The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-03-27

great iOuu was llileu on my SuOuluSEsY
when day after day found three nicely
cooked meals ready at the appointed
hour, my kitchen always neat, with no
flies in uncovered milk, no dish towels
under the stove, no silver in the sink,
or the table looking as if set by hurri-
cane. She did the marketing also, and
the monthly bills showed q surprising
difference, for no spoilt messes went to
the pigs, timely care kept things in or
der, and good Judgment made economy
4 pleasant possibility
When illness came, had no thought
for anything beyond the SICK room; all
went below as regularly as if were still
there. If friends called, my neat house
Eeener could receive and reply to their
innuiries. IF forgot to eat, she came to
me with some, tempting dish and begged
me take il, with look OF sympathy
that made IL sweet; and when l asked
how the family had got on, found that
oil had fared well, and no sense OF neg
1 Iect or waste added to my anxieties.
/ Only one falling did / DISCOVER in Miss
is. IL always gave her name as she gave
me mine, and returned the respect sne
/ paid me as scrupulously as 1 eouId;y
| She was not very strong, for much work
| had done for her what it does for most
! American women in her case, and by
| Iessening her health had impaired her
usefulness. Finding that the washing
was too hard for her, got astout neigh
Dor to come in and do it.
The good Irish woman sniffed at first
at my 'lady,u as she called Miss ., but
before the summer was over the klnd
soul gave i'm and said heartily, "Sure,
Miss, dear, it's n nice little crater she IS
and mighty helpful to We, lave alone her
being true lady. I'm wishing yen get
I H. v~ir u a
So did I, for alas, my little 5. did go,
because she only came for the summer
and preferred the city in winter. Her
| fame, however, had gone abroad, and a
friend, hearing her praises sung, came
! to secure her as a companion TOR her OLD
mother. | could cordially recommend
her to this easier place, for her experience
| as q teacher made her good reader her
! knowledge of needle-work made her
good seamstress, and the thrifty house
hold virtues of an intelligent New Eng
land woman made her comfort in any
home she might enter. Before she lett,
however half dozen of my neighbors,
who. by the way, had foretOld the utter
failure of my experiment, came to see,
talk with, and try to tempt Miss ,. 10
come and do for them what she had
done for me. But she preferred the city
and went, taking with her the respect
Cheered by my first success, L tried
! again, and found no lack of excellent
. American women longing for home
, and eager to except the rights, not priv
ileges, which offered them. Every one
whose advertisement | answered replied
to me, and one person came to see me,
so anxious was she to secure place
, where she could "be treated like a lady,
though she did work for her daily
IL
with her; and though / longed to take
! in the homeless souls, we needed but
one, for l could not give up the work
> that is my best medicine for both mind
. and body.
: So took Miss J., pretty, sOft-eyed
p woman, whose modest dress and gentle
manner won me at once. She was
farmers daughter seeking to support
herself and had lived seven years in one
place as helper, three years as house
keeper for a clergyman, and for two
years had the entire charge of a mother
less little boy. Allthese experiences had
given her power and skill of different
sorts, and the refinement of feeling
which is so grateful in those we live
with She, too, had worked hard and
overtaxed her strength; but was ready
5 to do anything in return for kindness,
respect and the protection of home.
? and the prospect of n lonely winter was
: made eudurable to me by the presence
! of one who could be both helper and
= companion She did the cooking, wash
t ing and ironing, though l preferred to
help with the latter, rs it was better
/ gymnastics for an arm, cramped with
{ too much pen-wOrk, than any move
1 ment cure ever invented. AS I found
/ her stronger than Miss 5. and able to do
A 8 l.
: the other, ] gave her four dollars week,
4 and felt that il was money well spent.
Unfortunately sudden change of plan
, made it necessary 10 shut up the house
} for the winter and disband our forces.
] l had feared that Miss J. would find it
: too solitary, and was both touched and
: pleased when she said with real regret:
''Oh, no, I'd give anything to stay
t with you till spring or longer 1t is the
D sort of place | wanted and never hoped
to find"
, made known the case to a friend,
5 and in a week five townswOmen came to
e inquire about my house-keeper, for this
] second success converted several of the
I most unbelieving matrons. A place was
/ soon found, and when | said goodbye to
my friend as well as helper she paid me
r the best compliment I ever received: fT
t thought, perhaps, you wrote one way
: about work and tried another; but you
I don't; and if ever you want ME I'll come
/ again with all my heart"
] Now this experiment is worth telling,
l because it has been successfully tried
e with three different women; and there
: are plenty more ready to do their best
: in families where they can be properly
Y treated. Some ladies may object to
j. having a stranger at the table, yet it is
f better to have lady there than an ear
: at the key-hole and an Irish tongue to
n gossip of family affairs to the neighbors'
< girls. Some would think that this
g helper would be in the way if she sat in
the parlOr, but a well-bred woman
n knows by instinct when to go and when
J. to stay. Miss S. gently vanished when
3 visitors came in, or if some duty kept
!, her there | introduced her, and so pre-
r vented any feeling of awkwardness on
5 the part of guests, or that sense of ex-
: clusiOn which is so hard to q social or
o sensitive woman.
: Miss j. always sat in the dining room,
: which in the evening was lighted; the
n folding doors left open and the music or
i chat of the parlOr free to her as to us.
t 1t was pleasant to me to see the neat,
IS pretty woman sitting there, enjoying
the books, Frightening at friendly
f word, ready to lend n hand wherever
Il needed, and 50 happy in the atmosphere
}, of freedom which made labor light and
: life less sad and solitary for her.
0 In large and fashionable family TINS