Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-03-02

(l9l llSIli ing. strained motion of her
eyclidS indicated Cranu-
lated affection. Her home was Il little,
thrGcroom tenement, high up in one
of those old doublC-decker tenement
houses which abound in New York.
There are thousands upon thou
sands of these hulks oi tenement
houses. the construction of which far
antedated the enactment Of the present
Tenement House law, and the house
She lived in was but "A routine specimen
of vast blocks Of the same type. Two
stores on the ground floor and four
families to Il floor. two in the front and
the same in the rear-for five stories
skyward, that is the ruiz. You found
Yourself in dark hallway, and by the
aid of the baluStrade yon CROPPED up the
uncertain stairway until YOU reached
the fourth story front 10 the right
There were no names downstairs to
show where each family lived, and in
ourles had to be made as you as
cended.
There were no supcrhuiticS about her
home. One room served the combined
purpose of kitchen. dining, sitting and
work room: the other rooms for sleep
ING. A stove. Il table. Il sewing ma
chine. and a few chairs were the outfit
of the main room. with its many pur-
poses, and som" cheap pictures hung
on the green painted walls. and bits OF
crockery such as are given tor trading
stamps or for certain purchases of tea,
adorned the mantel
she lived there with her husband and
their boy of four years. Back time.
when Il gin of fifteen years, she hAd
begun working in box factories, Sh"
had made all kinds Of rasi"hoard boxes
--handkerchcf boxes, shoe and cigar.
cite boXeS-boXrs for all manner OF
things. For eight years she worked
thus; and hy being nimble aud sticking
at her task from in the morning until
S at night, with Il half.hOur ntermis-
sion at noon for lunch and a half-hour
mt night for supper. she had managed
10 make living. In the busy season.
from July to September. she made from
$40 to ST. week. After September
thc slack season would set in. She
would work eight hours Il day then,
and made 81 week. Later, in the
winter months Il rush of orders would
come IN. and the factory would run
twleve hours Il day again.
4 FAMILI'S EARNINGS.
She thought herself we'll Off. There
were fully 5000 box making girls in
New York. and not many of them could
excel her in quickneSs of work and in
amount Of wages. The pay was by
piece work; the best pay went to the
best workers. She considered the lot
of most of the other girls. Many OF
them earned only 81 or SO week. On
this sum they had to live. How they
managed to do it she didn't know. She
lived ut home with her father, her -four
brothers. and sister. The combined
earnings Of all amounted to $40 a
week The family had Il pleasant fiat
and Tessic-for that was her name-al
ways had money enough for dresses
tinery ana alliNSenlenlS.
Tcssip SympathZpd deeply with most
Of the othcr girls How could they pay
board, buy apparel, and live decently il
general on 81 or S6 week: Many
Of them had no families. and most OF
them were in debt to the instalmen
dealers. They would buy their dresses
and coats from these dealers-cheal
garments at eXorbitant prices-Gnd pa!
twenty-five or fifty cents a week OF
account. But those girls never coult
succeed in clearing off their debts. The
instalment men were always dunnint
Them. As for hats and shoes, the girl
hadn't much to spend. A quarter wa
the limit for Il hat, and forty cents fo
ribbon 10 adOrn it. 70 may more than
S12J for pair Of shoes was an TN
hcard-of extravaganza; the shoes, will
care and periodic mending, would b.
pressed into service for a year at least
Tpssie was a fortunate girl compared
10 the most of them. At least Sh
priZed her lot so. Now and then sh
would delicately make presents of he
old dresses and coats to some of tn
most needy.
Tesgie was a favorite at dances. Sh
was a pretty girl, and always had al
tractive clothes. 1t followed, of course
that there were not wanting sutors
for pretty, well dressed girl with
pleasant home and ability to make
good living, was a dazzling star i
the neighborhood III which she lived.