The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-08-06
THE PLAIN TRUTH ABOUT THE LIFE OF A SH0PC|RL
Continued from page one.i


ably supposed to be encouraging.
My name is Ann Adams" |
said pointedly as rose to go, and
| will report TO the foreman tomor-
row morning"
Annie, is it? Well, we'll do our
best to make you like it here,
Annie"
SO this was what working girl
friends of mine had told me they
sometimes had to face!
1t was twenty minutes past seven
the next morning when | opened
the door of the women's dressing
room. 1t was little place where a
number of girls were changing
their street clothes for working
garb. They did not seem to care
how slovenly they looked nor how
torn and ragged their outer gar
ments were. Underwear showed
through holes in many cases, col
lars of waists were turned in i'm
modestly low, and most of the
girls wore old rubbers on their feet
to save their street shoes. One OF
the girls, named Nellie, came over
to me.
You're new hand, amt you?'
was her greeting. well, you kin
have one of my nails to hang your
coat on. Say, that's quite scheme
to wear your work dress under a
long coat" She called the other
girls attention to my washable
frOck.
We'll, it's a dead cinch you amt
got no fellow" laughed a g.rl with
wan white chee$cs and glistenin2
eyes. you wouldn't be seen on
the street in that rig if you had
Bet you amt dot 10 @ Oh the
corner for o'clock att
The girls filed out one by one
leaving Nellie and me in the evil
| smelling dressing room full of wo
mems clothes hung on nails ant
| piled on benches and the oilclotf
| covered table where we were sup
| posed to eat our lunch. One punS
gas light smoked, and sink in tho
corner half-filled with black, gluel
water smelled vilely.
| Here, give me your lunch" sale
| Nellie, as | stood holding the news
paper-wrapped package, trying tt
| choose between the floor and the
| table
| She snatched up a piece of cOrt
and tied my lunch to the rusty ant
lop-sided chandelier, where, | theI
noticed all the other lunches were
hung.
The rats can't get it there she
explained. You'll be hungry
enough by noon to eat it yourself.
There were many more men II
this shop than girls, and we
worked with them. The case:
were wood and were brought tC
me for the final sandpapering.
The foreman kept bringing mt
work faster than | could finisf
each job. He encouraged me tc
work fast by telling me that my
work was good. 1t was good, bu
so was the wor kof the other girls
and we all unconsciously tried tt
keep up with our foreman and hi:
call boy, who kept bringing new
jobs to us on floor drays.
A girl who earned SO week
| on piece work was at bench no,
far from me. There were a mum
Der of other girls near her who
finished the work she and five OF
six other expert piece workers be
gan. She was a paster, and these
inexperienced" girls were expect
ed to complete cases as rapidly as
she smeared on the glue. They
had to keep up with her or the glue
would get too cool and dry and the
lining spoiled.
There don't many of the
girls ever get on piece work,
Nellie had confided to me one
lunch hour. Il don't know why
they seem to work fast and do i
neatly, too, but there is always
some reason why most of us can
do piece work. I've tried to ge
them to let me, but they won't