the house
at in the morning so as to reach the
school promptly at 0.
"Then found that my French heels
were beginning to give out, SO l saw
that my efforts to save money by pedes-
trianism would only get me into deeper
water. Suddenly had an inspiration.
'There were three old maiden sisters
who occupied the double bedded room
on the second floor. They were with
out exception the latest women ever
saw. The most ETHEREAL of the three
weighed 300 if she weighed pound.
They were all saleswomen in one of the
big Sixth avenue stores. They used to
scramble down to breakfast in the morn
iuS III ~ dt buc ldSU luOlutIU.
"One of them confided to me that it
was their shoes whiSh always delayed
them. They almost expired every morn
ing in their attempts to button them.
She told me in tone of the utmost
resignation that eventually she expected
their shoes would be the death of all
three of them. Well, what do you sup
pose | did? l took that woman aside
and | said to her: Now look here, I'll
make a bargain with you. | want to
make little extra money just now, for
am dreadfully hard up. If you and
your two sisters will each pay me
twenty cents week I'll come and but
ton your shoes for you every morning.
"The poor old things fairly jumped at
the offer. They insisted on paying my
first weeks salary-sixty cents-in ad-
vance. 1t left me ten cents to the good
you see, because on Saturday there was
no school. After the first week they in.
sisted on raising my salary to an even
quarter from each. Well, | buttoned
their shoes regularly for two months.
Then had to resign my position, as l
was moving to boarding house up
town.
"When l babe them goodby the poor
old things actually cried over me, and
presented me with the loveliest little
silver buttonhook you ever saw. sent
them tickets for the private view the
other night. They all came, fatter than
ever, and went into ecstacies over my
pictures. The eldest one told me with
tears in her eyes that ever since 1 left
them they had been obliged to abandon
button shoes. Now, my DEAR she said
with huge sigh of regret, we can wear
nothing but elastic sides. New York
Evening Sun.