Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-06-24
TRIALS OF A WOMAN.
SHE WHO TAKES THE TICKETS AT
THE PICTURE SHOWS.

vites a Study of Some of the Curl
Gus Phases of Human Nature That
at Times Are on Dress Parade.
AS rule the young woman who
takes tickets at the picture exhibition
is an art student herself. The other
and think she has a soft thing" 1t
is apparently easy enough TO be the
ticket taker at picture show. All
there is to do, apparently, is to sit in
a roomful of pictures, take peoples
tickets as they come in and sell cata-
logues.
You would be surprised to see how
much work it is" said a girl who
takes tickets at one of the big exhi-
bitions. You have to keep your eyes
open all the time, for there are large
numbec of people who try to run past
without tickets. l have to go after
people a dozen times day, calling
Ticket, please and they turn on me
with an indignant stare. Most of
them then go and buy tickets. But
one well dressed woman the other day
took up her lorgnette, looked me over
from head to foot. and said in an icy
tone: Ticket! l have no ticketv and
proceeded calmly on her way. l ran
after her again.
Madame l said, L shall have to
trouble you for ticket
"I have already told you had
none,' she said.
I'm afraid you will have to get
afraid l should have to get 'bouncer'
to put her out, for l was determined
she should not go in without paying.
That is what I'm here for, and l am
conscientious. Well, at last she f1ounc-
ed out to the ticket office, bought her
saying:
What an imposition
'"That is one sort of the people have
to deal with. Then the other is the
kind who wish to borrow a catalogue
for minute and keep it the whole aft
ernoon. l have to be very stern about
catalogues. The best way is to polite
ly look up whatever picture is asked
for and to absolutely refuse to let any
one take catalogue for moment.
One nice old lady took me at my word,
and really believe she asked me
every single number in the room.
did more than % cents worth of work
for her, can tell you. The worst is
telling people the price Of pictures. Aft
ter about six weeks of it it CRATES on
ones nerves. This is what continually
happens: A threadbare old gentleman
comes to the desk:
".Do you know the price of pic
turesY he asks.
Yes; would you like to know the
price of any? 1 reply.
"'There is one in the other roem.' he
says.
What is the number? ask.
90 can't tell you the number, but it's
in the other ROOM
Then l have to send him for the
number.
"'No. 221.'
"'That is $780,
"'Why? asks my old gentleman.
''If it's early in the afternoon, i ex-
plain to him that l suppose the artist
thinks it worth that; that he is well
known, or what not; later l say, 4
don't know Not one person in 90 of
those who ask the price have the
slightest idea of buying. Some will
go through half an exhibition and in
sist on knowing the prices of all. l
get so tired of being polite and affable
to all these people that by the time 1
get out in the evening l am ready to
insult my dearest friend for the sake
Of being rude to some one. It's SO
hopeless telling the price of a picture
over and over again and each time
having the people exclaim, What an |
awful priceY
"a great many people hold me per-
sonally responsible for the pictures. |
Lots Of people come and talk very dis
agreeably to me about them. What |
makes them have such bad shows?
they ask me. Young men come up
md say, Isn't this awful trashY in an
sort of way, as though l
had done it all myself. And one man
fairly shook his fist in my face and
demanded his money back. It's
swindlep he shouted at me. But it
,eally wasn't my fault.
cat private exhibitions it's different.
There people come up to me and say,
What a privilege to sit among the
works of the masters all dayp l
lon't tell them that if / sat among
he works of the masters much longer
should go mad, but l would like to.
1.-THE other day a friend of mine
ook my place. A man came up to her
Ind asked:
Miss, is your picture among these
works of art?'
"'Why, no. she replied.
"He stood off a little way and
quinted at her.. 1t should be-you
re worthy of it. Did no one ever tell
'ou. you had a beautiful profile?
'That was little startling, coming
rom an utter stranger. Later she
earned that her admirer was -, the
veil known photographer. OF course
e had been looking at her through an
rtist's eyes and from a purely ar
isIic standpoint and had meant no
ffense. But it was trying."-New
,ork Commercial Advertiser
L.