The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-21
LIVES ON HER MINT.
Mrs. Weber Has Inherited a Novel
But Paying Business.
Fom the St. Louis Republic.

Fom the st. Louis Republic
Just beyond the tracks that cross East
Prairie avenue, near the river, lives a
blue-eyed, gray-haired woman, who is
earning a competence in a novel occupa-
ton for one of her sex.
This is Mrs. Mary Weber, the widow
ed daughter of Christian Sanneman, an
esteemed German-American citizen of st.
Louis of two decades ago. Mr.. Sanneman
was a brewer early in his life, but left the
malt watts for a tract of low land near the
river where nearly fifty years ago he
planted two acres of mint. He built an
unpretentious home at one corner of the
tract and he and his good wife cultivated
the little farm until it was in a fair way
to yield a fortune Mr.. Sanneman died
when this was in the course of accom-
plishment and the mint farm was divided
between the widow and several children.
Most of the ground was devoted to build
ing sites, only a three-quarter bit on
North Second street being left for the
propagation of the cool and fragrant
herb. This portion fell to Mrs Weber,
the wife of Jacob A. Weber, a shipping
clerk of this city. The same year that
witnessed the death Of her father brought
the dread guest to her own home and bore
away with him her husband. This oc-
CURED ten years ago, and since that time
Mrs. Weber has supported herself and her
family largely from the proceeds of the
inherited mint bed.
On the site of her fathers old home Mrs
Weber has built three-story brick house,
which is neatly and comfortably furnish
ed. This looks upon the family bread
winner, the mint bed which is varied by
an occasional rose bush and fruit tree.
There are hot beds at one end. and
these are the objects of constant care by
the family, which consists of the widow
and a grown son and daughter of 16 years.
The profitable season is between the
months of May and October, and June
the best month of all The mint roots are
set out in May, and the proprietress' time
is given 10 them from that date until late
in the autumn. She clips and punches the
mint In the afternoon and evening and the
morning is given to sales. She drives 10
the leading hotels and largest saloons and
makes the sales herself. 1t is not neces-
sary to solicit custom. Most of II has been
inherited with the mint bed. The men
who patronized her father give their pat
ronage to the dal lighter. She is not with
out competitors. but they are all Of the
male sex, and are not as gallant as might
be expected. Some of them, arguing that.
''all is fair in love and war and business"
have called on some of Mrs. Webers pa
irons, saying that she was i'll and had
asked them to supply her customers. But
Mrs Weber is never I'll. Not in the sum-
mer at least, for she says she cannot let
her customers go mintless. and they have
come to understand the robust state Of
her health during the summer season and
to scorn usurpers
Mrs. Weber, like the wise business wo-
man she is. refuses to say how much the
min il n
say that she keeps the big house going
and puts aside the desired sum in pro-
vision for a rainy day" She has sup
plemented her income by dealing in lem
onade straws. Every summer she drives
into the country for a radius OF twenty
miles in search of rye straws that will
serve that purpose If she finds the kind
she desires she buys 1t in the fidd But
she is very hard to please in the matter
of the quality Of the straw, and has finally
settled to the patronage OF farmer near
Black Jack. who has a yearly contract
with her. Wowanlike. she cannot tell
what is most desirable I'm the straw, but
she knows when she sees it," and after
all. that is quite sufficient.
Her business proves quite remunera-
tive enough to suit Mrs. Weber, but she
signs sometimes for what she deems more
ladylike employment If she were a
dressmaker, for instance. she thinks she
could escape the seventies of the ele-
ments, forgetting that the yielding, odor-
ferrous mint Is more tractable than yards
Of silk and cloth watched over with jeal-
Gus eyes by the owner, and that women
who employ modistes are sometimes less
courteous than the saloonkeepers Speak
ing Of the owners and proprietors Of sa-
looms. the modest little woman says
People say a great deal against saloon
keepers, but they have always been kind
TO me. II they were not, l might get dis
couragcd sometimes"
What a peculiar, PARKWAY look that