The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-10-19
ALL SQUEEZE HER A N
Manicure Girl Learns the Weak Side
OF Mems Nature.

Washington Post.
IF you want TO become convinced that
men are deceivers ever take up my bust
ness" said a bright-eyed little manicure
girl in the barber shop of one of the down.
town hotels the other day. II used to
have great faith-in men-inherited it, 1
suppose-but now I'm firmly convinced
that few are to be trusted by a woman,
unless the woman wants to be fooled.
III tell you how / have reached this
conclusion: / have been manicuring four
years., and / can't recall six men of ali
whose hands I've manicured who haven't
tried to make more or less desperate love
to me. You may not believe it. but 1 can't
remember when I've had a male customer
who has not tried to slyly squeeze my
hand while 1 was working on his. They
wait until their hand is in such a position
that 1T will seem almost unintentional,
then they press my fingers, lightly at first,
and cast sly, significant glances at me to
see If L notice it. Then they get a little
holder and squeeze a little harder.
AT first ii embarrassed me, for l didn't
like the idea of a strange man squeezing
my hand. and suppose l used to blush a
little. L thought, like a silly girl, that they
were, If not in love, at least sentimentally
impressed with me. When l found, how
ever, that they all did the same thing and
when other manicure girls told me that all
their male customers squeezed their hands,
1 got to taking ii as a matter of course.
Now L expect them to do it, and / think no
more or 1t than L do of clipping a corner
of one of their nails.
1t is curious" resumed the manicure girl,
daubbing her customers nails with rouge
preparatory to the final polishing. that the
hand-squeeZing I've been telling YOU OF is SO
general. Now, L could understand why a
young bachelor, sentimentally inclined.
would want to squeeze my hand. Without
bragging at all, but just speaking plain
facts, I've a nice hand. 1t is soft and
smooth and well shaped. The shape, Of
course, L can't help, and the Softness is due
TO my. profession, for L think it a good
advertisement to have my own hands
pretty.
80, as 1 say. l could excuse a young
unmarried fellow for squeezing my hand.
but can you tell me why the married men
do 1t? I've one customer-a fine gentleman
OF Washington, who is pretty wealthy-who
comes once a week to nave his nails mani
cured. They are naturally very easily cared
Tor, ana once a week Is much too often for
him TO have it done, and I've told him so.
He says, with a leering grin, which he
that, but / like to PpTes yo me do tn in He en how
a beautiful wife, who sends for me every
week to manicure her hands. They are
much more beautiful than mine, and just
as we'll cared for. Now, why doesn't that
fellow squeeze his wife's hands if he must
squeeze some ones?
Then there are the ministers. Really,
VI III H HdnUSQueeZeTS Il DGleVe the
ministers are-well, perhaps not the worst
but as bad as any of the others. even in
Guiding the married men. / have two or
three ministers who come to me every
week, and they invariably squeeze my
hand and make what they think are pretty
remarks about how soft it is. / treat them
like the rest, and get their half-dollars.
and sometimes more.
And, speaking of tips, reminds me of
a drunken man l had here the other day.
Oh, yes; 1 have them nearly every day,
and l don't mind them nearly so much
as some of the sober men. You see. a
drunken mar is usually pretty good ma
tured. At least, he is when he has ar
rived at that point where he wants his
hands manicured. Well, the other day a
drunken man came in and had his nails
fixed up. He paid me a half-dollar for
the job, and then turned. put a quarter
| couldn't see it. and said: Now. for
heavens sake don't spend that foolishly.'
Yes, L sometimes have some funny
experiences. One day last week an aw-
middle age leaned over the gate to my
little pen and said: How much do YOU
charge to manicure?' l told him so cents.
He was leaning on the top of the gate, with
one hand hanging over and the other ap-
parently in his pocket. Il think you ought
to manicure me for a quarter he said.
L told him / didn't see why l should make
a special rate in his case, and he argued
until l got a little sore. Then. when he
saw L was getting mad, he stepped inside
and l saw he had only one arm.
mo. I charged him the full rate. AS a
matter OF fact, we ought to get more for
manicuring a man who has but one arm.
Did you ever think that there is but one
thing a man with only one arm cannot
learn to do for himself? He cant manicure
his hand, no matter how hard he tries
and his nails, of course, are nearly ALWAYS
in q bad condition"