Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-07-28
|GNl Workers
Who WIN Out
By JANE M'LEAN.


all day behind the cage of the cash
ier's desk and take i'll money. Some
people would never dream of calling
it an effort to be pleasant, and would
scott at the idea of it being just as
hard work as anything else.
Often enough you have heard girls
remark, "Ch, it's easy enough for her
all she has to do is to sit all day on
chair and hand out change"
Yes, but the truth of the thing Is
it isn't so easy. Helen could tell you
all about it if you wanted to know
She is cashier. She sits all day behind
the wire Of the cashiers desk and
smiles and hands out change, and she
knows how hard II is and how difficult
it is to smile when one feels like
weeping
Helen's day runs something like
this: In the morning she arrives in
time to MAKE change for the early
customers. She eats her own break
fast hurriedly, and good breakfast it
is, too, while the manager takes her
place, and then she slips in behind the
brass cage and begins her day.
She likes the work well enough. 1t
would not be hard if people would
regard it as business instead of a
recreation. But from the early morn
ing she often has to deal with people
who see only the blond braids
wound about her trim little head, the
red mouth and the soft eyes.
Men think that with face like hers
she naturally wants admiration and
attention, and while her capable little
hands count out quarters and dimes
they feast their eyes on her prettiness
and ask her when she will be free, and
if she doesn't want to go to the
movies some night soon.
Helen invariably straightens up and
whips out some spirited reply, which
generally takes effect. Mr.. Trask, the
manager, usually keeps his eyes on
the desk pretty sharply, and the men
who stop for more than pleasant
word are generally noticed very
quickly. But when these incidents are
stealthily repeated again and again
throughout the day, Helen signs
YEARLY and wonders if there is not
something else she could get to do.
One morning a rather pale-looking
young fellow stopped by the booth
and after he had received his change,
looked leeringly at Helen and said:
How'd you like to see show to-
night? Here's couple of seats, meet
me at the box Office at o'clock"
Helen had not slept we'll and her
head ached a little. 1t took only those
few words to make Rer blind with
rage, and she seized the tickets
quickly and tore them into pieces.
The man stared and Mr.. Trask
hurried over to the desk. He was a
hard man and Helen knew that she
would probably lose her position;
things couldn't possibly be any worse
than they were anyway, so she raised
her head high and looked bitterly at
the youth who was still standing at
the desk.
"Mr. Trask, this man was annoying
me-" she said little TREMENDOUSLY. "I'm
sorry to make a fuss, but l couldn't
help it."
Mr.. Trask turned upon the man
angrily and to Helen's surprise or
dered him out Of the place. Every
one was staring and Helen covered
her face with her hands. But what was
that Mr.. Trask was saying?
"And | want it understood that
Miss Graham is one of my chief help
ers, and not decoration in this place,
the next time find any one annoying
her, shall make an example of him
That's all right, Miss Graham" turn
ing to the girl kindly, want you to
feel that you can call on me in case
like this; you're a good worker and
don't want to lose you for any fool
ishness of this kind, not by long
shot" .....
And Helen threw him little smile
of gratitude as she stealthily wiped
her eyes and settled back in her seat
(The next article in this series will
be called "The News Girf.)