The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-18
LIVING ON Sc A WEEK.
A Young New York Saleswoman Shows
1t Up From One Point Of View.
New York Recorder.

New York Recorder.
A little woman whose name is becoming
widely known in connection with all at
tempts to help the working girl better her
condition was in a Fourteenth street shop
one day not long ago. The saleswoman
who waited on her seemed so cheerfully
intelligent that she could not let pass the
opportunity of offering her card and en-
deavoring TO draw the young woman into
conversation. The girl recognized the
name on the card and, after glancing fear.
fully around for the foorwalker, she con-
scented to answer questions. Had she been
in this particular store great while? Oh,
yes, indeed, ever since she had come from
Dublin, where she had learned the art of
selling goods. And her wages? Four dol
lars and half week when she began, Sc
now.
The little woman opened her eyes.
six dollars a week! Why, that
wouldn't buy matinee tickets and gloves
for the ordinary woman"
but the six-doliar-a-week women are
the ordinary women, the Others acct
dental women" amended the saleswoman.
Its true, though. that a six-dollar-a-
week salary isn't spent for matinee tickets.
As | am actually obliged to support my
self. havingno relatives with whom / can
live free, it necessarily must furnish ME
with food, lodging and clothes, which are
the actual necessarieS OF life, the
Injuries, TO a great extent, having lodged
nv road. How do 1 do it? Well-but
I'll tell you. Come to my room some
evening and / can talk without being
afraid of getting separated from my valu-
able salary This is Monday; l have to
work until 10 tonight, but come tomorrow
if YOU have no engagement.
She gave the address oil big fiat on the
West Side, and the little woman found her
in a tiny hall bedroom the following even
ing.
$50 you'd like to know how a working
girl manages to exist on SIX dollars
week, would you? Well, after expert
menting for a good while, I'm free to
confess it's a many-sided problem. At
first | tried one of the homes for self
sur,porting women, but that was fiat
failure Too many rules and regulations,
too little variety in the food and some
! times not enough of il. Then got into
private family. where l paid u week,
| but they looked upon 1t as dong me
great favor, and besides, S2-margln Is
awkward.
"As a last resort I tried housekeeping
| for myself in furnished room, and II 5
| the best arrangement I've struck yet. Its
/ lonely, to be sure, out nave 4 lew iFAeHuS
| who come to see me: | have the Working
! Girls Club To- go 10, and have my books
| and | am studying German; SO I'm too
| busy 10 think of any supposedly forlorn
| existence Many young girls live this
| way2 Oh. thousands, many OF them
| country girls who come TO New ork to
work and have no homes. What do you
| think of my roomP
| And the little woman. as she looked
| around its sxl2 feet OF space, with its prirn-
| tive curtained folding bed, the little
| rocker and stiff wooden chair all painted
white and covered with red cotton flannel
| cnshions little corner shelves. the upper
| ones covered with books, the lower one
| With A picture which, when removed, re
vesIed a little gas stove; the curtains TIED
| hack with CAV ribbons and the walls Al
most lined With pictures, cheap but etisc-
II nav 81. so for the room" continued
the saIeswoman, but the pictures and
curtains and cushions are mine, and /
,,ainred things white. The honey air
| belnnrs 10 me. II looked forlorn enough
when / moved in. But You wanted 10