Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-09-14
THEIR NOVEL FIELD.
TWO YOUNG WOMEN WON WlIER- A
MAN MET FAILURE.


Two women who had to support them
selves felt that the task would be easier
if they could work together As they
were not fitted to be teachers in these
days of exciting higher education and
had no adaptability for millinery and
dressmakng beyond the ability to wear
their own clothes well after they had Sc
lccted them with taste, the occupation of
making clothes and hats for their friends
was impossible. They thought of a violet
farm and decided that there was too lit
tie seriousness about that shuddered at
the task of trying to crowd boarders into
their small home and dreaded the re-
sponsibility of renting n larger house
that would make the business profitable
y restaurant in the smart town they liv-
ed i'll would have been impossible, al
though for various reasons it appealed to
them. They could go away and leave it
at night and not have its presence a con-
stant reminder that they were at work.
In their fondness for this idea they de-
voted more thought to the restaurant
scheme than to any other. Confident
that way can usually be found they
tried every possible means of combining
the keeping of restaurant with resi-
dence in a suburban town where such an
establishment would have been useless
and doomed to bankruptcy. They were
determined women, however, intent on
carrying through their plan and compel
led, moreover by necessity to do some
thing of the kind.
Finally an idea that seemed possible of
execution occurred to one of them. The
| railroad station of the small town in
which they lived was the center Of sev-
eral connecting branches of the road.
Many persons changed cars there for
points reached by the small branch lines
that ran in various directions. For that
reason this station was of much more
Importance than the size of the town
would ordinarily have caused. Its bust
nesslike character was proved by its pos
session of small restaurant. which is
rare enough in suburban towns. The
restaurant was in a dingy corner of the
little station, shut off by n glass inclo-
sure. 1t offered the customary supply of
stale cakes and fruit. Its more substan-
tial offerings were to be enjoyed only be-
hind glass doors. Coffee and sandwiches,
cold meats and soup. made up the avail
able menu. All these things were of the
body accustomed to eating anything bet
ter ever thought of partaking of the sta
ton food except in the most extreme
emergency. The usual lack of cleanli-
ness was observable. and the business
had an air of Indifference to a patrons
wishes.
If the food had been better and the lit
tie compartment neater patronage would
have been greater and the expenses of
running the place not Increased in the
least. But the man who kept it was
satisfied with the degree of profit he
made and had no ambition to improve the
quality of his customers So the restau-
rant remained as untidy and neglected as
it had always been, and there were no
signs OF change. Occasionally there
were murmurs of discomfort when cir
cumstances compelled one of the resi-
dents of the rather wealthy suburban
community about the town to drink the
weak coffee or eat the stale sandwiches
But these protests would have amounted
to nothing had not large stockholdpr in
the road been once compelled to undergo
this experience. From that time the res
taurant keeper was doomed. 1t became
known that he was TO 90, and that event
correspondcd exactly with the ideas of
the two young women. They wanted to
keep the railroad restaurant, saw chances
of a good income out of il and the oppor-
tunity of living in the country. The in
Hucncc of friends got them the lease of
the restaurant before its first incumbent
retired sullenly, with many mutterings
concerning the rich who tried to take
bread and butter out of the mouth of the
poor to make way for them.
If anybody ever meets with an ideal
railroad restaurant in neighboring
state, it will in all probability be this
one, for a second never existed. One of
the partners recently married at the end
of their third year of business, but her
associate carries ii on as successfully as
ever. They began by making the place
neat, which was the least expensive of
their improvements, although none of
these made their way of conducting the
place any more costly than their prede-
cessors had been. Two maids in appro-
pirate dress suppanted the slovenly men
formerly in attendance. All of the
pastries came from the home of one of
the two women, where cook was en-
gagged for certain time every day pre-
pairing the articles needed at the restau-
rant. In addition to bread this included
on the small stove in the restaurant were
only those that required to be served
Immediately. The table service was
scrupulously clean, and the glass inclo-
sure of the restaurant was shiny in its
polish.
The increase in business was immedi-
ate. During the first month the gain was
% per cent, and at the end of year
five times as much business as the pre-
ceding proprietor had ever known was
coming to these two enterprising young
women. One of them was always in the
restaurant during the daytime. 1t closed
at o'clock in the evening, and in the
early evening hours one of the maids took
charge of the business. The two women
found that they could support themselves
well on their profits. The railroad peo-
pie were delighted at the redemption of
the place, thereby exhibiting an unsus-
pected regard for the comfort of their
patrons. AS If every difficulty were to
be removed from their path the former
proprietor of the place opened restau-
rant across the way and succeeded in