The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-19
Two Sisters
By ETHEL HOLMES

Margaret and Belle Whitcomb were
sisters, and when they reached mar
riageable age the matter Of a career
was discussed between them.
Il believe" said Margaret, I'm the
entire equality of woman with man."
II believe" said Belle, "that a wo-
man who marrfes should be her hus-
bands partner in every respect"
Il am going into business" said |
Margaret, land shall show the world |
that woman can run a big business |
as well as man."
IF you can secure the management |
Of business" her sister supplied.
Margaret was twenty years old when
she secured a position as typewriter J
and stenographer, a sort Of secretary
to friend of her fathers who man.
aged large manufacturing business.
She thus started with every advantage
Johnny Hartwell, an Office boy, fifteen
years old, started in at the same time
| as she One day he said to her:
Miss Whitcomb I'd like to make a
| deal with you. Teach me stenography,
and whenever you have to be absent
for time I'll do your work for you"
Margaret agreed. She taught Johnny
stenography, and he remained at the
office after business hours. practicing
typewriting on her machine. He kept
his word, and when she was unable to
do her work he did it for her. AS for
Johnny, he was never absent from
business. What he did for Margaret he
did for any one else in the office; he
helped them all and learned something
of the duties of each.
When Johnny was nineteen years old
some one was needed to go somewhere
to straighten out something. Margaret
would have liked to co. but she was
not very well at the time. Johnny was
tough as a nut and was sent. He had
learned so much about the business
that he found it very easy to undo the
snarl He succeeded so well that he
was thereafter used to go about un-
doing snarls and accomplishing OBJ
jects. Pretty soon it was generally I'M
derstood that when the head Of the
concern stepped out Johnny would
, step into his place.
Meanwhile Margaret was gaining
l nothing in business way. Unfortu-
, nately for her success, certain man
wanted her to marry him. Whenever
I she was discouraged in carrying out
4 ! her agreement with herself she felt
. like yielding and marrying her sutton
l Johnny married, and when little CIR
came to him he remarked:
t "By crackey, now I've got to humI
it, sure enough. to put stufiing into the
Q kidv'
And he worked twice as hard as eve
e before.
8 Margaret within eight years occupied
n four different positions. But, not bein:
a any nearer business manager thai
d before. she retired. Going into John
" ny's office one day, she said to him:
d Johnny, years ago you and l starte'
IS in this business, l having every ad
a vantage of you. Now you are at tn
4. head of it and Pm out of the race.
Ia II because am a woman and you me
d won't give us CHANGER
d "In this particular case," was the II
% NV. ct is because when ] came in her
at once became absorbed In my worl
Y, When I wasn't at work | was misel
Is able. was four years younger tina
* you and had four years advantage
,e never had to be away from business.
10 was so eager for work that did som
IN Of your work and some Of every on
IN else in the business. In this way
to learned 1t. When some one was meet
ed for a purpose I was the best equll
ne ped for It. Perhaps you thought If yo
We failed you could marry. felt that II
n failed | couldn't marry. When l al
" marry l realized that the responsibili'
or of family was on me; If didn't su
h. coed the wife and the kid would starv
Dp IL you could have been absorbed as
e. was and stood the racket of trainlr
Id as | did perhaps you might have &
d. where am today. But you couldn't
absorbed, and you couldn't stand u
be physical requirements.
.'Thank you very much" said Ma
TN Agaret. and she went away to procu
he her tr0uSSeau when neT Hist IN
re came she remarked:
RS ~ should have been at this bus
he ness instead of the other eight yea
en- ago"
as Meanwhile her sister Belle had ma
no ried a successful business man. Inc
av was friction at first because 81
thought her husband did not tell h
10 enough about his affairs, but sever
10 children engaged her attention, so tn
- when he talked to her about his bu
~ ness she was glad when he had d
IN ished.
- But one day he brought man nor
" TO dinner. with whom he told his WI
u that he was intending to enter into
- large business deal.
IF you do" said his wife, "youll
swindled.'
ny "What makes you think that! as
ed her husband, surprised.
- "There's somthing about his nose
- don't like"
zen The husband laughed
Six months passed. One day her h'