The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-03-28
Written for the Sunday Crescsntl
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE QUESTION:.
BY ONE WHO KNOWS.

BY ONE WHO KNOWS.
Well, Mr.. Editor, 1. suppose you thought was
dead, or had forgotten my promise to tell you
about my experience with ladies in hirsng out az
stopped after telling you about my second trial
at service; but never forget, and never brake
my word, SO here 1 am with my fourth madam,
and think you'll allow we poor girls do have some
trials in getting along with our msdams. don't
mention my third madam. for she was good lady
real lady, and don well by me. and lived with
her till she broke up housekeeping and went away.
She didn't forget that servants were human be-
ines well as she was, and it was real pleasure
to live with her. But, oh Mr.. Editor, my heart
was Just broke with the fourth one. She was one
of those ladies who are the hardest to live with ;
she only did two things beside eatin' and sleepn'
and that was. she was on the street shopping or
visiting, or else in bed reading novels; and tho
she never took enough interest in her house to 90
over it once week. she expected everything to
be nice and kept in good order. But you know
when the cats away the mice will play, and If
lady amt got her own interest enough to look after
her things, how can she expect q servant to have
it? She was always missin' things too, just be-
cause she didn't know enough about her things to
know what ought to be in the house and what
ought not.
Her children, jist like stare.steps in size, mite
almost as well had no mother for all the care she
took of them. The servants took 'em up and
dressed 'em; the servants made 'em fit to be seen
when they ware ft, and the servants put 'em TO
bed o. nights without one word Of advice or little
prayer, not even hymn; and II she was a readin'
she'd push them of when they'd 90 for q good
night kiss, and say, Don't bother me. children;
your such pests; wonder what children are for
but to plague ones life OUT"
And as for their clothes and her husbands, oh,
my don't believe actually that man had had
shirt with all the buttons on II or rare Of hole
socks in ten year or more. II one Of the children
was sick all the care fell on him and the nurse. She
uset to say her health was too delicate to set up
and nurse, and she'd 60 to bed or 60 out and stay
all day, even when her babies were sick, for she
never nursed them herself. She said she wasn't
goin to spoil her flyer for no baby that ever was
born, and "then lady couldn't keep drest up
nice if she nursed her baby" So the baby had TO
take its chances, and mighty slim chances they
were sometimes. Oh, such doses as I've seen
them nurses give.
The truth Of the bizness was that Mrs. B. took
care of Mrs. B. That was her doctrine, and she
lived up TO 1t mighty well. The incest things TO
eat was on her plate, and she got everything nice
she wanted. II anybody did without, 1t wasn't
dolent, to use nice word for Ii. Ifshe'd been q
poor woman IL would have been called lazy. She
would sIt in her chair and call q servant to hand
her something that was not ten steps on, no mat
ter how busy the servant mite be; and then she
was always complainin that the servants never
got thar work done. How can . servant get
their reRlar work done, II they are called from It
every ten minutes to get something or do some
thing else 'Taint possible, but she thot II was.
Ofcourse there was plenty Of waste and plenty
carelessness IN that house. What could you ex-
pect, when there was no mistrsss's eye TO look on
and see that things went rite? II madam de-
ponds upon servants 10 do every thing and don't
look on herself, there will always be waste and
extravaganza In that house certain. feel sorry
for man who marrys lady too fine or too lszy'to
have an eye to her own house. She uset to make
1t boast, a. tho it was credit, that she never
new what was coming on her table till abe sot
down TO eat, and 1t was troo 70. The cook had
pass book to the grocery, and the way We must
all have swum 10 lard and lived on cofiee and tea
was caution, to judge from that book.
lust lookt at 1t one day for fun, and found We
had had ten pounds Of lard 10 week, and pound
of tee and seven pounds Of coffee In Ave days, and