The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-05


baubles to women in the store" she
said, Il begin to see why there was
revolution in Russia We were
and suffering before"
Then, not long ago, the head OF
European exporting house was en-
barrassed to discover that his new
stenographer was a Russian pria-
ces who had once entertained
number of his family in Moscow.
See here said the cid gentle
man severely, handing the petite
young woman personal letter
which had just arrived in the Office
mail, this is all very courageous
but you shouldn't do this sort of
thing, you know. You weren't cut
out for it."
You mean l am incompetent"
inquired the princess.
NO; l mean l know who you arc
and what you have been accuni-
toned to. and 1 don't think YOU
should devote tha rest of your life
to a typewriter" the exporter de-
clared. Now I'm going TO get my
wife to invite"
"Oh, please, l must ask you not
to-" interrupted the ex-princess
hastily. Il do not like to be re-
minded of my past, because it was
very unhappy, and this charming
work makes me forget for very
many hours of each day. Also, II
is pleasant to earn ones own living,
is it not? Always | dislike to be
under obligation to any one"
The Scorn of Work
The royal refugees seem to fall
quite naturally into the lower
walks of American life. Having
been brought up to consider all
work beneath them, they are IN
able to discriminate between diff
ferent kinds of work A Russian
nobleman usually lives in New York
several months before he is able to
understand why the manager of a
factory in this country is of more
social Importance than the aver
age factory employee. In the eyes
of a Russian prince, a proletarian
is a proletarian, whether he hap
pens to be a soap manufacture or
the soap manufacturer chauffeur.
The establishment of social rela-
tons with the American industrial
aristocracy is also handicapped by
the royal refugees lack of fine raj
ment. Most of them had to leave
Russia with extremely light bag
gage, which later received hard
wear in European capitals. Their
appearance is not especially impress
siVe, so that the soap manufacturer
also has great difficulty in dis
tinguishing between Russian
royal parsonage and a Russian
tailor. Indeed, under present con-
ditions, they might well be one and
the same. Another drawback is the
recent slump in the Russian title
market, which has made a Russian
title about as negotiable as a Rus
sian bank note. Thus few OF the
refugees have been able to achieve
convenient alliances, and it is yet
to be recorded that one has sue
ceeded in capturing an American
heireSs.
But if the refugees miss their
former cordial reception in Amer
lea, they do not complain. Most Of
them have settled down to a pro-
letarian existence without a muir
muir, and having so decided brayely
to make the best of it, they often
go even further and make money.
An ex-general and his aristoCratic
little wife, for example, are once
more waxing prosperous on the
profits of a small lingerie shop on
one of New York's most exclusive
they first started this enterprise
two years ago, they lived in one
tiny, dark room at the back of their
store, and the general spent his
evenings delivering packages Of
lingerie to customers. Now a neatly
uniformed delivery boy has taken
over this end of the work. and the
tiny, dark room has been abandon
ed TO "a charming studio apart
ment on the floor above the store.