New-York tribune., 1900-12-27
EDUCATING THEMSELVES.
TWO PLUCKY GIRLS WHO ARE PAYING
FOR THEIR OWN SCHOOLING-A
UNIQUE INDUSTRY.

Two girls of sixteen twins, living near BOSTON,
are earning money-one for college education ana
the other for a musical education-by collecting,
cleaning and selling TO growers fruit baskets and
crates that have been used. The idea orsiha'eo
with the girls and from a humble beginning II mas
grown to a thriving industry.
In an interview with a Tribune reporter one "A
the girls said:
vegetable crates that had already been used: our
reason for tn the dTcae wcak oaTseVes for
profession and saw no other opening W. ere
little nearer each other than other sisters At any
rate. one seldom or never mas era 4fe girls living
in Boston and parents were IN coLnLUt @ T1e ope
iS NOT save the pretty little baskets that our c4ok
and other girls cooks always tnreW IT 4IIat we
could Law our hands on, much to the discomI0Trr or
of the housemaid whose business II was 10 Keep ON-
Then nv fathers health falling. moved to the
country and later when it became necessary lT on
small patch of land that went f W11n nnlentifui at
home and we often thought longingly OF T LnT days
o BASKETS Nv sister and took turns driving
our wagon to town with our berries anu " ssE the
grocer to whom sold most OF our I a
he would not be willing to save us the ne was in the
habit of throwing way He agreed but sag t1 anj
oSt mos q 9i we ms wouid take his advice would go to
some of the large apartment houses anu saved for
us, adding that we would be able to ge1 goud tio be
from such house in one day thah ne
able TO give us in a month
IT BEGINS TO PAY.
We had sense enough to the wisdom % qI Iy ms
advice, although neither OF us was cenager of
hotel and he readily agreed to have thg we Would
and crates saved Tor US prpeffor rfTe certain hour
II was soon proved that we had undertaken nc nc
small job but my sister ot of pluck a copac onG sne
determined to keep her U s!oe Ul of crates and
baskets that we hauled from that hotel was was nv We
than enough to supply M US e1 Ior m to other fruit grow
ers near us and were very s9ccess+p tpar years
sunnlv Of course we charged less than lhe ,I;T HT
ones cost but as the cost eos them be US At first we sold
ony those that were too badly stained 20 & IoTa
6sceGgdad as useless until we both began to think
that this wasteful and to try al Asia T remove
these stains without much work one and RPs 4 Is
Ss q%s one secret Of our profession. Nov We use
every basket crate that we haul from ~ This
section who depend entirely on us 70 suPgy PtS a
with baskets and crates WnlIe I50I We we collect one
season is our supply for the next So CT course W.
suppiv. We began with one hotel Now. however.
take them from ten hot hotels @ an6 Sorse When we
started out; have four, ana We We 0 oI'e ~ i e
bed o no essstants; now we have four to do the
collecting while my sister ana TelnadH TH a. o,d % The
Rd md 70 e. the the fsns Sasnsa of the
Ny sister is am6iti9us 70 Pecoin 1eG0e rsf teacher
in the public schools and then professor IN Some
| one of our womans colleges. we nave pau ouI @
expenses at school for more than two years anu We
have every reason hope that our little enter
prise will take all the way TO our proLeSSlOis.
IF II does then will turn things over 70 our
Younger sister who acts as one OF our as as
sisfants and who is already saving up money Ior
she gets her education out Of 1t perhaps there VIII
he some other girl woman who will pc Wlnlhg 70
nav her for the goodwill and custom or the estap-
ished business for by that time 1t appears 70 me
that it will have been in existence long enough 10
! be considered an established business.
HOPES FOR THE FUTURE.
There is only one way that I see that our
business can be interfered with. That Is by the
grocers and wholesale men asking the return OF
their fruit baskets and crates, just as the brewers
ask the return of their bottles. There was time
so NV mother tells me, when Bottles were not con
si5erssd Of anv value Perhaps the same fate is in
store for our little trade ended the work or the
gatherers of bottles. However that time Is not YET
in sight and 1t is my purpose TO make nay Wnlle
the sun shines and think there is time Tor other
girls in other large cities to do the same thing for
| an education for living. Six hundred dollars a
wear gives US each S25 month the entire year ana
! is more than enough to pay for our schooling ana
extra expenses such as the small amount which is
put into our mothers hands each month Tor our
that we are saving each month so toward an ac-
count in a savings bank, % which we expect to
draw for a trip abroad the summer after ouI
| graduation We have it all planned and are care.
full never spend a cent thai should go TOWARD
adding TO that little account We are sixteen and
both will able to money in our future call
ingg before the end of four more years