The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-11
ANACONDA NEWS.
mrs, iHASkELL'S CHANCE
Rain Gave Her Start as a
Lawyer.
STORY OF THE UMBRELLAS
Her First Client Was Merchant Who
Sent Her Out to Gather
Up His Loaned-out
Rain-Shedders.
STORY OF THE UMBRELLAS

The New York Sun publishes story
told by Mrs. Ella Knowles Haskell, for
merly assistant attorney general of this
Haskell's first experience as a collector
and is highly interesting. The story is
as follows:
Chance, I am convinced, frequently
has as much to do with professional
woman's successful start as dogged de-
sign" said one of a group of women
gathered in a room in the Fifth Avenue
hotel. 4. One of the women was Ella
Knowles Haskell, ex-assistant attorney
general of Montana, who is said to be
the only woman who ever got $4,000
cash fee in her profession. A second
was physician from Iowa, by name
Bransworth, and one of three sisters
who are successful doctors. The third
was newspaper woman. A fourth
was interested in Western mining ven
lures, and two more had business of
their own that brought them to New
York.
TT was funny chance in my case"
said Mrs nowles-Haskell. Il had
been teacher in Montana, but aspired
to more than teachers pay, so I de-
cided I'd get it in the law business
After 1 had been graduated there WAS
vigorous opposition to me, and. in fact,
had to pull a bill through the 1egisla-
ture to permit women to practice law in
the state. Then l was a full-f1edged
lawyer, but without a client or an idea
of any one likely to throw even SIS fee
in my way. I determined I'd got to
have some money" Mrs. Haskell was
carelessly playing with an old half dol
lar now. II started out to find some
bills to collect. 1t wasn't lofty aspira-
ton, but apparently nobody had any
bills in Helena for Miss Knowles to col
lect. Everybody either had no bills or
had his own collectors or counsel
finally found a man who admitted he
had some old debts, and rather poohed
at the idea of my attempting to realize
on themS T. finally got him to promise
to get them together in couple of
days. I marched around in a couple of
days.
You is it? Well, haven't had time
to get those bills together Come around
again in a day or two.
He was still fairly polite. In the
day or two appeared and he wasn't SO
polite; but I persuaded him to give me
another chance, and in few days 1
called once more. 1t was a vile nasty
day. raining like the deluge. The rain
had started rather unexpectedly, and
home.
You, is it?' growled the merchant
If he had said what he wanted to SLY
it would have been wildly blue and
smelled Of sulphur. If you want to col
lect anything for me why don't you so
out and collect my umbrellas? I've
loaned 'em to everybody until haven't
one for myself tonight In moment
or two he had poured out the names Of
the people who were in full enjoyment
of his umbrellas and wound up with:
GO and collect those if you want to do
anything for me-
WILL said, and before he realized
that was in earnest had vanished
Now the names of the people he had
fashionable families in polite Helena So
city. But I rang the bell Of the first
mansion. When the maid opened the
door said with polite firmness:
I am Miss Ella Knowles from AS
office, mentioning where had studied.
Mr.. B. has sent me to collect the UNI
brella he loaned to Mr.. c.
Indeed there was CONSERVATION, but
insisted, and when the door closed be-
hind me I had the borrowed umbrella
under my arm and marched to the sec
ond mansion. To the maid here I re-
peated the same formula, and at the
third house also, leaving behind me q
trail Of indignant. insulted househ dds
There are the three umbrellas
which you ordered me TO collect from
such and such houses said I as laid
them down before the merchant Then
he wasn't polite. Oh no! He said
things, but I only said, You told me to
collect them. MY fee is so cents
With another explosion he threw
this 50-cent piece at me and rushed
away to begin what proved a long ope-
ration Of smoothing over those three
fashionable households. The story was
too good to keep. 1t leak I'd out, and
before the man had made his peace
with those three households he had sent |
for me to do some law work for him.
Soon I had all that mans legal business
and since then have had as high as
a $4,000 fee from him for a single case"