Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-12-08

by the National Consumers league,
which, actuated by humanitarian rea-
sons, has fought to modify the unncc-
essary hardships incident to Christmas
shopping For two weeks before Christ.
mas most department stores do "cap-
acity business and pressure is in.
tensifcd at every point. Authentic
records from the live clerks, delivery
boys and wagon drivers show that as a
result the season of Christmas festival
and of charity for the lame, the halt
and the blind reduces to illness and
exhaustion the young and faithful who
serve us, seen and unseen.
A kind of meanness in human rela.
tions was witnessed by Miss johnson,
and inquirer for the Consumers league
who worked in one of the stores during
the week of Christmas goodwill. Her
actual experiences are told in vol
ume entitled "Making Both Ends
Meet" by Sue Ainslee Clark and Ed
it'll Wyatt, of which the Macmillan
company is the publisher.
"The rush had begun when Miss
johnson was transferred in this Christ
mas week from the neckwear to the
mufaer department on the first floor of
one Of the cheaper stores. All the girls
stood all day long-from eight to
twelve and from one to eight at night
on the first days; from one at noon to
ten and eleven at night as the season
progressed; and, on the last dreadful
nights, from noon to the following mid
night. The girls had IS cents supper
money. Except for that all this extra
labor was unpaid for.
The work was incessant. The girls
were nervous, hateful, spiteful with
one another. The manager, beautiful
and extremely rough girl of nineteen,
swore constantly at all of them. The
customers were grabbing, insistent, un-
reasonable from morning to evening,
from evening to midnight. Behind the
counter, with the advance of the day,
the place became an inferno of nervous
exhaustion and evaporation. In the
two weeks of Miss Johnson's service
one customer thanked her; and one tip
ped her five cents for the rapid return
Of parcel. Both these acts Of con-
sideration took place in the morning.
Miss johnson said that this was fortu-
nate for her, as, at one word of ordi-
nary consideration toward the end of
her long days work, she thought she
must have burst into tears.
There was little bundler in the de-
partment, Catriona Malatesta, white,
hungry-looking little North italian of
fourteen with a thin chin and dark.
Swallowed, worried face. She had an
adored sick sister of four, besides six
other younger brothers and sisters, and
worshipped mother, to whom she
gave very cent Of her wages of three
dollars and half a week. An Older
brother, day laborer, paid rent and
provided food for all of them. Every
other family expense was met by Cat
riona's three dollars and half, so that
she was in the habit Of spending only
five cents for her own lunch, and, or
the nights Of overtime, FIVE cents TO,
her own dinner, in order to take home
the extra thirty cents; and every day
she looked winter and older.
At the beginning Of the week before
Christmas, the store raised Catriona Z
wages to four dollars. Her mother tolc
her she might have the extra afty
cents for herself for Christmas. Though
Catriona had worked for some months
this was the first money of her own she
had ever had. With pride she told thu
department how it was to be spent
She was going to surprise her mother
with new waist for Christmas, s
waist Catriona had seen in the store
marked down to forty-nine cents. A
ten per cent discount was allowed t.
employees, so that the waist would cos
forty-ive cents. With the remaining
five cents Catriona would buy her sicl
Rosa doll. All her life Rosa hat
wanted doll. Now, at last, she coult
have one.
On the day when she received tn
money, Catriona kept it close at HAND
in little worn black leather purse, il
shabby bag hanging under her arm
and not out of sight for an instant.
Her purchases were to be made IL
the three-quarters Of an hour allowed
for supper. The time Catriona con
sumed in eating her five cent meal wal
never long, so that even allowing TO-
prolonged purchasing, her absence o:
an hour was strange.
cd your soul, where in bel
have you been all this time Catiei'
the manager screamed at her, angrily
without glancing at her, when she
came back at last.
Catriona looked more anxious anc
white than eevr before. Her face wa.
stained with weeping. 1T lost my
purse" she said in dazed, unsteady
voice. "It was gone when I opened
my bag in the lunchroom. I've looked
for it everywhere.
There was IA sudden breathless
change in the air of the department
Y0u cnnld have hnard a min dron