Page:The Girl Who Earns Her Own Living (1909).djvu/232

 He said that if she had a head for detail she could keep track of proofs and other matters connected with his peculiarly responsible position—for a salary of five dollars a week. She jumped at the chance, and for nearly a year she worked thus, sorting proofs for him, keeping a record of everything that came to his desk or left it. And she did the work as if her life depended upon it. Never had his files been kept so well. When there was a chance for her to hold copy for an hour or two, he gave her the opportunity. This means that she held the original manuscript while the proof-reader held the proofs and read them aloud, the girl watching for mistakes.

When the copy-holder left to take a position as proof-reader with another firm, this girl took his place at eight dollars per week. She held the copy and attended to her clerical duties for four years, received her union card, and, as the firm's business had grown until more proof-readers were needed, she received the first position open. A simple tale of drudgery and persistency is hers, but the woman does not look at it that way. Every day she was learning. It was not a mere mechanical performance of duties, for she was constantly storing her mind with information on a wide range of subjects.

The girl who really wants to learn proof-reading can find a way—and she must find it