The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-28
THEY ALL SQUEEZE HER HAND.
The Ministers no Better Than Other
Men, Says the Manicure Girl.
rN.or, +ha WasbirgtoY, Post

The Ministers no Better Than other
Men, says the Manicure Girl.
From the Washington Post.
IF you want to become convinced
that men are deceivers ever take UT
my business" said a bright-eyed little
manicure girl in the barber shop OF
one of the downtown hotels the other
day. II used to have great faith in
men-inherited it, suppose-but. now
I'm firmly convinced that few are to be
trusted by woman, unless the wom-
an wants to be fooled.
"In tell you how have reached this
conclusion. l have been manicurine
four years, and can not recall SIX
men of all whose hands I've manicur-
ed who haven't tried to make more or
less desperate love to me. You may
not believe it, but 1 can't remem-
Der when I've had a male customer VINO
has not tried to slyly squeeze my manu-
while / was working on MS lhey
wait until their hand is in such posi-
ton that it will seem almost unln-
territorial, then they press my fingers
lightly at first, and cast sly, signlh-
cant glances at me to see If l notice
It. Then they set little bolder ana
squeeze a little harder.
At first il embarrassed me, for l
didn't like the idea of a strange man
squeezing my hand, and l 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 I found, however, that
all did the same thing. and when other
manicure girls told me that all their
male customers squeezed their hands,
i got to taking it as a matter Of
course. Now / expect them to do 1t,
and l think no more of it than / do
of clipping a corner off one of their
nails"
1T is curious" resumed the man
icure girl, daubing 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
Dragging a all, but just speaking plain
facts I've nice hand. 1t is soft and
smooth, and well shaped. The shape,
of course. I can't help, and the soft
ness is due to my profession, for l
think it a good advertisement to have
my own hands pretty.
L
unmarried fellow for squeezing my
hand, but can you tell me why the
married men do it? I've one customer
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 ne,
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 well
cared for. Now. why doesn't that fell
low squeeze his wife's hands if he
must squeeze some ones?
Then there are the ministers. Real
~, of all the hand squeezers, l believe
the ministers are-well, perhaps not
the worst-as bad as any of the others,
even including the married men. l
have two or three ministers who come
10 me every week, and they invariably
squeeze my hand and make what they
think are pretty remarks about how
soft il is. l treat them like the rest,
and set their half dollars, and some
times more.
And speaking of tips reminds me
of drunken man had here the other
day. Oh, yes I have them nearly every
day. and l don't mind them nearly so
much rs some of the soben men, You
see, 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 drunken man came in and
had his nails fixed up. He paid me a
half dollar for the job, and then turn
ed, put a quarter in my hand, folded
my fingers over it so l couldn't see it.
and said, Now. for heavens sake, don't
spend that foolishly'"