The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-01-18

WRITTEN FOR II SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
In u tiny rear room on the third floor OF
the h"use at NO. lie North Fourteenth
street a tragedy is being enacted that
would briHr tears to aav mothers eyes
, were ii produced realistically or the stage.
1t is the tragedy OF q broken-heartcd
FoanE woman'S effort to support herself
ana little daughter and give the latter an
education on an Income of "A pit week.
which Is earned by very difficult toll in a
sn.aH restaurant at No. 1i25 Franklin ave
me-.
F. The first int'raaticn the word had Of this
struggle in a great city against the odds
Was contained in the following aaysg ise-
mcnt. which appea<9sss N stfsaSwaAtsadFde de
nartn!ent of The ~iepGb.ic, under the cap
ton. Personal:
for little girl. . years Old;
"oud Ike a good home. ~ ~. Fourteenth ~.
Nearly ten years ago. in Whitehall, H..
Kosaie Harrington. daughter OF Mrs. Sarah
harrington. became Mrs. Williams. and a
happF htue home was established. The
most joyful moment in that home was
when the stork came with a gentle Tapping
or his wings and left a pretty baby girl.
LIE girl was named May. but the clouds
that began TO gather early upon her hori-
zen did not break In a moment like the
cionos mat gather in a spring sky. They
Kept growing darker and denser. with the
dun leaden cast OF drear November. and
nave g.owered over her head ever since.
The only ray of sunshine that has drifted
into her life has been the mother love that
Is now striving to bring more light TO her.
foT some reason. which Mrs. Williams IS
reticent about. little Mays parents sepa-
rated some four years ago. Grandma Har-
rinston did all she could for her daughter
and the third generation. but she was too
poor to have such a burden upon her Shout
ders, and Mrs. Williams determined to find
employment In st. Louis. The future did
not look rosy. but the brave woman struck
out for herself.
Ihat was three years ago, and ever since
then Mrs. Williams has earned an average
OF n per week. and has existed upon it.
by Inc closest economy she supported the
child. kept her In serviceable frocks. and
sent her TO school. But at last times grew
30 hard. with fuel and food so high. that
Mrs. Williams decided to take measures
that would benefit little May. even though
her " heart would be broken. and the
only comfort she had would be taken from
her-the companlonship of the little girl.
she decided to secure a hoIDe for May in
a family that would undertake to care for
her and send her to school. and to that end
inserted the notice in The Republic.
I called at the dingy house in Fourteenth
street that the mother and child have called
home for two years. and was conducted I'D
three dark flights of stairs to a room hardly
49, va anu loNtIu II
miniature home as neat as It could be.
There was a bed with snowy linen, a bit
OF a table. some chairs, n small coal stove
and a gasoline stove. Dainty curtains, Of
cheap white material. screened the grlmy
walls outside from sight. A few family
photographs and ehromos were the only
decorations.
Mrs. Williams locke tired and worried. as
though the Afs-strugSle was gradually get
ting the best of her. Little May. q pretty
child OF hardly . years, sat sympathetically
by while, her mother told the story,
1t - q hard. cold world when one bas no
money, no friends and no influence, espe-
cially to . young woman who tries to earn
an honest living Tina woman tofler's lot is
harder than that of the man who Is COM
PEELED to do manual labor for his daily
bread. for she must work as hard and re-
ceive about one-fourth Of the wages q man
commands. 49,
Employers do not taxi into consideration
Q woman's dependents: they do not consider
the rent she ID compelled to pay. and they
do not figure on fuel and clothing. They
will pay so much. and II one Is not Willing
to accept that, she can look elsewhere for
employment, for all they care.