New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-07-29

II you were a pretty society girl, with
Q serious purpose" in life, and had de-
cded 10 skip one summer Of tennis and
motoring TO toll behind a bargain coun-
ter with your less fortunate sisters Of
the department store, wouldn't you be
embarrassed to have friend at home
tell on you and spoil all your plans?
This Is the annoying situation in
which Miss Mary Perrine Patterson and
Miss Katherine Houk, of Dayton, Ohlo'
who have been clerking in Sixth Ave
nue. department store, have been placed,
and they are perfectly furious" at a
certain member Of their set whom they
suspect of giving out the information
which led to their discovery.
That's just like her!" Indignantly
exclaimed Miss Houk, from behind her
hairpin counter yesterday afternoon.
"She's Jealous Of US, and angry because
she thought our going away reflected
on her, and made her look selfish, which
she is. Now that our real position is
known the girls here will never trust
US again, and we won't ever be able to
carry out our life work as we planned
it. It may sound funny to the world. but
it is very serious for us"
Miss Patterson is the niece Of John
H. Patterson, president Of the National
Cash Register Company, of Dayton.
Ohio, and Miss Houk is the daughter
Of R. Thurston Houk, one of the mana
gers Of the company. Theirs is the
ever new story of the American society
girl who tires of frivolity and yearns
for serious life work and economic
independence. Both have been prom
inent in the social life of Ohio's richest
city, but since the Dayton flood, when
they helped with the rescue work, they
have become interested IN social well
fare and charity reform.
A month ago they amazed their
friends by announcing that they were
going to work in department store.
I'VE realized that we never could do
any intelligent social work unless we
had studied conditions at frst hano'
explained Miss Houk, who was wearing
severe black gown and apron, al
though she spOrted an expensive plat
mum wrist watch, land we knew we
could not really understand the life OF
the working girl unless we lived 1t with
her.
This is not an original idea with us,
for all over the country there are girls
like US who are tired Of being babies all
their lives We could not try our plan
in Dayton, because there we should
have been handicapped by our friends,
and we should never have been able to
get the confidence of the girls with
whom we worked.
Besides. in New York the field is
much larger. We can place ourselves
wholly in the new atmosphere, and act
ually live the life of the other half.
! tell you, it has been a great pleasure
10 have been able TO earn the conn
dence and friendship of these hard
working girls on merit alone.
The only flaw in our plan has been
that we are obliged TO take the money
that some other girl needs more than
we do. We had expected TO substitute
Tor girls VINO could not otherwise al
lord 10 take vacations, turning over the
pay envelopes 10 them at the end OF
two weeks. The manager of the store
would not allow this, however, as ne
SAID all the employees had two weeks
vacation anyway, and TO give more time
10 a favored few would cause unhappl-
ness"
The two self-constituted Cinderellas
nave hidden themselves at night in 50
a week Greenwich Village boarding
house. They have joined energetically
IN the social life of the establishment,
playing their part so well that only
one girl suspected their identity. They
mad prepared for their adventure with
rousseau of plain black skirts and
severe linen waists thinking In their
innocence that such was the proper
costume for a poor working GRID. TINS
mistake came near being their undoing.
me clever sister who limited TO them
nat their perfect tailored suits and
custom made shoes had a different air
rom the cheap lingerie dresses Of the
olher bOarders was Immediately taken
INTO their confidence and sworn to Sc
erccy.
., She is absolved from all blame for
me spelling Of their careers. Not so
we young man they met at one OF the
eharlty societies during a morning they
spent studying welfare methods, nor
me cousin who lives at the Yale Club
snd has been their only gentleman
~'snd" during their soiourp In Green