Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1893-07-18
RENTED OUT BY THE pAY.
A winsome Five-year-Oid Who Earns Liv-
ing For Herself and Her Mother.

A wfnsome Five-year-Oid who Earns n Lfv-
ing For Herself and Her Mother.
Eyes, I'm the little girl that gets
rented out Do you want me by the
hour or by the dayl" Thus piped the
fiaxen haired, ruddy checked young
person, whose age could not have
exceeded years, yet in whose eyes
there rested all the seriousness of GO.
Her description of herself as the
little girl that gets rented out, though
very odd, happened to be quite ac-
curate. The child was little more
than a human chattel.
In one of the New York papers the
following advertisement appeared:
ITO rent, by the hour or day, for
the entertainment of wealthy but
childless ladies, a bright, beautiful,
golden haired little girl baby; neatly
dressed; 8 years old"
The address appended to this strange
notice was followed up, and little Miss
Goldenhair was found at home. She
appeared with a somewhat dissipated
looking doll, and also with unmistak
able traces Of recent raid upon the
jam closet. The advertisement had
described her faithfully, for she
proved to be exceedingly pretty and
possessed of that precocious bright
ness which belongs solely to New
York ladies of her age Her deep
black eyes eontrasted quantity with
the wheat colored curls which tum-
bled about them, and her face might
have smiled out of one of Gainsbor-
ough's paintings. And yet she was
hired out to customers at so much
per hour.
'If you wait a minute, mamma
will be down." continued the child.
'She is fixing her hair, you know,
before she goes to the Office. Nam
ma works as a typewriter, and that's
just the reason why she rents me
out. She can't stay with me herself,
and 80 she lets me spend the day
with nice ladies, who give me candy
and flowers. The ladies haven't any
little girls of their own, and they pay
mamma to let me visit them"
At this point the enterprising
mother entered. She was widow,
of youthful appearance and quiet
manners. II suppose" she began,
that you think it very heartless OF
me to rent out my little daughter in
this manner, but it really isn't so.
Kitty and l are alone in the world,
and have to work for her support.
While am at the Office every day
the child would have to be left alone
had not this plan been suggested to
me by friends. At first I began by
letting Kitty go to one lady for day
each week. Then another lady asked
to hire the child, and before long we
had quite a number of patrons on
our list. Seeing the chance to make
money and at the same time keeI
Kitty constantly amused, decided
to advertise. only permit Kitty tc
remain out during the daylight hours
Ny charges are So day, or quarter
an hour The ladies tell me that
Kitty is the greatest pleasure to
them. She is very clever and hard
ly ever cries"
Here Kitty took the floor again.
My name, she said, lis Kitty, but
at nearly all the houses l visit tine la
dies give me different names. At one
place am called Vera. That is the
name of the lady's own little girl,
who is dead. AT another place I am
Marguerite. I like that name, be
cause it sounds so grown up. My 9th.
er names are Blanche, Dorothy, Mol
lie, Mabel, Lille and Freda. A very
old lady calls me her little Maude, be
cause l am like her little sister who
died ever so long ago. Sometimes
get mixed in my names and don't an
swer when they call me. Many la
dies send their carriages for me oil
take me out shopping with them. ~
New York Journal.