The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1899-07-16
TRIALS OF A WOMAN.
SHE WHO TAXES THE TICKETS AT
THE PICTURE SHOWS.

AS Iulc the young woman VINO
takes tickets at the picture exhibition
is an art student herself The other
girls trying to earn money envy her
and think she has a soft thing" 1t
is apparently easy enough to be the
ticket taker at a 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. "fou have to keep your eyes
| open all tie time, for there are a large
number of people who try to run past
without tickets. l have to go after
| people dozen times n 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 ticketr and
| proceeded calmly on her way. l ran
after her again.
l. Madame l said. 1 shall have to
trouble you for a ticket
II have already told you 1 had
none She said.
s" I'm afraid you will have to get
one said |. | was beginning to be
afraid | should lave to get 'bouncer
10 put her out for l was determined
she should not 80 in without paying
| That is what I'm here for, and | am
conscientious. Well. ut last she fiounc-
ed out to the ticket office, bought her
ticket and put it down on my desk,
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 Il catalogue
for Il minute and keep it the whole aft
ernoon. | have to be very stern about
catalogues. The best way is to polite
ly look up whatever picture is asked
for and - absolutely refuse to let any
| one TAX a catalogue for moment.
One mic, old lady took me at my word,
and | really believe she asked me
every single number in the room. 1
did more than p cents worth of work
for her. l 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
lures? he asks.
Yes; would you like to know the
price of any?' | reply.
There is one in the other ROOM he
says.
What is the number?' l ask.
"'l can't tell you the number. but it's
in the other room
Then | have to send him for the
number.
mo. 221.'
THAT is $500.
"'WhyT asks my old gentleman
IF it's early in the afternoon. 1 OK
plain to him that l suppose the artist
thinks it worth that; that he is we'll
known, or what not; later l say. 1
don't know Not one person in 30 of
). those who ask the price have the
slightest idea of buying. Some will
20 through half an exhibition and in
sist on knowing the prices Of all. |
get so tired of being polite and affable
to all these people that by the time
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 n picture
over and over again and each time
having the people eXclaim, What an
awful price,
"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
and say, Isn't this awful trash?' in an
accusing sort of way. as though
had done it all myself. And one man
fairly shook his fist in my face and
demanded his money back. It's
swindler he shouted at me. But ii
really wasn't my fault.
AT 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 day"
don't tell them that if l sat among
the works of the masters much longer
should 20 mad. but l would like TO.
"The other day n friend of mine
took my place. \ man came up to her
and asked:
Miss. is your picture among these
works of art?'
why, no. she replied.
f HE stood off a little way and
suuinted at her. 1t should be-you
are worthy of it. Did no one ever tel
YOU You had a beautiful profile?
That was little startling. coming
. from an utter stranger. Later she
learned that her admirer was -, the
well known photographer OF course
he had been looking at her through an
artists eyes and from purely ar
tistic standpoint and had meant nc
offense. But it was trying. New
York Commercial Advertiser.