The Washington times., 1919-04-26
HOu useWives
Who Dared
By LorsttO G. Lynch.

~ ERHAPS Mrs. Johnson woula
not have had the money %
= send her daughter to busi-
ness when she graduated from the
elementary school had Il not bOen
for a happy accident. It was ave
years ago. She and Carl had quar-
relied. Like most quaFrels. 70 started
over a triie and gradually assumed
the proportion OF a mountain Might
have been another woman, might
have been because OF . dozen things
that Carl suddenly became dissatis-
ned with his home.
It eulminated with CaFfs coming
in intoxicated one night and throw
ing the meat that Amelia had labor
iously prepared, out OF the window.
That settles. it!'' Amelia sobbed
through her tears. Tonight
leave you"
= And then the man expressed that
familiar boast, 'sHuhi What would
YOU do without me? without my
support you'd staFve to death. Why,
you couldn't work at anything and
make your salt!"
What he said was true. Bitterly
true, when two weeks later, at the
downtown boarding house, she
found herself still without a job.
To the questions, Can you sew!
Can you cook? Can you typewrite?
Can you-can you" her answer
was always the ssme, NO, or not
very well. or not much"
But a proud woman Is not easily
beaten. And the third week she
found out that she could fare fairly
we'll Il she could but sew two
rows OF stitching on the sewing
machine properly. A mems shirt
factory was in search OF response
BILE women to stitch collar bands
and cuffs for shirts. The shirts
were cut and seved at the factory,
but the bands and cuffs were just
pinned.
II was almost three months later
that Carl was taken sick He beg
red her to return, he erayed her
forgiveness, after the manner or
sick husbands, and Amelia returned.
Five years gone by and little
Helen had graduated from the
American public school.
But a father with only a me-
chanic's salary cannot offer any
very great advantages to his daugh-
ter. Especially is this true, when
the daughter is not remarkably
bright nor sufficiently clever to win
a scholarship.
It was Amelia who went to the
blue sugar bowl and took from IL
the little savings that was to put
her daughter in q position where
forever after. no man could hon
estIy boast that she could not earn
a living II she had to.
For almost five years she had
kept up her work for the shirt fac
tory. Now she was handling the
more high-claSs garments. A silk
shirt that delighted the esthetic
sense even il it did dig deeply into
the purse OF some wealthy gentle
man. might often be seen n Anne
lia's sewing room These came
pinned from the factory, and Anne
liza completed the work in her own
home.
Had she been able to give all her
time to Il she might have accumu-
lated quite a little money, but as it
was. she was a housewife with all
the cares of the average housewife.
She had children to bathe and feed
and soothe. She had wash day and
ironing day. Then. too. there were
times when Carl was out OF work
or i'll.
There were times when her own
health did not permit Of extra work.
But. taken all in all, she averaged
about $40 a week. Some weeks
when there was no income Amelia
had to draw upon the sugar bowls
treasure. Sometimes II paid q
doctors bill or went for some
dental work. Once. IN a whole II
bought a new suit for Amelia or
new shoes for some shoe-thin
youngster.
Once, at graduation, IL made
Helen look pretty in her soft white
frock anI white silk hose and white
kid slippers.
And now Amelia's shirt money Is
going to send Helen to a business
college. And when she graduates a
year from now, there's going to be
enough more money in that sugar
bowl TO buy her a good suit and a
neat hat and a pair Of good shoes
so she may get the position she
goes after.
Mrs. Amelia Johnson Is just an
other OF the housewives who
dared"