The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-09

this beehive, and as many men and
| boys. The editor has asked me to write
something about the life we lead, and
I how such a girl can live in great
city on a salary of Sc per week. and
sometimes send home a little money to
! her family
In the first place, I work in one of
the best-managed stores in the world.
| Everything is done to get self-respect-
/ ing employees and to treat them we'll
l came from a farm up the country,
! and was fortunate in getting this posi-
! ton through a girl friend who used
! to live near my home. Harriet and 1
share room together in house which
! takes dodgers, but does not furnish
! table board. 1t is in a respectable To-
cality, and is within fifteen minutes
walk of the store. So we save car
| fares
The room is nicely, but plainly, fur
niShed, and has a large window. We
pay So per week for it. We might save
a little by living away up town This
saving, however, would go in trolley
car, fares.
we get up promptly at quarter be-
fore I each morning, and at once start
TO make coffee on a little oil stove that
also helps to heat the room in very
cold weather; at other times we are
careful not to use teaspoonful of ker-
osene when it can be helped BY the
time we are dressed the coffee is ready.
and we always have a can of con-
densed milk and little paper of sugar
on hand. We each have d cup of coffee.
and two or three slices of bread and
butter for breakfast. Sometimes we
treat ourselves to oatmeal, but not
often. 90
When half-past comes we start for
the store, and must be upstairs back
of the counter ready for customers the
minute the clock strikes s; for then the
doors are thrown open, and early
shoppers are sure to come.
From that time on until lunch it is a
steady hustle, unless the weather is
stormy My employer has provided
plenty of little chairs, that may be
swung under the counters when not in
use, but as matter of fact they are
not much account. The business in
every part of the store is enormous,
and we get little time to sit down and
rest
l am always ready to quit work when
lunch time comes. at a quarter before
u. OF course, all the clerks cannot
leave at the same hour. so we go in
relays all the way from 1870 until 1870,
and each of us has a full hour, too. NY
employer realizes that 1000 employees, /
whose nerves are on Il constant strain, |
must have rest at noon if they are to
sell goods successfully later in the day.
When my lunch-time comes | go
downstairs to the basement. which has
a big recreation room so arranged that
not one customer in 5000 knows of its
existence. Lunch is served there by
the house, and mighty good food, too:
no fancy dishes, very few sweets, but |
good, substantial stuff. For a cent |
can get cup of good coffee or tea !
Two slices of bread and butter cost a !
cent. Meat sandwiches are cents !
each. canned or stewed fruits cents |
dish. and other things in proportion. |
never yet have been able to eat 10 |
cents worth. This sounds cheap. and !
it is: but the house furnishes every
thing at cost, and in order to cater to
a thousand people a day it buys every
thing in very large quantities.
After lunch ] have about forty min
utes to talk or read magazines that
are provided for us, or to exercise in
the recreation-rOom; but in fine wealth
or L always try to get out doors for
a breath of fresh air.
During the afternoon we get awfully
tired, and at o'clock Harriet and |
go downstairs for our hats and coats
and leave the store. AS rule we
don't say much on our way to dinner
n a nice little restaurant nearby. 1t
S not until we have swallowed our hot
soup that we want to talk, even to each
,ther. The dinner consists of soup,
neat two vegetables, bread and but
er, and pudding, all for % cynts.
Sometimes we don't eat dinner, but
30 home and have coffee and bread in