Part 50 (1/2)
Mrs B decided to put her household on the new business basis last Fall She moved into a five-rooer roo with more up-to-date improvements than she had had before She saved twenty-five dollars a es and about thirty dollars on her forether she had one hundred and thirty-five dollars which could be used for Home assistants This is the way the money was spent:
A laundress once a week 260 Home assistant, on duty from 730 AM to 2 PM 1000 Home assistant, on duty from 12 M to 9 PM 1500 _____ Week2760
On this schedule the as done better than ever before There was no longer any grievance about the washi+ng Mrs B had so assistant was allowed a half hour at noon to eat her luncheon which she brought with her As Mrs B
entertained a great deal, especially at luncheon, she arranged to have the schedule of the two assistants overlap at this ti worker, it will be noted, was employed for only six hours The afternoon worker was a trained assistant and, therefore, received fifteen dollars a week She had an hour off, between three-thirty and four-thirty and was on duty again in time to serve tea or afternoon refreshments If there were a number of extra people for dinner, the assistant was expected to stay until nine and there was never any co about too much company Mrs B has a better apartment and saves money every month besides!
(_New York Sun_)
SIX YEARS OF TEA ROOMS
BUSINESS CAREER OF A WOMAN COLLEGE GRADUATE
”For the last three years I have cleared 5,000 a year on o was graduated with distinction at one of the leading colleges of the country
”I attained my twenty-third birthday a month after I received my diploma On that day I took stock of the capital hich I was to step into the world and earnshowed perfect health, e education and 300, e course had been paid
”In spite of the protests of many of my friends I decided to beco one of the professions I believed that a well conducted tea roo of the kind would pay well, and I proceeded to open a place
”After renting a suitable roo a paid announcee and town papers I had a thousand leaflets printed and distributed
”Though I couldn't afford music I did have my rooms decorated profusely with flowers on the afternoon ofAs it was early in the autumn the floere inexpensive andIrish woed for onethat if e her permanently
”We paid expenses that first afternoon, and by the end of the week the business had increased to such an extent that I ed a second waitress had not sothe novelty would soon wear off During the second week irl and I had so e boy patrons felt themselves constrained to offer their services as waiters, whilewait left the rooo elsewhere
”Of course it ell enough to laugh as we all knew there was no 'elsewhere,' but when I recalled how ready people are to crowd into a field that has proved successful, I deter heads of my friends The third week found me not only with a second assistant but with a card posted in a conspicuous place announcing that at the beginning of the next week I would enlarge my quarters in such a way as to acco proved to my own satisfaction that o into debt to the extent of 150
This was not only to repair and freshen up the new roo than I had felthow every little thing that happens is talked about in a college town, I was sure the difference in the furnishi+ngs of the rooood advertisement I counted on it to draw custom, but not just in the way it did
”Before I realized just as happening I was receiving letters fro my very first custoainst I had noticed that everybody appeared to prefer the new roo for reservations had been unable to get the promise of a table in there, they had said they would wait and come at another ti alone or with other irls, would accept seats in the first room
”I learned froentleirl to have tea in a second class tea roos of my first room but also at the waiter whom I had e heavy work The girl in her fresh apron and cap was more attractive than the man, and because he happened to serve in the first room he also was second class
”No, I couldn't afford to buy new furniture for that roo I could think of I mixed the furniture in such a way as to irl and relegated the h uests afternoons and evenings and to almost no one at lunch, I kept the same number of employees and had them put up preserves, ja season I kneould not only be an econo card, especially with certain of the professors, to be able to say that everything served was made on the place and under my own supervision
”My second winter proved so successful that I deters exactly as I wished I was able to pay the first instalh in bank to s
”Thethe summer, and when I opened up in the autus that I had to put extra tables in the halls until I could get a room on the second floor ready At present I have two entire floors and often have so h the entrance hall
”Three suo I opened a second tea rooland coast I heard of the place through a classe down there She described it as deadly dull, because there was nothing to do but bathe and boat unless you were the happy possessor of an automobile or a horse