The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1909-06-18


the other.
She applied M certain street and
number So did about hundred girls,
fifty old women and number OF
boys The man In the office called
her my dear and gave her n thou.
sand envelopes To take home that he
might see what sort OF hand she
wrote He also exacted deposit OF
80 cents for their return. He also
took her for young widow and re-
marked on his gladness to see her
striving to make mn honest living In.
stend Of attending champagne suppers
ut sporty restaurants.
IL took the ambitious young wife the
best part OF two days to address the
thousand envelopes, and when she
carried them back the man smiled at
her In brotherly way and handed
over 20 cents and said:
MY dear, you have only to keep on
and you will wear diamonds"
But the striving wife didn't keep on
She was so discouraged and indignant
that she left the place without dc.
handing her deposit. Something else
must be found She saw the simple
life galloping down on her and shirt
less, collarless and sockless men pass
Ing gents furnishing stores with looks
Of contempt.
That something else was an ad. A
bright young woman could make from
So to Sc day by calling at such a
street and number. Nobody would
dare advertise such thing unless It
were true, and young Mrs. Lee called
Lady canvassers were wanted to sell
newly invented corset. 1t was a
corset that would give any woman in
the world n willowy form. 1t would
add to her height. straighten the stoop
In her shoulders, and she would seem to
float In the air as she walked. No
canvasser had made less than So q
day. and some were ashamed of them
selves for making only Sc
The caller allowed herself to be
talked into the canvassing business
and took the rest Of that day to study
up on points and then made plunge
mot Mt home" met her at the door Of
the first four houses she called Mt and
mot ut home and "she wouldn't see
you If she We're" at the next four.
AT the ninth house she was admit
ted. and the lady offered her job as
parlor maid At the tenth the lady
of the house wass in bed with head.
ache, but her husband wasn't. He
asked the canvasser to sit down for
heart to heart talk and give him her
confidence, and when she refused he
said that II she had to live on turnips
and sleep in barrels all the rest of
her days 1t was her own fault. That
ended the corset business.
When the sample was handed In the
man in the office threw It down and
muttered something that sounded like
swear wOrd-two or three swear
words connected by dashes.
There was one more trial for the
striving young wife. She advertised
to give piano lessons at the homes of
pupils She received postal cards to
call here and there. and she called, to
be snubbed by servants. winked at by
young men and to be told by the lady
of the house that her terms were at
least one-half too high.
In two cases she was offered CASTOR
dresses In exchange for instructions
and called "a stuck up" thing when
she refused Mrs. Lee went home with
tears in her eyes to find her husband
there. two hours ahead of his usual
time. The simple life had come! The
shirtless, sockless era had dawned at
last, and the furnishing store had
smashed and there was no money to
open the delicatessen!
The poor bride leaned against her
husbands shoulder and sobbed.
There. there! What is it. pet?" he
cooed
"Oh. Arthur. IL was trying so hard
to get money to meet this calamity.
and-and haven't got centr'
Calamity? What calamity do you
mean?"
'.Why. the smash! Miss Headly said
1t would come and that we must open
a delicatessen store and sell sausages
and saladsp'
''Sausages and salads be hangedr he
shouted. "Old maids be hanged! Gone
to smash be hanged! Why. sweet.
heart. business is SO good that II
bought plano today and have come
home TO see It delivered. Here It
comes now"
And men are going to keep right on
wearing shirts and things?"
Lord. yes. The dollar shirt at 49,
cents is as firmly fixed as the rock Of
Gibraltar"
"But Miss Headly-why-why"-
"Why did she talk that way? Oh.
just because she had taken a contract
to stuff and sew a thousand dolls for
market and wanted an excuse If you
found 1t out"
Her Viau ~ Art