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


cliued To benevolence. He did not need
any sewers. putt he vas sorry to turn
any Eun away in such hard dimes. She
might gone next week" Fat, unShaV-
IN. blaCk-brcWed and in shirt sleeves,
he leaned against the counter chewing
a cigar. and perspiring freely. The
name sWoat-shop had by this time as
SUmed practical meaning to Dorothy.
a man near by was running some
kind of a big roller by means Of his
feet lie pushed down the right pedal
turned a crank half way. pushed down
the left one, turned the crank in the op-
poSIte direction, and So on with the
regularity of clock-woTk throughout
DoVothyS whole stay. She watched
this treadmin fascinated, while MI.
Mordecai. at her timid request eX-
planned his scale Of wages. Veil, first
you viii work on de sheap waists Forty
cents a dozen / gives you. May be you
make ven dozen the first day. Better
dan noting. Some old hands make
two and half dozen-it is easy york.
Come around next veel-glad to see
YOU
At one big Sansomc Street store she
. was waited on by an-eX extremely hand
some young man, with great velvety
black eyes. Curled muStache WaVy
dark hair and skin like ivory He
80 up TO the factory rooms on the
/ fourth floor and see the forelady. Dor
/ city had gotten used by this time To
/ long. grimy ill-lighted and fCotworn
4 stairCases SO she started up without
muTmur, although some Of the spring
had gene out of her step by the time
( she reached the door that admitted her
/ into the great workrCom.
Several hundred women sat at long
tables in parallel rows. each in charge
Of a whiuing machine and a gigantic
spool Of thread. Some We're working on
0veralls. some on shirts
I Dorothy stopped to regain her breath,
! then crossed the room to a corner
which contained a railed-in desk.
+ To her surprise the forelady seemed
little older than her self: perhaps she
/ was twenty, She was plumply pretty
with a too unchanging flush on the
1 cheeks, whose plUmpness had begun to
drag ever so slightly. she had yelOwed
hair Jouched-up eyebrows, and the
! faintest of hairlines defining her lower
4 eyelids
Who sent you up?" asked the fore
woman, with pleasant peremptcriness.
The clerk in the store"
What was he like? Young as Dor
Yes" she caught herself on the
verge OF saying, 'good-looking. He
had dark eyes-and hair"
'Curled mustache? Yes" a certain
complacency crept into the question
er's tones and scftened their crisp
edges. Have you ever sewed in fac
tory"
Wen. there is no shirt machine
empty, and l don't suppose you want
to do overalls."
Yes. / would. if I could make a liv-
ing at it," Dorothy said, desperately.
In spite of her frightened hair and
tinted cheeks there was kindly inter-
est in the manner Of the "forelady
which Dorothy was quick to feel and
respond to.
But beginner can't make much;
perhaps not more than two or two and
a half a week
That's better than nothing a week.
Yes familiar as the girl must
have been with such situations, her
voice percepubly softened.
4 don't think you'd like the over
all work at all, it is SO heavy and
dusty You'd better wait a while. III
try TO get you shirt machine. You
can't make as much at first but ii
Will pay more when you've learned"
Can't I begin on overalls and take
up shirts later?"
The ..forelady" shook her head
That's against the rules. We never
change from one 70 the other. If you
begin on overalls you'll have TO stay
there Well you come Monday morn
ing, and / guess l can manage shirt
machine for you.
She smiled amiably in farewell, and
Dorothy went OFF cheered.
To be sure the place promised nc
bette. pecuniarily than almost any OF
the others. but the forewoman's evident
personal interest was a solace TO Doro-
rhv's forlorn heart. She spent the rest
Of the day hunting for a room, for a
beard bill Of 500 a month was imprac-
ticable on a salary Of forty cents 81
thereabOuts day. She intended tC
make bigger wages after q while, but
, common sense told her that she could
not expect 10 become skillful and RAPID
at once. and luckily her board was paid
UP 10 that evening, 50 that she had hel
s. clear
long and wearisome search result
ed in her finding another tiny, DARK
room on a fourth fioor,a good mile from
the shop but only s. d month. She
spent q busy afternoon getting moved
At 6 o'clock she went for dinner to q
large. bright restaurant, which she haC
often passed, and OF which she haC
heard as very reasonable in price. I'
DOrDthy'S ineXperience the rates seem
self TO fifteen cents for which she re
ceived two fine boiled potatoes, a gen
I erOus slice Of roast beef all the bread
and butter she wanted. a glass Of icec
water. good service. and an atmosphere
of brilliant cleanliness. The fact thai
her vis-a-vis flirted with the blonde
1 mugtachcd waiter and accepted an in
vftatign 10 visit the Orpheum tina
night seemed "A very small matter e
Dor0thy'S suddenly enlarged view 81
life She ate heartily, went TO bee
early. and fell asleep in the midst Of {
HOPELESS struggle To conform herself
physically 10 the rocky hills and pre-
cfpitous valleys OF her excelsior mat
ltrass. and awoke in the morning muci
refreshed.
Monday. s O'Clock, found her waitin:
at the factory The fOrewoman gave
: her a hurried smile and later ma
chine.
Press with your toe when you wan
the power on. Heel TO break the cur
t rent" she instructed. Here is a pill
Of collars. stitch close TO the edge
. perfectly straight
J Dorothy left TO her own devices, al
, iusted the linen strips, pressed with he
toe. whrred the strip through in n
/ time. pressed with her heel, and stop
ped 10 gaze delightedly at her straigh
line Of stitching.
: You'll do" the forewOman said in
low tone, appearing suddenly by he
: side: but don't waste time
Dorothy followed her injunction. Col
( lar after collar flew across her glitter
t 1 ing plate. and by noon she displaye
t them To the forewoman with pardon
! able exultation.
2 The dark-eyed young man wa
. standing by, and he said something 10y
Il