Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-20

4
back just at Z 30 in the evening: You
can see her any night after that time
| The following evening found the agent
with the family. and this time both the
mother and oldest child we're at home.
Explaining the reason for her call. the
visitor began to make inquiries as to the
! needs of the family and the cause OF the
| distress.
Story Of = Hard Fight.
He left as last july" said the mother.
| land have heard nothing from him but
once. Yes, / know where he Is, and /
know he has position that pays him at
least SIS week.
WAS there any reason why he should
have left town.. asked the agent.
NO; he just went OF and then folks
| wrote him letters saying that l was not
behaving myself. and he refused to help
us any more. He said folks wrote him
tors and let the children go hungry
Eve been working at the laundry every
day except one, when had cold and
, was not able to leave my bed, and an
other when l hurt my foot. l make 81
week, and since the judge gave my lit
| tie girl q permit to go to work, she gets
81 a week. Our rent? It's 1.25 q week,
J and ! pay 30 cents a week insurance on
| the children. We keep going. but some
times we go to bed hungry
You may ask me anything YOU like.
miss. and I'll give you the names of my
| friends and my enemies. too. I've had to
children were sick then" and for the
| first time the woman's lip treTnbled. NO.
miss. a woman that isn't doing right
doesn't go to bed hungry and have Bills
| tered feet from walking miles to work
| in broken shoes and torn stockings. She
doesn't burn her hands all day with not
starch and lie awake most of the night
with the pain of the blisters on them
/
ing on a permit. returned from the errand
on which her mother had sent her so
that she might not hear the conversation.
Mrs has sent you a fine pair OF
shoes, not much worn at all, and she is
going to help me make over a dress for
you said the mother.
The delicate face OF the girl was 4
study in its struggle between a certain
| hurt delicacy that any one should know
1 that she had to be dressed SO and q
| childish pleasure at the kindenss rendered
| her. She would not say she found her
| work hard, she was SO glad to get the So
| a week
| Situation Bravely Faced.
| The poor mother talked on. giving color
! to the situation: revealing the strain and
| struggle through which she had passed
and the grim determination to face the
situation bravely, and, above all. to keep
her children together. The visitor learned
how they had given up two rooms adj
| Joining, In order to cut down expenses
and had at the same time sold some bed
room furniture TO keep them in food while
the mother had been looking for work.
With unusual frankness the mother told 81
the kindness of her pastor in sending as
sistance and of like attention from some
friends Such help as this of course
could last only very short time.
My second little girl is right bright.
She is in the seventh srsee. but have
To keep her home Il care FOR tie lite one
while We are at No:h. We have TO live
her out OF school. know the need of an
education. and l Wocit ike 10 prepare
her TO make tei Ny Let,er than can.
Here was no rewWonlan idea of indus
trial lIldepe ndeicc 10y tiieo.eiicsi pan
ming for a future. II was q g!im neces-
sity looked squ&.e ely in the fa"e. Women
had better les, how to care for them
selves. Men fc.,.s ind il pretty easy 10
shirk. My little girl reeds glasses bat
can't get them for :ier. Id 20 BROKE or
starye IL l spent cent fur 81, hing
| tut food or rent No, I'll keep ti;en to-
gether If the Lord gives me my strength
and Ill come out on top. for I did ONE
before. My husband wen away hefar,
and he was glad enough o come back
after fifteen months when lie lad founi
ont i. wasn't SO fine - sand I'll his
money on hia,se.F ana people who had ~
right 20 il. lie aas glad 10 come back
and he will lie asa:n.
TIE vl.nor waited N vain for a threat
o, ;.e leseutful t-ea -Ment the deserving
husbs I'D would receive. y sort of dull
ness BON CT herdship seemed to prevent
any such outbreak.
Miss, rs hard 10 keep them in shoes"
she vent CT. Clothes get given to me
! and car make them over Ter them in
the evcn.Ecc. I wash and iton for them
az night anG have to wash and bake
and sew al day Sunday. ! do the best
can 20 keer them with ne.
Supported by Meager 'Pitsance.
The agent had made mental calcula-
ton of what ,aust have been lef; for
food after si.oa had been paid for I..rt
and 20 cents for insurance out of the
81 that Lad been lie family income !c-o-c
the little girl had been permitted 10 so
TO work eo- So q week Two Co.l..rs and
forty-five cents to feed and keep four
persons warm for seven days. Would 81
keep then; IN fuel with great saving. and
| II SO what could they get 70 eat out OF
the other $1.45r And how about fare
on stormy days. when TREY surely must
ride 10 work? Twenty-one :.!eais Tor TWO
grown working peoDie and two growing
children and only 81 with which to buy
| them. TN her way no4sie tn.t nis..t sae
agent tried TO figure ont low large a
percentage of efficiency for work or
growth and preservation of health could
be maint aimed on less than Z cents a meal
for four persons. Should this fifteen-year-
old girl Of the frailest possible physique
be allowed TO mortgage her prospects for
future efficiency by being permitted to
work ca. under age, less than half fed?
Should the twelve-year-old girl be allow
ed 10 ranisin out OF school TO care for the
baby 10 allow her mother and sister to
| earn their pitifu wages?
There are more deserving husbands than
means to bring them back TO make them
provide for their families There are 80
mary women who must work for what
they can get that such a wage as 81