New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-23

New York gasping. and the KnickerbockeI
Trust Company had closed its doors and
various other business concerns had gone
up" temporarily or permanently, two girls
sat in their studio, three fights UP n g
building on Fifth avenue, and wondered
what they could do. One was flower
painter. and her clientele had suddenly
found itself unable to buy proper food and
clothes much less pictures Of flowers. The
other was Southerner, who had never had
to work for a living, but now her money
was gone. and work she must The entire
capital Of those two girls consisted OF
yOuth-approximate- health. an education
which appeared to he non-negotiatble. the
furniture Of the studio. and 81 cents. Their
rent was paid for two months, and they
had some clothes.
Il wonder what this 81 cents will be
spent for?" speculated the Canadian-the
flower painter was a Canadian.
Food. when what we have is gone said
the other promptly.
IF we'd spend our last cent for food
others would" said the Canadian. That
gives me an idea. Let us go into the bust
ness of feeding the public. The public can
get along without flower paintings. II
can't without sandwiches"
Neither Of the girls knew much about
cooking, except the chatting dish variety but
other women cooked and so. they felt. they
could. They had some supplies in their
larder-butter, eggs, etc-in addition to
their 81 cents. But they We're up three
flights of stairs. and the Southerner assured
the Canadian that people wouldn't climb
three flights of stairs. not II they were Of
fered nectar and amhrosia
Then we'll send the food 10 the people -
said the Canadian.
But how 10 get customers? AS the girls
debated one Of them picked up a volume Of
Kipling. and it fell open at this sentence:
"The foolish man cultivates lords and
ladies, but the wise man cultivates the cab
bies and police"
Wen cultivate Office boys-those little
shrimps who are sent out TO GUY lunctrons
for their employers" the girls decided.
over in the building of the KnickerbScker
Trust. behind its closed doors men were
still working. but the restaurant in the
building was closed. The girls issued forth
from their studio the morning after their
discussion. and lay in wait for some of the
Knickerbocker Office boys. The upsnot Of
the colleagues they had was that two of the
sent out to &c; sandwiches instead of to
the various eating places they had fire.
quented
At the nearest five and ten cent store the
girls expended 90 cents of their 81 for four
little cardboard boxes. In each one Of these
they packed the incest luncheon they could
sandwiches made Of thin bread and
butter. with a filing Of egg and mayonnaise
salad in covered bowl. hot coffee in little
stone jars olives and cake. II they hadn't
learned how to cook they had taste and
good sense and their four box luncheons,
for which they charged % cents apiece. were
s., successful that next day the boys came
e back with orders for ten. One Of the boys
said it was nice 10 find a place where the
folks that put up the victuals didn't drop
the gemmans eggs on the floor"
The box luncheon business grew apace.
The Office boys did all they could to help
it: they drummed up custom. and they used
10 20 into the studio kitchenette when the
girls were rushed and help cut sandwiches.
But it became evident that though there
was some profit in the business there
wasn't living in IT,
Then one day came a startling PROPOSE
ton from two artists on lower floor Of
the building They expected guests. Would
the box luncheon firm give them a dinner in
the studio? The partners sal yes, and
retired 10 their kitchenette more excited
than they had ever been before. To serve
a pay dinner for six people seemed a mo-
mentous undertaking. But a friend in need
found for them little negro woman named
Wych who cooked things that melted in the
eaters mouth. and the dinner went off so
successfully that the artists who ate 1t. and
other artists. petitioned for regular meals.
Wych was retained. and many hungry
ones came to that studio dining room-up
three flights Of stairs. too-that in the first
month 1924 meals were served
But how we worked - the Canadian said
afterward when the third floor dining room
was a thing OF the past and she became
proprietor of a first floor place 1--WE sell
dom had more than four hours sleep in the
twenty-four. We did own marketing
I painted all our china-bought defective
pieces for low price nd painted them
and had them fired. The china painters
downstairs reared ct me for attempting
something Ia never done before but my
china came out all right we did our own
washing and ironing-the diners used 10
make us bring our ironing Dodru HiIo 'he
studio when they stayed around TO have
music on our piano and we listened and
worked.
What made so many people climb those
stairs for our dinners? The home cooked
food. think. for one thing. And the
studio was a pretty place, with the furnish
ings we had picked up abroad ard a bis
open fret was winter then. 1t was 8