The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-21

were kept from him, so he would have no business worries to bother about. That second winter Mrs. Daniels learned 50 much of the office and shop work that she felt competent to assume control n full. She kept the books, looked after the correspondence. directed the work of the employees, made collections and did everything just as her husband had done She worked many hours day, saved every penny she could. and practced the most rigid economy-downtown and up- town.
 There was a greater and greater need for earnings. Illness is very expensive. It is excessively so when physicians of the highest reputation are called and everything that medical skill and love can suggest is done to save or prolong q life. When MT. Daniels died nearly all the money that had come from the ous- ness was gone. She had nothing left except the business, and it's value was dependent entirely upon how she managed 1t. There was nothing that might be termed a plant, and what worth there was to the establishment consisted of that elestic and sometimes Intangible thing known as good will.
 It is Il years since MT. Doniels died. The Il years have taught much to the bands death that she had reason for fright. There were some other persons in the repair line who looked with rather jealous eyes upon the trade her husband had built up. They thought it was good opportunity, now that he was dead, to get hold of it. They did not believe a woman was fitted for such a business. They knew what she got for her work from the big shoe companies. they knew about what 1t cost her to make repairs, and they could give a pretty shrewd guess as to how much profit she was making. She did all her work by hand She believes there is no comparison between the virtue of hand sewing and machine. Hand work costs more than machine work. and the men who wanted to get the trade away from her knew they could do the repairs cheaper. and that they could afford to underbid her. They went to the big com pdlllsS anu SdDilititu plOpOodiS. tir HS- ures they presented must have been quite attractive, although the companies had a rake off under their contracts with Mrs. Daniels that should have been satisfying. There must be lot of profit in the shoe business If the margin is as large on the sale of a new shoe as 1t is on the re- pair of an old one.
 The companies charge the customer sl25 for half soling and heeling. Mrs. Daniels did the work for the companies for S5 cents The companies charged their patrons S1.50 for full solng' amt heeling Mrs. Daniels did the work for the company for % cents. That was not all She did all patching for the con- panies for nothing. The gentlemen who wanted to take Mrs. Daniels business away from her cut the price on half solng and heeing to 70 cents or lower. Their price for full soling and heeing was cut proportionately. Mrs Daniels urged upon the companies the value of hand repairing over machine repairing and explained that the profit to her under the contracts was only reasonable. She was willing to shave her figures little. but not to the extent necessary to meet her competitors. Some of the companies considered the subject at length and then informed her that if she did not meet the prices of the other