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

A WOMAN never knows what she can "A do until she is put to the test. The A test came to Susan Daniels compar- siivey early in her married life. Her husband was in business down town. He had contracts with most of the big shoe concerns. A fair number of persons who buy shoes wear out the soles before the pppers are impaired and find it advanta- geous to have the shoes repaired rather than buy new ones. Sometimes there is an imperfection in the upper, and the ar tistic bit of mending will make the shoe as good as new or nearly so.
 Mrs. Daniels husband had his work shop in the heart of the business dis trict and the shoe people sent their repair jobs to him. His workmen half soled knd heeled, or full soled and heeled, or patched the uppers, or made such al- teratons as were necessary, and the shoes went back to the dealers. The shoe men got stiff price and MT. Daniels got fair price. He did such large vol ume of business that he made a good deal of money Millions of shoes are sold in New York each year. Tens of thousands are repaired. MT. Daniels had . the work of the majority of the big com z tanies whose stores are scattered about Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx But just when things seemed brightest for him in a business way his health failed. A physician told him he couldn't stand the rigors of the winters in New York. He went to Florida When he returned in the spring he seemed little better but that summer he had to go to Saratoga and the next winter he had to go 10 Florida again, and the next summer he had to go to the Adirondacks. Then hs szed.
 Illness is an awful drain Winters in Florida and summers in Saratoga and the Adirondacks are very expensive. A Ia business, no matter how well organized Nill go to pieces unless it has well a di- rected head who watches after its affairs with care and intelligence
 The first winter that Mir Daniels went to Florida Mrs. Daniels went to the shop She knew nothing about business, and her husbands line had no particular at . traction for her. She thought however, Y she might be of some use. If the business did not go on and did not make money ' fhe physicians bills could not be met. and the nurses could not be paid and her husband could not stop at the hotels where he would receive the best food and attention.
 MT. Daniels was opposed to her going to the shop, but she was so insistent that he humored her, It eased her mind a bit to think she was doing something -for the general welfare. She never had Kept books and could not tell good leather from bad, but it was better for her to ,be at the office and nonninally, at least, Aacting as the head of the establishment, tshe believed, than to remain at home breeding over her husbands illness and wondering how he was getting on among strangers in the south.
 After a time she learned how to keep the accounts and gradually she picked up little knowledge about the other ends of the business. Her husband had an excellent foreman. conscientious. able good man, who was devoted to his employer and who sympathized with fhe \ efforts of the wife to do what little she could to safeguard the business. | MT. Daniels. resumed charge of af- Fairs after his first winter In the south, but had to give up within a few months and go away. The second winter his con- dition was so serious that all details