Show 04 J GIRL 1 1 D J A C b ar N an excellent short at atory ory published not 1 long ago 0 henry gavoto aavo to his shop girl heroine h a colossal character emphasized that 40 in her were combined the notable attributes ot of lIer hercules cules joan ot of arc una job and little red riding hood and at this season 0 of the year glad christmas mas days it easily mig might h seem to a less s y y in p a I 1 h atle person than the degre regretted eted 0 henry that the shop girl most stands in need of 0 the strength ot of hercules the heroism 0 of joan of are arc the truthfulness and othor other singular excellencies of una the patience of 0 job think what it must mean from eight to six or eight to ten as the case may be to face and serve the rattled throngs that are now surging through the shops chops think ot of the it h e strain on endurance and nerve on temper and manners the wonder Is IB not ta that at she often cornea comes up to the d demands e mands s on her but that she ever dons does some of the veterans survivors of many hard fought christmas battlefields are marvels may be seen at lag fag end of day still alert though droopingly so still clearheaded clear headed though with conscious effort still with courteous u r taco attitude in their serving though ll 11 gh those they serve have lost the last shred of any politeness with which they may have started out compare the manners of some soma spoiled darling some indulged arrogant child of wealth with the d dignity I 1 and patience and sweetness often shown by the girl behind the counter the one self centered of most restricted vision captious petty the other self belt effacing farseeing far seeing ch big caleb in search of 3 wife might well pursue his quest along the aisles of the big stores find womanly ideal standing there behind the countr they are not all caricatures of fabb ton lon with hair tortured into latest exaggeration agger atlon frocks cheap cheal coples copies of showy splendors not all moro more given to powder and rougo rouge than to soap and water and in the attainment of the so BO highly desirable neat and trimness heroism again has to canic to the fore it is no easy matter after long hours of labor to labor more take pains for personal cleanliness sew and darn when eyes are heavy back Is aching Iler heroines olnes every one of them that make a good show I 1 know a girl in a fashionable candy shop that every other night washes and irons rons that she may be presentable the next day tier her moderate wage la Is the chief part of the family support there Is not enough money for enough blouses to last the week and so the midnight la Is done as a matter of course dut but how bow pretty anil and sweet and fresh the girl does manage to look in her snowy white and well brushed black much better dressed she seems to me than the woman of fuss anti and feathers what little mothers they are a lot of them simple affectionate domestic cren creatures tures though so often characterized as vain shallow foolishly ambitious bit ious thinking only of dress and dates I 1 know one girl that worked in one of 0 the department stores which keep open evenings at christmas time who the night before christmas ald not leave the store until midnight then after traveling an hour on the street cars to her home stayed up hours licurs to trim A wonderful christmas tree tor for the children of ho bunch of little ones tho the poor seem always to have with them I 1 know another girl thit that at this season goes lown down unusually early mornings to nr tango range stock cornea comes home unusually late evenings but after dinner cheer ully fully dons dona kitchen apron and helps with giant plum pudding anti and other christmas preparation that yearly la Is repeated in honor bonor of old england and the home left behind cheh there was made search for fortune in tho the rich land of america these are just two instances the one quite commonplace lc but you may pick up tip a few for yourself by eavesdropping a bit in your shopping observing among the buyers the many shop girls purchasing toys and silver pusher childrens gloves and sweater or gray dress tor for mammy muffler for daddy of course coerse there is any number of 0 pert incompetent girls that wait on hapless customers rather keep hapless customers waiting but they have been pictured with enough frequency this sort repeatedly held up tip as typical thereby obscuring the virtues of the many worthy ones the profession of waiting on for far some time past I 1 have been gathering data making experiment and have hava found it the rule rather than exception that courtesy meets with courtesy soft and fair air go far in a day not only on highway but in the miles of space space in a huge department store A man said to me recently how little of church Is brought into the christmas of today and how sadly true this Is church in this connect tion standing for whatsoever things aro are lovely whatsoever things are good ot of full import to all religions and bullying and a shop girl a at t this season seems about ets aa far from lovely and good as one may wander put yourself in her place remembering previous failures 0 of your own when bodily weariness snapped strained etral ned nerves broke down poise 1 yo ye gods and little fishes Jn what condition Is tho the shop shap girl td enjoy christmas I 1 am sure it I 1 were she V I 1 lk A R n 1 P DI sew and darn when eyes are arc heavy all I 1 would ask of good saint nicholas would be a dark airy room far ar far away from people from man anti anil especially pec ally tally woman oman a great soft bed where I 1 could stretch out ant long and dp silence and steel sleep forever forever no dreams to disturb that steel sleep no vision of past haggling no vision of wearisome exchanges to come com but the reality Is a long way from this that I 1 would ask do da you suppose such a proud wags wage earner carner as she would be content to let christmas day go by without displaying wealth and ami power no every ever dependent in the household must partake tar take of her bounty every pensioner be given rood good proof of what it means to have her dress up and go down town every lay noth ing of la Is the shop khop sir it at christmas christinas she Is as ai much a lady bountiful as any of them all what frontia fron tim 1 A hercules ile a loan joan or are arc a una a job and a lady bountiful on eight dollars and less leas a week copyright 1310 1910 |