Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-04-06
RENTED our BY THE DAY.
A winsome 5-Year-Old Who Earns Liv
ing nor Self and Mother.

A winsome 5-Year-Old Who Earns . Liv-
Ing nor SELF and Mother.
eyes, Pm the little girl that gets
rented out Do you want me by the
hour or by the day?" Thus piped the
faxen-haired, ruddy-cheeked young
person, whose age could not have ex-
ceeded years yet in whose eyes there
rested all the seriousness OF go. Her
description of herself as 1.-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; years old"
The address appended to this
stranga notice was followed by Jour
nal man and little Miss Goldenhair
was found at home. She appeared
with somewhat dissipated-looking
doll, and also with unmistakable
traces Of recent raid upon the jam
closet. The advertisement had de-
scribed her faithfully for she proved
to be exceedinglypretty and possessed
of that precocious brightness which
belongs solely to New York ladies of
her age. Her deep black eyes con-
trasted quantity with the wheat-col-
ored curles which tumbled about
them, and her face might have smiled
out OF one Of Gainsborough's paint
ings. And yet she was hired out to
customers at so much per hour
IF you wait minute, mamma
Will be down." continued the child.
"She is fixing her hair, you know, be-
fore she goes to the office. Mamma
works as typewriter, and that's just
the reason why she rents me out She
can't stay with me herself and so she
lets me spend the day with nice la
dies, 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 a widow,
OF youthful appearance and quiet
manners. 81 suppose" she began,
"that you think 1T very heartlesS of
me to rent out my little daughter in
this manner. But it really isn't So
Kitty and | 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 / 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 number Of patrons on our
list. Seeing the chanvo 90 make
-InaL-.sg.a and at the same time keep
Kitty constantly amused. l decided
to advertise. / only permit Kitty to
remain out during the daylight hours
My charges are 81 a day, or a quarter
an hour The ladies tell me that
Kitty is the greatest pleasure TO
them. She Is very clever, and hardly
ever cries. "
Here Kitty took the floor again.
"My name," she said, sis Kitty, but
at nearly all the houses L visit the
ladies give me different names At
one place l am called Vera. That is
the name of the lady's own little girl,
who is dead. At another place l am
Marguerite like that name, be-
cause it sounds so grown-up. My
other names are Blanche, Dorothy,
Mollie, Mabel, Lille, and Freda. A
very old lady calls me her little
Maude because i am like her little
sister who died ever so long ago.
Sometimes j get mixed in my names
and don't answer when they call me.
Many ladies send their carriages for
me or take me out shopping with
them. They always say that am "A
little cousin from Philadelphia That
is not true, of course, and / don't like
to be told l come from Philadelphia;
but the ladies are so nice that l let
them tell all the stories they want TO-
How do l like being rented out? Oh,
l like it we'll enough. l was real
lonely while mamma was away, but
now we are both out working at the
same time. The gentlemen that visit
houses where l visit give me presents
aud want to kiss me. / think they
do that just to please the ladies who
hire me; don't you?"
Further description of the life of a
rented-out infant was here inter
rupted by the arrival OF a smartly APP
pointed brougham, with a crest on
the door panel. The conveyance was
sent for Kitty, who stralghtway
trotted off to make herself neat for a
days outing.