The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-01

the wristbands he was pressing, put his
iron to one side, and, dipping the end OF
the towel in the water-tub on his table,
proceeded to wash the little Marie's hands
and small circle bout the red, uniformed
baby mouth. Then he spread the towel
before her. arranged the sticky, shapeless
candies thereon, and kissed the clean oasis
he had made in the besmeared little coun-
tenance.
Elise, meantime, continued to complain
bitterly. Elise had talent for complaint,
Just as she had gift for producing exquis-
tie effects with small, double-pointed irons,
in sheer muslin. She had right to be a
good ironer, she could have told you, for
she came of an ancestry who excelled in
the art, and she had served severe ap-
premiership at the trade.
Equally, she would have told you, she
had right to complain, for her lot was a
hard one. Elise was above all things am
bilious. For this reason wholly she had
married handsome Jules, her fellow-worker
at Nine. Torchon's. Jules was a veritable
artist in collars and wristbands. Elise
well knew that any bungler can learn to
make starched linen glisten, mirrorIike
after the manner dear to the soul of the
rounder, but it requires an artist to i'm
part to the white surface that chaste, IN
glazed smoothness that, alone, is tolerable
to the refined wearer of linen. This Jules
could do to perfection, and it was his
proves in this direction, combined with
Elises achievements with sheer muslin,
that, more than anything else, had swelled
the Torchon Golfers.
So, when Jules asked her hand in mar
rage, 19-year-old Elise glanced forward
along the years and saw herself at the head
of an establishment. She would no longer
bend over an ironing board, but would sit
at the parcel desk. in charge of the books
and receipts, as she daily saw Nine. Tor
chon, while Jules, even as did Monsieur,
superintendent the outside business.
1t was this radiant dream that prompted
her assent to Jules proposal. The pair
were married and invested their joint saw
ings in a little laundry outfit. Of course
they both expected to work at first, but it
would not be for long. They assured each
other they would soon be directing large
establishment.
But five years had passed and they were
still at their ironing tables. The establish
ment fhaA not come. Instead there had
been sickness and certain small impedi-
menta-a tiny jules now sleeping, in such
a short bed, in the French cemetery; the
little Marie, and the rounded contour of
Elises figure, as she bent over her sheer
muslin, spoke eIoquently of her further
trial near at hand. Moreover, Jules, in
these five years, had shown clearly that he
had no head for business He was an
artist in starched linen, but Louis, stupid
hulking Louis, the apprentice, with his fat
German wit, who could not be trusted to
iron fine table-cloth, and who had given
little Marie the candies with which to
bedaub his table, was more useful man
for the outside work than Jules ever could
be, Louis, now, his apprenticeship over,
might become manager of an establish
Ia
make the assistants work. Elise had to
superintend everything.
The knowledge of all this kindled her
wrath and lent bitterness to her COM
plants, as she piled both tongue and iron
while Jules stood comforting Marie. The
baby was inclined to be timid when Elise
scolded.
Presently the latter finished the piece
on which she was at work and went to put
il on display in the window. Jules bent
over the baby and kissed her.
''Ifit were not for you, little Marie" he
murmured, and turned again to his wrist
bands.
His iron had grown cold, but big Der.
tine, coming along with another, fresh
from the fire, substituted it for his and
plodded heavily back to the heater, to
make an exchange. Jules took the fresh
iron with nod, plunged it into the water
until 1t was cooled and tempered sufH-
GENTLY, dampened his wristbands and
once more was at work. It did not occur
to him to thank Berthe. He was accus-
toned to her performing all manner of
small services for him, and thought no
more of them than he did of her, standing
huge andlhulking at the tables before him.
She and Louis were the two assistants in
the ironlng-room. Just now she was iron
ing napkins, which came rapidly from be-
meath her expert hands, daintily polished,
cision and spread to air ON one end OF her
table.
She was fully six feet TALL with broad
shoulders and ludicrously long arms. One
shoulder was higher than the other, from
years of heavy pressing with hot irons.
She had tender feet. which her great
weight tried sorely. Her shoes were cut
away until only the soles and ankle-pieces
remained. At times even the pressure of