The evening times., 1896-02-11

He don't allow any one TO tell him any
thing"
The noon hour came and went and with 1
was the same amount Of talk as the day be
fore. On Tuesday. however, IL seemed to b.
principally about The Times, and wha, tn,
PAPER had done to aneIiorate their lot.
THE Times has them on tte run," said
one of the girls more exlreS siveiy than
elegantly. The Times always takes the
side of tie reopie, and the people know it,
IT'S Tie rnder dog In the filht with them.
But i'fes1TIncs hasn't known the trut h,
they wouidn't let them fiEd il OUT
THEY LOOK TO THE TINES.
'Oh. they'll finI ont" said my AuspI.
cious neighbOr, significantly giaucing at
the other girl who had seemed to share her
notion of me. "Bnt tEey'li find that the
thing we want Is 4 settlement OF this wage
question. We can stand everything else
ate my lunch without looking at them
br Joining in the conversation, and then
went down 10 the other end or the roCni to
join Gioup or giris WHO We're sitting on
II truck chatting. They were bandse wcrs
| ana were expecting furlough that
afternoon and wcrc blue accordingly.
| would yOn girls like to Lc On the ma
| chincs7" | asked.
Not L." Il wouldn't eitber;'' "nor
me-"
THE only reason would rather he on
the machines Is because the Operators
don't get furiourhcd so often. You zee they
have the Fewer here and they don't like
| TO waste it,
II don't suppose that one should COM
plain about these furiOugiIs. They can't
make work for you here when they haven't
it,"
There was an excited answer to this
that showed the women had been thinking
| about IL good deal. Every one declared
| that II was unjust to 80 fill the room up
| with workers that there would not be a
decent living for any Ouc or them.
IT'S done To allow different people TO
bestow patronage, and what kind Of pa
| trunaSe is II? No better than the kind
| one gives his washerwoman."
| One of the girls was pushing US around
on the truck, and another asked her II she
| didn't work enough without playing horse
| for our carriage. The girl leaned goOd-na-
turedly OVER us and showed Us her hands.
Just look At them. They are twisted out
| of shape and covered with corns from this
work"
| TORN AND TWISTED HANDS.
| And So are mjnc,'' said the others.
| spreading out their poor, distorted mcm-
bers. And, indeed, they were al a sight
to arouse sympathy. Every girls hands in
| the place get torn and twisted and hard
/
| there, were a sight tU make a manicure
| weep at her ina bil.ty to deal with them.
| That afternoon worked hard and didn't
| talk so much, but the rcsult uf my days
| labor vas uuly fourteen bags. I did not
| feel that IL was a very Cr.ditIhic show
| ing. even for an amateur, tholgh | had
| don. Tny work well 50 far rs il went.
| determined, however, To- work the next day
! as hard az ever | could and SEE what
| work l could do, noIy tirst I had mastered
| the machine and hsd soEi- idea ~ what
| to 'lo with the bags.
That evening | talked to the girls in the
| dressing room about expenses and 50 on.
| II seems that there is hardly woman In
| thtS place who hasn't three or more chill
drsu or q mother or some one dependent on
| them.
Inc girls who board have to pay from S15
| 10 $50 month for their living, and then
hey have TO pay for thci- washing, since
they haze no time for doing it themselves
and would be too utterly weary in any
ease 10 take upon themselves the extra
| burden. stree, ear fare and other Incl
dentais take up the rest OF their margin.
what .io you have to dress with?''
asked one OF the girls.
They looked at each other and laughed
W. don't dress very muci- haven't had
anything new in "A year. and my people
have to send the things.''
Some s,f them OF course, are better
plann than others. The girls. as
rule look neat. but their clothing is uniyer-
sally poor and shabby. Talking with va
nous girls about what they earned couldn't
find one who had made over S26 in the
past month
SHE WAS yINpICTIvE.
Wednesday morning | arrived at the
office promptly and went 10 work with
will. | dir, not join in the conversation at
all. yet l could not hcip bu; hear II. Il
was all about senator FJuiSner's speech
and what hc rad said win regard TO the
ease OF their work. One of the girls was
particularly vindictive about the state-
ment tiIat crackers and cheese and couee
had been served to the girls there.
Yes sai1 she, I've been getting fat
Off the CRACKERS and cheese, haven't YOU,
Sadic?''
II uun' see. how they can tell such things.
We were never served with crackers and
cheese here
once they served coffee, hut Gen. Neil
son stopped that
Its right that he should, too said
another What de- we want with their
old c,,ffce? We don't want to be paupers;
want to have money to buy our own
coffee. / say it's Il disgrace To give gov
stument employees food because they are
not paid enough TO buy their own"
"b;d YOU notice what he sad about shop
girls. He said We were better off than
girls who stood behind the counter for 81
and 81 "A week.
Every one knows that girl can't live
on that. The girls who have 10 homes and
work for that price have to exc out their
living is some disgraceful way or die OF
p-ivatioDs. All | wants the chance 70 make
an honest living-thatis everybody right
Why don't You leave here:" l asked.
Yes. that's what Major Tyler says
If you don't like it you can quit But
what / want to know is, why we should
have 10 leave here to make a living: Why
should this place bc run at all IL they can't
pay decent salaries? Isn't this an impOr-
taut part of the government work, and
don't we labor hard enough? Then, too,
everybody knows that there is nothing TO
do in Washington but TO work for the
government
/ didn't say anything more tina; morning.
TIE first bag 1 had gotten hold OF was u
terrible piece of work. 1t WAS worn through
at the boito and had to have an entirely
new bottom on it. Then it had To have
long strips across the neck on both sides.
practically new sack. Besides that. there
were three patches necessary. l settled
down with gritn determination on that
bag and worked at fever heat on ii. 1t
took me exactly forty-five minutes to put
it in shape. Supt. Cullen came up as 1
was finishing it. and asked how many ba IS
1 had done this morning.
TWO CENTS FOR A BAG.
II have done one,' l replied, rather vim
diclively.
..ouc bag: Why, it's 10 O'Clock, Miss
Hunter"
'Iknow ii, and get two cents for this
bag. l wish you'd look at it,