The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-13


whereupon the forewoman. not wholly
unaccustomed To such occurrences.
brought her to in a business-like man
ner and sent her out for fresh air.
AS Dorothy crept weakly down the
last flight she heard familiar giggle,
and peeping out saw Julia Levy in the
glass counting room; why. of course,
The Jules Levy for whom Dorothy
worked must be Julia LeVy's father.
She had never thought of that. Dor
othy was not of an envious disposition,
but as she shrank back into the shad-
ow her ears filled with the rustling of
Julia's silk-ined frock and her over
running chatter about the European
trip she was to take after the holidays,
ii is not strange that her thoughts
flew to other dayS-dayS when Julia
Levy. smuggIad into the eminentIy eX-
elusive boarding school by the force of
her fathers influence, had cried out
many a passionate hour in DOrothy'S
arms. The poor little Jewess had been
mercilessly ostracised until Dorothy be-
came her champion, and to the last had
been tolerated mainly by virtue Of Dor
Uthy's influence. Now she was going to
Europe to study art. Dorothy could not
help n weak smile at that. But she did
not care to meet her, so she gave up
her walk and sat on the draug1ty stairs
instead
When she returned to the workroom
she was struck by the remarkable
change that had come over it. The
whirring machines were all still, and
the girls were gathered in excited.
pale-faced groups around Henry Levy,
the dark-eyed young man.
IT'S a go, girls. sure" he was say
ing. "A horizontal reduction of 10 per
cent all around"
Then Wen strike" one woman cried.
We're ground down now to skin and
bone; we can't take less and live. Look
at met
Truly. she was a CHASTITY sight, with
the paleness of poverty made several
shades ghastlier by the pallor of anger
and despair
It's the new schedule or nothing"
Henry Levy said,
The women looked at their forewom-
an. I'm with you, girls" the fore
woman said. the rouge showing plain
ly now on the blue-white skin from
which all natural color had fled.
Henry Levy turned to her inpatient
ly.
What are you talking about? You've
no kick coming-you get your hundred
a month all the same. The less you
say the better off you'll be-
L don't care!" she burst out; I'm
workingwoman, and I'll not stand by
to see this starvation business carried
on any further. If they go, l go"
The women crowded around her
! hopefully. They knew she had influence
with the firm. They were in the habit
of saying that Henry Levy, the nephew
and superintendent, was sweet on
| her.
| Dorothy sat. stunned, on a by
| bench, while Henry Levy called down
| the tube for the proprietor, who re-
spOnded promptly to the call; fat,
beaming. amiable and imperturbable.
Business has fallen off. times are
hard and l can get plenty of women at
my own rates. he said. Sorry to lose
! you. Of course, but that is all | am
| going To pay
Without another word the women
| left Still faint, Dorothy sat notion
| less, listening to the tramp, tramp OF
! hundreds Of desperate feet descending
the uneven stair steps. An excited dis
cussion was going on between the two
men and the forewoman. Dorothy
heard them offer to increase her sal
airy. but she remained firm.
4 don't need it, she said. Those
poor wretches do I stand by them"
So she went her way. Dorothy, who
rose to follow, was detained by the
younger man.
This is Miss Gordon" he said to his
uncle She is the best hand in the
room. I've been watching her. Quick
as creased lightning. In six weeks
she's been through the whole business. .
Jules Levy looked at her keenly. He
liked her firm poise of body and deter
mined expression Of CountenanCe, for all
weakness had disappeared in her over
| whelming admiration Of the courage
and generosity of the forewoman.
She wished he would offer her some
| thing so that she could express the in
| dignation burning within her. He did
| Miss Gordon" he said, this is q
mighty lucky strike for you. You know
the shop pretty well, and if you think
you can keep the accounts you car
have Miss Window 5 place as forelady
at 500 a month"
Herosm was not 50 easy to manage
in view Of 800 a month.
She told herself that Miss Windor
was not in as desperate condition a
she After two years at that salary
the forewoman must have saved some
thing. Then she had acquaintance
and a standing in her business; she
would sooner or later get another posi-
ton.
Should Dorothy refuse she had ne
! alternative but another sweat-shop
another weary round Of the work tha
was killing her.
Come, that's right" said the elder
Levy. BE a sensible girl You're too
smart to be running a machine, any
way You'll never get another chance
like this"
Il don't want another one, she crieC
with sudden, proud uplifting of hel
head Il don't want another chance t.
see women and girls ground to deatf
so that your daughter and other Ounce.
like her can go pleasuring to Europe
If l can't hold out at running ma
chine. can at least starve like the res
Of them"
A crowd of grim-lipped women await
ed Dorothy on the street. but MIS-
Windon was nowhere to be seen.
That's all right, girls, Doroth!
said as they fell apart to let her pass
Tn no scab."
Then the search for work begaI
again, but December was far advanced
and all the factories We're short of or
ders. The shops had their extra holi
day clerks already engaged, and Dor
othy found nothing to do.
At the employment offices which sh
haunted her thin face and frail phys
ique told against her.
She no longer ate generous fifteen
cent dinners Of beef and potatoes, am
had 1t not been for a neat Woman
Chistian Temperance Union coffee
house down on Howard Street, sh
would certainly have starved; as i
was she managed to keep herself aliv
on ten-cent tickets day. One cen
for coffee, one for rolls in the morn
ing: one cent for soup, one for bread
another for a potato, another for
stew at noon; tea. bread, and a thiI
slice of cold meat at night.
1t gave her about one-half the nour
ishment she needed, and was not al