Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-03-20
A SELF-MADE WOMAN
\ NiGHrGOWN MODEL TEE BEGIN
MING OF HER FORTUNE.

MING OF HER FORTUNE
The True Story of a Young woman's Fail
ure and Success as a Bread Winner in
New York Cisy-She Became Dressmakcr
for Theatrical Folk.
Here is a true story of young wo-
mans failure and success as bread
winner in New York. She came to the
city from little country town intend
ting to go on the stage.
That was five years ago. She was
handsome. and had a talent for dress.
and perhaps talent for acting, but Of
that no one can speak with much as
surance, for she has never had any
chance to act. She besieged managers
and agents only to meet with plentiful
snubs from the responsible ones: her
only chances of engagements came
from the shakieSt of travelling con-
Germs, and as she had no money to
spend in paying her own way home
from remote parts of the country, as
she disliked walking long distances and
had always level head, she would not
leave the city.
In the meanwhile as she was very
clever at sewing and demonstrated it
in her own clothes she managed among
the actresses she encountered to get
some employment for her needle She
worked extraordinarily we'll for inferi
or prices, and among dressmakcrs :ha'
is method sure to furnish bread ii
not butter.
For year she was a most unsettled
unhappy creature, and only making
enough to keep body and soul togeth-
er.
The only chance she got for appear
ing ON the stage was in the chorus OF
comic opera She did not find the
atmosphere very congenial, and when
she was requested to appear in tights
and very little else, she gave up her
position, and her histrionic ambitions
at the same time. She settled down tC
attend to her dressmaking for all it
was worth.
AT that time she was living in a
wretched little room, in which she
slept and sewed and cooked and ate.
She lived on the cheapest food, main
ly rice, for two weeks, to save money
enough to carry out little scheme
she had in her head. This was to make
a night-dress after q pretty, novel idea
or her own. and then try and sell it as
model to one Of the big shops.
She succeeded and got $40 for it. Now
she was enough ahead to try another
step she had conceived as likely to ad.
vance her. She went to young ac-
tress who was to appear In a new COS
tune part" of the eighteenth century.
and offered to make one of her gowns
for nothing II the actress would give
her the benefit Of her influence in get.
ting more work. The actress had none
too much money herself and our hero
Inc managed by some arts and argu-
ment to get the job.
Enough of the preliminary steps, and
let US look at the dressmaker as she is
now. She rents q beautiful house on
one of the good cross streets near Fifth
avenue. Part of the first floor she lets
to fashionable. physician, and his is
the only sign that appears on the
dwelling; she is too swell for a sign.
She has two or three other dodgers, and
the rest Of the house is used by herself
and the thirty seamstresses she en-
ploys.
Last summer In the dull season she
went to Newport and cleared $500 in
TWO months. She dresses very beauti-
fully herself, and gives her costumes
a little touch Of picturesqueness that
advertise her talent to the theatrical
folk, who are still her chief customers.
She says their patronage is the only
connection she wants with the stage
now. She is still young and hand
some. and certainly has fair prospect
of fortune at as early an age as the
successful self-made man generally
achieves it.