Arizona republican., 1903-07-27
THEY ALL SQUEEZE HER HAND
Ministers No Better Than Other Men.
 Says the Manicure Girl

If you want to become convinced that men are deceivers ever take up
 my business" 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. l suppose-but now l I'm firmly convinced that few are to be trusted by a woman, unless the woman wants to be fooled.
 "I'll tell you how I have reached this conclusion. I have been manicuring ! four years. and I can not recall six men of all whose hands I've manicured who haven't tried to make more or less desperate love to me. You may not believe it. but I can't remember when I've had male customer who has not
 tried to slyly squeeze my hand while was working on his. They wait until their hand is in such a position that it will seem almost unintentional. then they press my fingers, lightly at first. and cast sly. significant glances at me to see if I notice 1t. Then they get a little bOlder and squeeze a little hard CT.
 At first it embarrassed me. for didn't like the idea of q strange man squeezing my hand. and I suppose used to blush a little. I thought, like q silly girl. that they were, if not in love, st least sentimentally impressed with me. When l found. however that all did the same thing. and when oth- CT manicure girls told me that all their male customers squeezed their hands, l got to taking it as a matter of course. Now 1 expect them to do il. and think no more of it than I do of clip ping a corner off one of their nails"
 Tt is curious resumed the manicure girl, daubing her customers nails with rouge preparatory to the final polish ing. that the hand squeezing I've been telling you of is so general. Now. could understand why a young bache- Tor, sentimentally inclined. would want
 to squeeze my hand. Without brag- ging at all. but just speaking plain
 facts, I've a nice hand. It is soft and smooth. and we'll shaped. The shape. of course. l can't help and the soft ness is due to my profession foA think it a good advertisement to have my own hands pretty.
 So. as l say, I could excuse a young unmarried fellow for squeezing inv hand. but can you tell me why the married men do it? I've one customer "a fine gentleman of Washington who is pretty wealthy-who comes once a week to have his nails manicured. They are naturally very easily cared for. and once a week is much too often for him to have it done, and I've told him so. He says, with leering grin. which he thinks ought to impress me. 'Oh. l know that but l like to have you, do it.. He has a beautiful wife, who sends for me every week to mani cure her hands. They're much more beautiful than mine, and just as we'll cared for. Now. why doesn't that fel- low squeeze his wife's hands if he must squeeze some ones?
 Then there are the ministers Re- ally, of all the hand squeezers, believe
 the ministers are-well, perhaps not the worst-a bad as any of the others, even including the married men. I have two or three ministers who come
 to me every week, and they invariably squeeze my hand and make what they think are preetty remarks about how soft it IS. I treat them like the rest, and get their half dollars, and some times more.
 And speaking of tips reminds me of a drunken man I had here the other day. Oh, yes, I have them nearly ev1 cry day, and I don't mind them nearly so much as some of the sober men.
 You see. a drunken man is usually pretty good natured. At least he is
 when he has arrived 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 half dollar for the job
 and then turned, put a quarter in my hand, folded my fingers over it so
 couldn't see it, and said: Now. for
 heavens sake, don't spend that fool
 ishly. Washington Post