Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1907 — Giuseppina [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Giuseppina

By OTIS E. WEST.

ON Elizabeth street girls can run a peanut roaster, sell tape and needles and such things from a basket or a bundle upon their shoulders, cry flowers, canvass for anything, and even sell oranges and nuts from a basket, but when they step behind a push cart the complaisance of the street vanishes. It Is not that the girls are desired to abstain from work, for a father will sit In his doorway and smoke while his daughter trudges past him bent nearly double under the burden of merchandise strapped to her shoulders, and a husband will be equally moderate toward his wife. No; Elizabeth street Is Indulgent toward Its women folk as regards work, and It Is an accepted condition for a man to lead his monkey and leave his wife to drag the heavy wheel organ and to show the way with empty hands during their frequent tenement Sittings, while the wife and children follow with furniture. So that morning, when a slip of a girl came from an alley pushing a cart before her that was well stocked with fruit and looked timidly along the curbs for a good place to stop, the other push cart venders scowled and nodded meaningly among themselves. It was not the competition, for she was only one and of the backward kind that did not grasp much trade, but it was an Infringement on custom, so they moved their carts a little faster or a little slower, .according to her progress, keeping between her and the curbs and the crossings and other desirable places, until at last she stopped, confused. at a point where it would be Impossible to obtain customers. Few of them had seen the girl before, but they recognized the cart. It had been among them several weeks, pushed by a frail little man with white hair. Perhaps he had sold out to this girl, or perhaps she was his daughter and was trying the cart for a few days to see If she would like the business. Well, the first day would tell. If that discouraged her, she would leave. A girl should be In the sweatshops sewing or selling tapes and needles. Push carts were for the men. So whenever any one looked toward them as though with an idea of buying their gesticulations and clamor precluded any possibility of the customer noticing the wistful, anxious face in the background. But instead of being discouraged, although the day had not brought her a single sale, the girl was there again the next morning, so early that when the first competitor arrived he found her cart in the best place on the corner, with her standing beside it, weary but hopeful. They crowded as near as they could and by their clamor tried to divert trade, but with only indifferent success. This day she sold enough to make her eyes bright and to drive away some of the despair which had been stealing into them. The next morning they came earlier, bat she was already there on the cor-

ner, as before, with dark circles under her eyes, but hopeful. Evidently she had come almost before It grew light. Again they tried to divert her sales with their clamor, bnt Ineffectually. Her position was too good and her fruit too clean and nicely arranged and the very appeal of her silence too Irresistible. But before night when not making sales she spent msMt of her time leaning against the can for support. The fourth day this exhaustion became more apparent, so that even the most callous of the push cart men noticed it The animosity In the eyes of some of them softened a little, bnt It was a precedent at stake, so even these vied with the most brutal In their effort? to drive the girl away. And as the hoars wore on it became evident that the desire would be accomplished. The girl was very near the point of breaking down. Jnst opposite the corner was the shop of a candy maker, much of whose time was spent iu the back part of bla store working great masses of candy dough, at first with Us hands, then by throw-

tag the maas over a strong iron hook to the ceiling and drawing It ont Into diminishing yellow white strings. When It was of the proper consistency he placed it upob a long marble slab, where he drew-it out and rolled It Into sticks, which were cut or’broken Into right lengths by the slight touch of shear points. Sometimes he would add tiny balls of colored candy dough to the mass, and when drawn out these would make the stripes in stick candy and candy balls and shaped objects. All this was plainly visible through the windows of the shop, and from her position at the cart the girl watched the candy maker much of the time when not engaged with customers, at first Idly and then with increasing Interest. Apparently the operation was a novelty to her. And on his part after the first day, the old candy maker got In the habit of smiling and nodding an acknowledgment of her interest. He was a good customer for fruit partly to be used in his trade and partly for his own consumption. So on the second day when he picked up a basket and came ont on the sidewalk bareheaded and in his shirt sleeves several of the push cart men stepped forward with eager anticipation. But he waved them back brusquely. He had seen a good deal through the window in spite of his seeming absorption in his work.

“No, no,” he said irascibly, “your hands are not clean enough to handle fruit. I will buy from the girl.” The third day he began to watch the girl anxiously. He, too, had noticed her exhaustion. During the day he was ont twice and bought fruit from her. The fourth morning a long line of girls went into the shop one after another, remaining a few moments and then came out. For the most part they were ill clad, unattractive girls, and not one of them bought anything. It was evident they were seeking work and just as evident, after the first twenty or more had gone in and come out, that the candy maker was becoming irritated. Toward the end he only gave an applicant a single glance, and more than once his “No!” was plainly heard by the girl at her push cart on the corner. At length late In the afternoon he came out bareheaded and in his shirt sleeves, as usual, but without his basket He went straight to the girl. “Are you going to run this push cart all the time?” he asked. The girl looked surprised. “I don’t know,” she answered doubtfully. “Because if you’re not” he went on, “I want to hire yon to work to my shop. You saw all those girls straggling In with soiled dresses and nntldy hair and sour faces add pert manners. Bah! They’d make pretty shopgirls, wouldn’t they? I want a lady, a nice looking, neat capable girl who can look pleasant and at the same time be ladylike. They all came In answer to an advertisement and not one in the whole lot suited me.” The girl swayed slightly, but steadied herself quickly by leaning against the cart, holding to it by both hands. “Perhaps I wouldn’t suit either,” she hazarded, forcing a smile to her face. “Yes, you would,” he answered. But his tone was not quite so positive. “I’ve been watching you through the window for three days. You’re neat and particular about yourself. That shows. And you’re neat about other things from the way you look after your cart and fruit. And you’re attractive to customers and make yourself look pleasant even when you feel the other way. That’s what you’re doing now. You’re not sickly, are yon?” his new fonnd anxiety at last finding expression In words. “No; I’ve always been very strong and healthy,” she answered. “Only Just now I am a little weak."

“I thought you must be strong,” with some relief In his voice, “from the way you handled the cart the first day you came. I was watching. But yesterday and today you’ve seemed a little sickly. My work will be lots easier than having a cart like this and nicer and I think will pay you better. But of course I’ll need a girl who’s spry and can keep up. She’ll have to help me make chocolates and fancy candies and put them In boxes and look after customers. I’m too busy to wash my hands every time a customer comes In, and It hurts trade. I could do twice the business If I had good help. I’m turning away trade every day.” He waited a moment, as though debating something, then added cordially: “Anyway. I’m willing to try you a few weeks even if you should be sickly. You’re just the appearing girl I want, and 1 know you’re spunky.” “Well, I don’t know yet,” the girl began tremulously. Then her face suddenly changed. She was looking beyond him. “Father!” she cried reproachfully.

A frail little man with white hair was approaching them, walking slowly with the aid of a cane. He looked anxious. “Giuseppina,” he cried, “I could not wait any longer! I have been worrying all day, and at last I had to get up and dress and come and see. You looked so bad last night, and you did not want me to notice. I pretended to be asleep, but I watched, and I watched the night before. The two first days I was too sick to think, but since then you have not eaten a thing. You spent your money for wines and medicines for me, and”— The girl had been trying to interrupt him with warning glances, with expressive motions of ber hands. Now she cried “Father!” again with such shamed distress in her voice that for the first time the old man’noticed and understood. He drew himself up with sudden unconscious dignity. "It was only that my daughter Insists on buying me costly wines and medicines like the very rich people have," he said, addressing the candy

maker and the two or three pusß cart owners within hearing. “We are in very comfortable circumstances, Indeed, and have everything necessary. But such things cost a fortune, and when I am ill Giuseppina gets headstrong and does not know where to stop, and then she thinks she must be economical. She is a very good girl, though, a very good girl, and I assure you we are In perfectly Independent circumstances.” The candy maker’s eyes were twinkling, bnt with a mistiness behind them. “The very use of the costly wines prove that, sir,” he said courteously. “I do not have them even when I am 111. But, if you’ll excuse me, you Interrupted a conversation between your daughter and myself. I was trying to induce her to help me In my business. But suppose we go Into the shop. We can talk better there.” Without waiting for their consent he crossed the sidewalk to his store, and after a little hesitation they followed. At the door he turned. “Say, you cutthroat men,” he called warnlngly to the push cart owners, “don’t you touch a thing In this young lady’s cart! If yon do I’ll—l’ll ran yon In.” “You ’sposa we thiefs!” called back one of the men Indignantly. “We not

want to harm the slgnoiina, only she no right with push cart. And we never s’posa she be hungry.” As the three disappeared in the shop this man turned to his companions with a few eager words and gesticulations, and they repeated the words and gesticulations to other cart owners farther along who had not heard the conversation. In a few minutes a dozen men had left their own carts and were crowding about that of the girl. Once inside, the candy maker motioned the old man to a chair, but wisely ignored the girl’s weariness. ‘‘Do you know how to make coffee, Glusepplna?” he asked briskly. ‘‘Yes, sir,” she answered wonderhigly. ‘‘Well, it's just this way," he went on. “I hate cooking and don’t know anything about it, and yet I do my own housekeeping. I’ve got a nice little kitchen behind the shop and three or four rooms beyond, and supper’s all ready except just the finishing. Suppose you make the coffee while I finish rolling this candy dough. Then we’ll do the talking while we eat supper. Ah, well, It doesn’t matter," as the girl colored and looked at him suspiciously. ‘‘l can do it after I finish this. Only I thought you wouldn’t mind. You could do In five minutes what my clumsy fingers would take half an hour, and it would be a rare treat to have friends sit at table with me. I get very lonesome sometimes. That’s right,” as the girl started suddenly toward the kitchen. “You’ll find everything nearly ready, with most of the victuals on the table. I leave them that way to save time. Your father and I will talk till I finish this. Then I’ll wash the candy off my hands and we’ll eat.” It was a much longer meal than usual with the candy maker, and he forced himself to eat twice his usual allowance In order to keep his guests at the table. When at last they rose he was smiling genially. “So that’s all settled,” he exclaimed with much evident satisfaction, addressing the old man. “Glusepplna will start in as shopkeeper In the morning, and you will help me with the mixing and cutting. You can make all the lozenges. And, as I said, it will be better for you to move right In here with me. There Is plenty of room and It will give me Giuseppina within call all the time. Often I hav* to keep open as late as 10 o’clock. Hello, who’s that?” at a heavy tramping into the shop. : It was the push cart men In a body, with one of them extending a handful of, coins. “It is the signorina’s,” he said as he advanced and jingled the coins Into the girl’s hand. “We have solda oat all the fruit. We hard man mebba, but all hard man have good spot some time, somewhere.” As they tramped out again noisily the girl’s lips quivered In an ill repressed sob. “The world is so good, so good,” she murmured.

HE POUND HER CART IN THE BEST PLACE.

“IT IS THE SIGNNORINA’S,” HE SAID,