The Florida agriculturist., 1907-10-23
Se1f-Supporting Women.

some hints which may be valuable to
come of our readers Some Of you may
have similar problems to solve. May
not your opportunity lie close at hand?
1t was about five years ago that Mrs.
L. came to me for comfort and advice.
Everyone knew that her husband had
been drinking and leading loose life
for some time. The home, once neat
and comfortable, was run down; the
children unhappy and halt ted; and
Mrs L. herself was so cast down by
grief and poverty that she shut her
door against all the world and worked
dav and night to keep herself and
children from starvation and nakedness.
'FOur girls! If God had only sent
me a boyr' she would say in hopeless
r'icerv
God sent death as a release to her
from life that was into1erable, and it
was the dav after her husbands funeral
that she came to me.
"Aunt lane, what am [ to do?"
The rambling old house in which she
lived was hers. her share of her fathers
estate She had one brother, who was
PROSPEROUS. but had large family to
support There was no one else to
whom she could look for help. He
had offered some months earlier to
+a1e two Of her girls to bring up with
his own chi1dren-but when she asked
each little girl in turn if she were will
-" to go the answer was:
"Oh mother. don't send me away!
D0n't send me away from you"
''I am fu11v decided on one thing. to
keep nv girls with me if possible. and
[ am willing to do anything. ANYTHING,
to scrub floors even. to avoid being
senarated from them"
Together we talked over what she
could do to earn living.
''I have only one gift, I can cook ~
she said That I and all her neighbors
knew. for in her days of prosperity she
was always sending some de1icacy to a
sic1- friend
'You have the house clear"
"Yes-even when we were hungry
would not let him mortgage it."
"Ten rooms-furnished"
"You mean boarders But the place
is so run dOwn-respectab1 people
would not come to me-and the ft1rni
ture is old and uglv The house even
in reDair is too plain to be attractive.' -
"COlleoe bows don't care for fri1ls
A good bed, a good table and a good
1ornn satisfies Them"
"Rut could [ get them?"
"Here are twO," I said. showing her
= letter from an old friend
She had written asking me to find a
boarding place for her boy, who was
ready for college She wanted a home
for him. with a good mother1y woman
to look after him. ''Is there not in
YOUR city place where a boy can get
q clean room. nOurishing food and
Christian surroundings for moderate
price? We cannot afford to pay high
hoard He has friend who will room
with him if YOU can recommend them
to some comfortable place"
You must mortgage the house for
enough to out it in repair, and to get
start. What could YOU board BOYS
for and make comfortable living for
yourself and chi1dren?"
Mrs. L. was in brown study. She
was vigorous. practical woman, and
she meant business.
"Parlor, dining-room, kitchen and
the big room over the kitchen for the
children and myse1f-that leaves me six
good rooms-two boys to a room
twelve bOvs-three dollars apiece is Z.
fair allowance for the table for each
person. At six dollars week 7 can
make good profit There will be no
OUTLAW for helD-the children and 7 can
DO all the work."
She started with civ ho.,o f4 IL -