Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-01-16

from moor 10 n0or.
And among all these throngs of men
and women, amid all the hum and buzz
of business, 1uxon Irishwoman
moved from floor to floor, from hall to
hall, and swept and scrubbed and
busted, in undisturbed tranquility.
No one knew the name of this
happy Irishwoman. She was called
'The Scrubwoman" Her position
was one of dignity She went her
humdrum way regardless of every one
and in the way of no one. From the
regular tenants of the building she re-
ceived a morning greeting, from young
stenographers and book-keepers, a
smile as well. To these she returned
a smile and top of the marnin' to
yez," or some bit of Irish wit in strong
Irish brogue that they could not un-
derstand.
Tenants moved to another building
and tenants moved in. Tenants
failed and tenants consolidated. Clerks
lost their positions or gained them,
fell ill or married, and set up house
keeping elsewhere. but the Scrub
woman" remained. OF her it might
well be said, Men may come and men
may go, but l go on forever"
Calm as the placid bosom of shall
low pool. on still August days; seem
ingly as happy as niinnow in brook,
the scrubwoman washed and swept
and busted day in and day out. Her
face was broad and ner features thick.
Her scant yellowish-gray locks were
strained away from her forehead and
twisted in tight knot at the back of
her head; her dress was of bright
calico, and over it she wore a ging-
ham apron and cardigan jacket. At
her side hung a ponderous bunch Of
keys, and her wand of Office was a
feather buster. Such was the woman
who scrubbed the floors.
81 wish | was the scrubwoman,"
said the pale stenographer to the man
of business. Then" said she, Il
should be happy. l should have
achieved the utmost of which was
capable and fulfilled the measure of
look for anything better than steady
job of scrubbing floors. 1t is the
best she can do and she is happy.
Her position is secured and all that
she cares for besides is warm place
to eat her 'pratie' and drink her cup Of
'tay.' | wish | had no higher ambi-
lions than she and was in her place"
''You would not if you were she,"
said the sage man of business. looking
up from his check-book You would
then find there was something you had
not and wish for it just as much as
you wish for higher things now"
Il don't agree with you. She must
be happy She looks it," averred the
stenographer, as she sat down at her
desk.
Appears another scrubwoman on the
scene. One who does private Offices,
and who is vastly different from her
mate of the halls She is as lean as
the other is fat, her features are thin
and sharp and her nose is red. Her
skirt of crepon has long since seen it's
best days and is full of holes and very
much soiled. Her slef are out at
elbows and her cloak o. q long by
gone date. She looks as unhappy, as
forlorn and as wretched as her mate
looks happy and clean, and moreover
her language, strange to say. Is of the
best of English, almost "highfalutin."
She tells her employer that she had
almost forgotten it was his day till
she looked on her book" She speaks
| of her business and talks about seeing
gentleman in another Office. (To en-
gage his cleaning, We presumed She
says she has some washing to do for a
young lady down stairs. 'The lady
that formerly did it didn't put starch
enough in the clothes"
Then the stenographer who happens
to be watching sees little by-play in
the hall. Plump scrubwoman appears
with her buster. Lean scrubwoman
sees her, and going out, whispers to
her with sympathetic accents, and
leaves her with a tender tap on the
arm, and plump scrubwoman goes on
busting.
'1'm so sorry for that poor woman, y
says Mrs. Forlornity. "Why?" asks
the stenographer. why, she's in such
trouble. Her niece that she brought
up from baby, and all the relation
she has, is dying with consumption
The other night they thought she
wouldn't live. She takes care OF
herself daytimes, and nights this wo
man takes care of her, and then comes
here and sweeps day times. just
think it's awful sad, and she feels sc
about it; poor woman" Thus says
lean Mrs. Forlornity, and the stem
ographer thinks the plump scrub
woman isn't so enviable after all.
And when she overhears her, the
day after Thanksgiving, thanking heI
employer for turkey, she wonders II
the poor dying niece could eat a Bit
and is glad that the poor woman has
the turkey, IL with it she can only
tempt the poor girls appetite. And
she thinks that we seldom know what