The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-15

Copyright, 1918, by the Mcclure News
paper syndicate.)
"HERE has been lot about the
men who immigrated to this land
! and, from humble beginnings,
made places. for themselves among the
well to..do or tiae-s smiglstS----But how
about the women? A few of them have
struggled under handicaps as great, if
not greater. than any the men had
to meet, and have triumPhed. Take
the case of Nine. Polly. She looks to
be 25, but acknowledges AZ years. She
is known from one end of America to
the other Lillian Russell gave the
name of Polly to her. Her family
name sounds a little like that, but is
spelled differently Madam took the
fair and airy Lillian's christening, and
so she is Nine Polly.
Polly is an Austrian. She was born
in little town near Vienna. When
she was only 15 she fell in love with a
handsome young man who was a book
keeper. Polly's parents opposed the
match and the young man, who did
not earn enough to support himself
decently, started for the new world to
blaze a career for himself So soon as
he got established here, he was to send
for Polly, and they were to be married
She waited year. She got letters
regularly from her sweetheart. He was
a little slow about making his fortune.
but pictured the future glowingly. He
longed for her companionship. Polly
determined to sail over the seas to
him. Her father argued strongly
against 1t. He did not think much
of the young man she had chosen.
He is lazy" he said 'He is a
dawdler He's selfish"
But girl in love cannot be rea-
soned with. Polly was headstrong. She
left her home and started for the land
of the west. One thing her father said
was this:
THE world is a bank, my child. You
never can draw out of it what you
have not put in"
Polly arrived in America with 10
cents and a ticket to Philadelphia,
where her sweetheart was employed.
She spent the 10 cents for crulers and
coffee, and proceeded to the City of
Brotherly Love. Her first day in Phila-
delphia brought disillusionment. Her
handsome young man was working for
a few dollars a week as a sxitcher on
clothing He was poverty stricken and
forlorn. Polly wrote to her parents
but she did not tell them the truth.
She was too proud to let thew know
of the mans condition and her own
She determined to make the best of the
situation.
She went to work In the same shop
with her sweetheart She laborcd
from 6 q. m. until s, 10 and sometimes
~ o'clock at night. Part of her earn
ings she gave to the man that he might
dress better and perhaps obtain better
employment. After while they left
Philadelphia and came to New York
and were welded. They did not have
dollar the day they were married.
Their honeymoon was spent in sweat
shop, working The pay was very
poor. Polly thought she could do bet
ter in another line. She had natural
talent for hairdressing. She had done
a little of it in the old country.
When she had saved a little money
she rented one room on the ground floor
OF a house at No. 251 West Thirty-third
street. She bought some secondhand
furniture and she wrote sign, which
she put in the window. 1t bore her name
and the fact that she was hairdresser,
and that her charge for arranging the
tresses of her patrons was 10 cents. A
Few women were attracted by the sign,
but only few. She had to earn more
money. SO she went out and Travelled
from house to house. looking for custom.
The neighborhood was not good; she had