The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1902-02-11
HER TRIALS ENDED.

YES said her husband. 81 had over 30,
all able, according to their own accounts, to
do everything l wanted, all experienced
shorthand writers and typewriters, and
used to office routine. Really, Jennie, it's
dreadful to see so many girls-pretty ones,
too, some of them-so eager for work and the
money it means
Yes; it is dreadful, poor things. Tell me
about some of them. Have you engaged any
one definitely"
'There were two equally good,' he an
swered "and l shall decide between them
tomorrow; but I'm not thinking about them
| so much as about another girl-well, she
was woman, 40 or more, | should say
who applied. She was quite out of the cues
ton, of course; indeed, don't know why
she ever came, as distinctly stated young
lady in the advertisement; but she was in
such state of anxiety to get work that
she quite impressed me, and | tested her
capabilities, which were nothing to speak of.
She offered to come for anything three dol
lars a week. even, she said-and l was so
much annoyed with her that am afraid I
spoke rather sharply. 1 told her thought
it very wrong for any woman to offer to work
for so little and thus lower the wages of
her fellow workers. You know how strongly
feel on this matter, Jennie, and thought
afterward perhaps | said too much. She was
nearly crying, and said if ! could give her
any kind of work she would be most crate
full. She was such a funny-ooking old maid,
too-prim and thin, looking as if she had
come out of the ark"
"Oh, Richard" said his wife, chow wis.,
you could have given her the appointment!
am so sorry for her; perhaps she was
starving. Have you her address? DO try
and find something for her to do
"Why, little woman, don't get so anxious
about it. | have lot of copying want
done, and have been half thinking would
ask her to do it. I'll write to htr to-mor-
row, and perhaps might hear of something
permanent that would do for he:. 1t was
absurd offering to come for three dollars
week think | kept her addrese.-yes, here
it is. Miss Priscilla Brown tler name
| sounds like the ark, 200 Stanhore street."
"Oh, write now, at once, do, do. dear. See,
| it is only half-past five She vii. get the let
ter tonight, and it will set her mind at rest
Here are paper and everything. l will ad-
dress the envelope
! Miss Brown was sitting in the top floor
back of a house that was notice ably dull and
dirty-looking, even among thu dullness and
/ dirtiness surrounding it on every side. She
was sitting in front OF the freless stove,
half asleep, though she was not so much
| sleepy as exhausted by cold and hunger and
absolute hopelessness.
k She was 49, small and thin, with dead
looking fair hair, streaked with gray, and
blue eyes, faded by many tears. Years ago,
before her father had died suddenly, leaving
his wife and daughter almost beggars, she
had been pretty, if not exactly beautiful,
girl, with good reasons for thinking that her
name would not always be Brown But with
loss of fortune came loss Ct friends and lover
she and her mother had come to the city;
she had learned shorthand and typewriting,
and found work, neithe. well paid nor in
teresting, but sufficient to keep them. Then
the firm had dissolved, and since that time
she had had no regular employment.
She was too old for a clerk was the reply
she had to all her inquiries, and her attain
ments were not good enough to counterbal-
ance this drawback. Then her mother died
and Miss Brown left the tiny fiat they had
rented and took dull room in a poorer
neighborhood.
She had answered hundreds of advertise
ments, by letter and in person; she had
tramped miles after utterly unsuitable APP
pontments; she had endured hunger and
thirst, cold and fatigue, hopeless misery and
blacklist despair. Each day made her older,
each day lessened her chance of work She
had sold everything worth selling, she owed
four weeks rent she had neither food, nor
money, nor friends.
She thought duly of the advertisement she
had answered in person that day; it had
sounded unlikely, she knew, but it was a
chance, however vague, and she had lowered
or 1,.rn
Even now her pale cheeks flushed hotly and
her cold blood tingled at the memory of the
man who had told her candidly his opinion
of women who work for infnitesimal wages
to the detriment of their sister workers, and
SO lower the market value of work She
had been tired and faint: she had nearly
broken down under his indictment, and she
admitted its truth. 1t was wrong to work for
so little, but was not half loaf better than
no bread, three dollars week preferable to
starvation? Was 1t not ones duty to keep
ones Divine-given life as long as possible,
or was it true that
"When it cannot be helped. Defeat is great.
And Want and Death Blessing"
She could not say. Her tired brain refused
to work, her head fell back in her chair and
she slept.
Downstairs in the kitchen Mrs. Todgers
held forth wrathfully
And as for ladies what only takes tie top
floor back and don't pay for that for weeks
and weeks, ] don't hold with them, and
she have to march. It's only right should
look after my interests, and unless she pays
me every penny she owes me by Saturday
out she goes, and you hear me say it,
Eliza"
The small maid-ofal-worl nodded.
Seems hard on the poor lady she said, for,
with smutty face, Eliza had kind heart
and also liked being politely treated Miss
Brown, in great distinction to the other lodg
ers, had never bullied nor sworn at her. and
her ignorant little mind vaguely felt that
"the top floor back" was very poor and mis-.
cradle.
Hard or not, it 5 the truth" repeated the
landlady why, there's the postman its
not often he comes here Run and get the
letter, Eliza quick'
For Miss Brown. it is, said the girl.
Well never! Fancy her getting let
ter! Perhaps it's got money in it, Run
with it. sharp, do, and you might hang round