Document text
-Jones IF 1,84op
Miss Willie Jones
Cor.Olayton and College Ave.
Florist.
The House Of Flowers
Opening the door of Miss Smith's flower shop,I entered a
roma which was more like aflower garden,than a room. There was flowerrt
Of every variety,tIle cat flowers.were arranged around the rooa,in large.
baskets and pots of blooming plants were arranged on tables at the
windoaa and on a table in the center was a long tableson which waif vaaw
of cut flowers as well as SOAO of the pets of flowers. Several large
palms arranged around in the room added much te the attraction or til'
rooa. On, end of the room was taken up with two large frigidaires
was filled with cut flowers of every kind. A large settee,and two lar
chairs was placed so that cdtomers and visitors might enjoy the flaw.
as they waited.
Miss Smith was waiting on two boys,and as I waited for her
finish with her oustomers,I couln't kelp but hear the conversation. T
boys wanted her prices on coma es for their girls to wear at a &utility
She gave her prices on different kinds. of flowers,and they finally deg,
ed on orchlds.Asking if she -could have .them ready in time for the dans*
the next evening. After assuring them that they would be ready and da.,
livered in plenty of time,the boys went out.
She then asked what she could do for AO. I explained ay viii
and asked if she would mind telling as seaething about her businesslaa
was told,she had the most 1
)0pUlar shopf in tewn."well you will have to
code back in the work rooa with me,she replied,for I have some orders
get out that came in the morning's mail. But they are just out flower!
for theirAwho are here in the hospitals.
I asked if she got very many orders that way Oh,Yes,she said,
get them most every day,and you know I appreciatvtkom,and am proud it
t.
orders,for it m kes me Ink th•t my customers h!-,ve confidence in.me.
-4hy some times,I get the o-':er,sayirf,,,; just rend t=n order for me,telling
the ice ,but not what kind of flowers they want. For instance this one
thtt c,,,me this morning,it is from woman fromw.:)rne-r by town,e.nd she
did not even sr -y whet she ted,except,rlerse send three doll -r
order of flowers for 7-1c to r fre0d th't is in the hospit.1
"t'l.t. just le yes it ln to me, n6 I try to do the best th-t I NKr
can, nd fix them OS I would o mysvlf. And for this order,whieh is for a
vnmn,I-m Pendin,'; pink c rn ti ns,Fs I think they in a sick
room,. nd too this is n easy order to 1111,for the roman that is sick is
very too- 'ustomer of mine n I know th t td..ons re her favorite
flowers.
"And very cften I ..c.ve new customers .:ome in and tell thet
SOME ')f.rP old, customers sent them to me. And I a-oprecirte thFt,rnd I try
to let th,.1 know t I do pprrci,te it. I h',ve a very nice customer
IhMXIXXXXXKXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX who h r sent -Irrry ne:, customers,
Fnd tbz-ou,:h her conections with several f Lrrrw 1 socLeties,h-s thrown
qudet bit of b siners y. I hr, rn on-o-):t-inity not so long ao
to ]et h knon tht I rno eci-te tbis.
"She lost hp- brotlie in nother tmn. I had e p;ood m-ny de
to fi-1 fo th't fune-,. But when she c'lle, nd -sk me to fix her
flowers,I Fpk if/mi.„ fix• h t I wEntFd to fix.be ii, gave
h ve never been oleerpointed in you et. And the c sket
t I fixed,usTn 11 whi flowe_s,wns re ly lovely, nd I -f-nt-
ea it to
th t way. But I wee not exnecting the '7rEFES thf:t I re
.ding th-t spary. One e from the Undertker in chn:e of
te me
t
were ofte
bythe f milias thyt they served to o- er And ':.ht all
fTlower
the flowers tht crrie from my shop were so lovely,,Aad the casket spray
WFS the lo4est sbray tht the.. ever h. 'Idled. And he wanted to know
if I could fill orders f'or them. And tir,t, wf':7 from n muAa lerger town
th-n this one.
A customer crile in ,nd she went out to wait on him. As I w-ited
I looked around the work room.It VIPS not a large room rie.1 a long t!7ble
with high stools around it Was where she was working. -Built inctinets
held supplies of everything. that she used in her work,and a long rod at
one side of the triple held. both wax and tissUe paper thr:t she used in
fixing up the flowers to send out. One large cabinet with glass doors
held a supply of tulle in all colors !,nd shades. And a. large C,esk,showed
thPt she elso used this room as her office.
TTiss Smith ceme beck in her work room laughing and aidupoor
boy this is the third time he has ben here today to look 7-t, those red
roses. Tomor ow ts the birthday of his girl friend,she will be twenty,he
said '.-nd he wants to send her twenty red roses. But red Aorses are nT'ther
exsensive this time of the year. But he will get them yet,he wants them
so bad.
"Last yeek I had a large order for corsahes for the Valyntine
ball,they wanted sweetheart roses. I had a time tr::;ing.to them,but
finally I found one piece th-t sF..id that they could send me all I wFnted.
I ask them to vend them at once. They came in the morning,that I was 3 -4
posed to hove them ready in the evening. And when I unpacked them,I found
a c -rd saying that they were sorry,they did not know that were out of sweet
he -at roses when I gave the order,but that they were sending the large roses
and honed tht, I might be Fble to use. them.
"It was to late to try nnywherEelse, nd too I had tried everT7here.
-47
anC couldn't find any? And I just had to -make the smell roses out
of the large ones. Yes it was a job,butin this kind of work,you come
up egint ell kinds of jobs,and the work is when we have large orders
to fill,we sometime a work day :7,11d night to get them out on time,for
tht is one thing we hEve to do,end that is to be prompt in getting
out orders for flowers.
I asked her how long she had been in this business? “most all
of my life she replied. But I live only been in business for myself
sixteen yerrs. It was a hard pull,but I have xxxxxx made it from a
very po-r beining to what I have now. But you know I spent all of
this morning in mniling checks for every bill that, I owe.Of course I
should Ilve done gesterdey,but I was judso busy that I didn't have
time.
But far- to ::fet b9.ck as to how I started. I have loved flow-
ers all my life,fnd we always had lovely at our home. My father was
not what you would. call wen/thy, but we had a good living and e large
home, There were si: of us chi-lren,and we were all in school,when
my father lost most everything he he.d -except our home,by going on notes
.for his friends. And tht has been a. lesson to me in my bustinss.
"We children had to stop school and go to work,.,..nd that is VW
when I realtr beg!: -,n to know that we could make money out of our flowers
One of my sisters i'ld I worked with the flowers,nd we soon had n large
greenhouse built for the hot house flowers. And every bit of our ground
,7t our home was planted in flowers. We built up a good business,of VIM
cm) se there were many things thnt we he:, to learn. But we were
both detr-Lned to see it throu4h,and we are both at it yet.'
"A few years la,ter,we built P. swi4iNg pool on our place and blvitat
1
a danc ing pavilbn. This was soon a very popular place in the summer
-5-
for swiming snd danciing as well as nicnice. We kert the 1 t_7, cyl
cleaned out and had cemented it. It filled froms large spring. And we were
making gooc with it as well as our flowers business. Put she got to where
most of the work wPs left to me,rnd the break came ery soon fter th7t.
"One after noon she was entertaining the Community Club. The boy
that worked for us and T yrs cle-ning out the pool,ss we had it rented for
ra‘
the evening to one -I the soci 1 groups for s nicnic anc, swimkng. I was so
tied,.1Et 1.1-e out, we hd el -en scrubbed the cement bottom of the pool.
"I h.7e just finished -nd wns sitting do,,n on the b,nk to -est,when
she came walking up and ssk me whet I wes doing,resting I snid,for I
A
ree* tired out. She srid well if :I hated the country Ps bed es you do,I
would get out of it. If you don't like this,why don't you get out -nd go in
,,;usines5for your self. This made me mad,for I had wor%ecl so hard to build
un our b, siness nd it rP-ly belonged to both of us together.
"But th,t is when I decided I would get -ut ::nd sec if I could
not do better,',nd that is where I started. A friend of mine end I went
into the business together. I came to town nnd rented a small place. That
made my sister so mf,d, for she did not think that I would get out,ond she
she did everything in her power to stop me. Even went so far es tell the tel
ephone Co. That they could not install a phone in my nfme.Or my place of
business.
"I went to see a. lawyer about this,he ask if the Smith Flower Co.
which was the way that we were listed in the directory, was incornorcted.
I told him it wes not. Then he said,there is no way in the world or by lem
that she can keep you from hsveing a telephone in your name. And he c,A.led
the teenh.':;ne co. It wasn't very long until they. were there to install my
telehone.
"We had built P Lrge greenhouse together,and I thought she would_
-6
let me use that,at least foe a while,and we liad,a car that we bought
together to deliver our flowers. In fact i had rea4r paid more in the
car than she had But bless your-soul,,she went up in the air,wouldn't
even let me use the car to deliver my orders until I could get one.
"I have always detested the idea of giving up anythies that I
had started. So the more she tried to stop me,the hardier I tried.
But it was hard,I had to build me a greenhouse,andelost me $200. and
buy another car,for those were two things that I had to have if I was
going to stay in business. I soon started to building my own house, I
would get a little done ,,,nd hr,ve to stop wait dhtil I got more
money. The contractor,said Miss Smith,let me go ahead and finish up the
house,rnd then you can finish paying ie later. But I would not do that,
for I always like to see where I am at,and I did not know,they way my
sister was trying to stop me,if I Wee gcbing to be able to keep the
shbp going. This was in the fll'of thP year,and my par /er.ask me if
would not use some of his money to finish up the house,so that I -could.
get in before cold weather,for T neeCiasome one to see that the heat
was kept on in the green house. I Saii(that he was right,and did as he
said,and I had it finished. up to -where I coutd move in before it got
real cold. But I had hit paid back,every cent by the early spring,and
made improvements on fly home until I have a lovely eight room house,
and modern in every way,except gas. Yes it was tough,but as my pardner
saidone day,when•I was unusually blue,rememer that old saying,:iou can't
kePp good womn down.
"But I have worked and made good rld my people still impose AK
I live improved my property,!Tnd live several nice cottages
onin
-7
built. I have two .young men workinp_: for me. One of them is my nephew:
They -re both P.p.r-ied and. I furnish them both a house,lihts 7-nd water
and I guess coal lso,for my coal 1:111 is seventeen doll!. s every two
werks. AnL I pay them a good salary,for this work is not like most nv other
kind of work. For we have to wok all hours some times.
"My nephew is sunposed to help me here in the shop when he
he is not bqsy out at the house,andespecially to deliver orders. But
1.11f of the Time I do not know where he is at, His wife helps me in the
shop when I am busy. But I sure do have to -0-y her. I em elways doinc: some
A
thin forthem,but they dO not offer to do ,,nything for me,unless I pay for
it.
"They have two children -lad I em always buying something for them
but they do not appreciate that. And I pay more bills for things that I,
never see,nd he and the boy et the place do rrett2 much es they please.
Why I have got in a rush and called out there forthem ,only to find they
had gone fishing or hunting. They think that becuse Jim is my nephew,
tht they are privileAed to do es they plea -s. And use my CBTS to make
these trips in and even charge the gas to me. I guess I am just to
easy on them.
But I Own m business by myself now Tnd•h:-ve had to move twice
to 1-ive more room for the shop since I started out in the small place.
I have ,11 that I can do. My sister thinks that I should do more for my
folks than I do.but I can't see it that way. And don't see hardly how I
could do much more,I do not keep any of them in the house with me,I tried
thst,but it didn't-work,we could not get along. But I do furnish a home for
one of my sisters,also one of my brother and his family,and help feed them
of course my fIllher ,nd mother are both ,fead,rnd I think I do es much,in-
fct much more thn -ny of the rest,for the ones that I mentioned.
-8
"And they think they keep up with what I make,through my nep-
hew,but I have learned not to let him know,for he will take no inter-
ett in the work,will not look after the shop at all. I know that I
need to get out and take a trip or rest up,but bad as MIX I need.
it,I can't afford to just get out end leave it by its self.'
Anothercustomer came im and as she went to wait on him, I
noticed some pictures over her desk. Two of them was lovely tinted
_pictures of little girls,and one of a. little bo3i,that was still lust
a baby. But the one that attracted me most,was a picture of a small
grave of a child,it was decorated in the christmas decoretions,end
a christmas tree all lihted up wee by the side of it,with a large
stPr in the top of the tree.
Miss Smith came beck in the room smillfing,and said"I told
you so, the boy could not resist the red roses for his girl,he came
beck and ordered them,-nd now he is liappy,a.nd I hope that she will be
just as happy when she gets them,es he is in sending them.
Two more customers came in,both boys, One wanted t4smen
'roses sent to s young girl,end the other wanted a pot of flowers
for a sick friend. She was very considerate and e xplained about the
different pot flowers and helped him to make his selection. And for
more than an hour :lid a h-lf she was busy with customers.
And as ahe finished with the lest ones,a rather .poorly dresse d
by came. She was just as nice to him as she had been to the others
-showing him over the shop ,nd all her flowers. After he left she said I
wish that I knew who that boy is. I am so son -3r for him,he comes in
-I0
place at the house where I can store a good many Maadthings.
"But I am begining to believe that I
e7oing to have to stOp.
that or have it changed some way. And she laughed,"you know I alWays
buy my foliage in large quenties,not less than a hundred pounds at a
time. Well I keep that at thr- house also and just bring it in as I need it
And just before christmas,I had just about used up whet I hPd here in
the shop.
"I knew that I would need more in mailing up my qjaristmas baskets
I called the house and told the boy to bring me in a'supply. He called
me back in few minutes,Pnd AZ -4 tht there was none there. I was so sure
that I Aold him to look agaAn.But he couldn't find any. My nephew was
herewhile I was talking to the other boy but he. (_id not say anything.
"When I .went home that night,Ifound that the boy was right ,I
did not Ilve any foliage. I just couldn't imagine what in the world had
gone with it. But right fter christmas,I found out what went withit.
My nephew said his wife sold more than a hunfred dollars worth of these
little-chrirtmas pots at the ten cent stores.and I knw then where my
supplies went.
"No they did not ever sy anything to me about it. They never
do. But still they don't pull as msny thins over me n they think theyb.
Yet they did get a cow stall built !inc',_ had a cow in it before I knew
anything at all about it. Jim that is my nephew,had built a high trellis
between my house anc. the ,cow stall. he 1P112:hed nd said" They feel-
so sure they will get all I have when I am gone,so I guess they think they
miht as well use it now,
pore customers c- me in and she went .out to wait oh them,s,nd
when she came back Ehe said," this has been amther dull day with me,
but I guess I need it,as I heve been in a rush for several days. She
had been working an some orders as she talked.and having them ready,she
called the house to see if Jim was therso he could come in and make,.
the deliveries.
It was sometime before rny one snswered,nd then it was his
wife,nd she said he was not there. Miss Smith called .tsxiand
msde.her deliveries.But she showed plsinly that she did not .like it. XXX
Finally she said thpt is just the way it is most of the time. They
think the can do me :11,y way,but they will go toofar one of these days.
"Why last spring I had so much work that I wanted done out at
the house, nd I do not like to overwpr
nyone. So I got's settled
msn to go out and help them out. And after he finished his work,he
said,Miss Smith,I do not like to tell things,but you just don't know
how things re going out there. When I went to w ork out there,they
gave as some advicesand it was thie,see nothing,hear nothing,know
notdaing. As Jim had been getting by,I aunt not tell on hia.
Miss Saith laughed and fired both of them last fall,
for going off when I needed thea very bad. They didn't think that I
would do it. I sent for another boy to take their place, And do you
know what those boys done? well they went and told the boy that I had
caanged my mind,and when I 04110 down the next aorning to come to work,
Jia Was there waiting in the car,and the other boy was already at
work triiaming the hedges. They had a good job,and couldn't do any
one else like they did me. But for a while they did fine,I got more
work done than I had ever got out of them before.
-12-
"I am going to have to have Jim's wife kelp me tomorrow for
I nave to get out those orders for the dance. But .I usually pay her
four or five dollars a day when she helps me,but she is good kelpsaait'
rea* works. But she will not offer to kelp me unless I ask her,and
then she knows that she will get paid for it.
"And some of them are always borrowing money,but they don't
ever think of paying back. Noothey would not think ett-doing any one
else that way, I guess they just figure that I don't need it. But
pay them all for what they do for as. And they have all the flowers
that taey want,at any time they want then. And r like to see them put.
flowers in their houses.
"But the children are realbr a pleasure running about the MI
douse when I an at home,for it is lonesome some timessespecially whign
I an at home on Sunday. I do ay own cooking,but I do have some one
to cone in and do the cleaning. And last Sunday *no of ay friends was.
visiting me,and she said,'I knew that you was crazy about flowers,but
I did not know that you was bad as you are,do you know how many vases 411"_
flowers you have in your house
"No I replied,' never count thea,but I do like to have flowers
every were. My friend laughed and saidowell I have counted fifty-two
and I don't know how many more there are. She tsmy likes my home,and
I do have a nice home,it is just out of the city limits,and I have sev-
eral smaller cottages on tae place that I rent,and don't have any
trouble in renting them.
"Iff course have electrielty,as the lines go by the place. Bork
I use an electric pump to furnish water for the houses,but we have
plenty of it. And about the only thing we don't have is gas. But we can
cook with eliatrieity. We are in the oeunt/sy but have all the convenionas
of town. And as it is en a paved highwayows have no .trouble running las
-13
to town.
A
"I come in quiet often to shows as that is about all that I hay,
time for. And I go to church on Sunday,yet some times my work makes us
work on Sunday also. And some times I can get some of them to stay at
the house en Sunday,then I can get away for a day,and that roa4 kelps
for this work is so confining as you never know when son. will call for
a order,and want it in a hurry.
"1 very often think of what our old negro cook told as one tin*
4'
when I was little,she was trying to make4\ do something,and I did not
want to do it,well she jus turned me across her lap0and ihen gave mo the
only whipping that I ever had. She told me then,Isome dose days youse
gwine'r has ter do,and what youse gwine'r do,less'en youse how.
"And how right she was,I have reali had to work,but inspite of all
my handicaps,' have made a good living and am trying to lay aside pion
to take care of me when I get to whore I can't work. I have several
V
very good inestments in stecks,and I like that much better than build
houses to rentlfor there is always something to do on them,just repairC
all the thO time. For most of the people that rent will take care of a
place, just because it is net theirs.
"I have a time with my social securities and rocordseinfact I
still do not understand them,and rea4 don't know what it all means.But
I do not object to it,and am willing to do my part. It was a little
complicated at first to get my reports just right,but I guess they pass
for I don't hear anything from them after I send them off.
"My sister wanted to know only lastSundayskow much insurance 1.
was car"ng on myself. Not an at all,I replied.Sho was sholked,and
gave me we a raking °tor the coalstas the old use to say, asked her why
should IPIthat t didn't have an/ one to leave it tesand I thought I
had enough to take cars of mysolf. I guess they want all they *an get.
-14
"And the first of this year ,I aade a reselutiononet tohlend
any one any money during this year.
"Have you kept the resolution" I,alsk.She laughed heartily,
"I did for one day,or maybe two,and then Jia and the other boy also
wanted ten dollars eack,and of course they got it. They just know how
to get next to me.
She went out to the front to wait on a custimertand when she
came back into the work rooa she said,"The rain is coming down in tor-
rents,and I have to send out some of these flowers,guess I will have
to use a taxi again for Jim is not here yet and it, is most time to go
home. I aa sure he will be here to drive AO hoae,for I do not drive
myself.
"It is a good thing I have not been busy today,for I should have
needed hia. I wondered why she called it a dull day for business,for
sne had been working hard all the time she was talkingland as I was
getting ready to leave,I thanked her for the nice story,and also for
giving me so muck of her time. "I was glad teshe replisd,"I aa glad
that you caae,for I don't like to be by myself.
As I went out,a man came,which was evidently Jia,for she wanted
to know where he had been all day,and I bet that he had to put up soae
aighty good excuse.