Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-06
New York Servants.

New 10rk Servants.
ssAnd how do YOU like service in
America ?r inquired the reporter of a
smooth-faced gentleman in a striped
greent- .sIrle 's vest whose nationality
b"It' torble. Hall things 4 consider d,
hits TOP bile, with due emphasis. II
g How does it compare with service
= The pickins is very good good, but
the Ignorance IS simply orful. gsv
In what sense do You mean?',
mean as sow most Hamerican
fam lies don know nuthink abouthetti-
quet. I've bin in this city nigh on two
years. and their hain't a season wot
they don't hask my advice on points of
hettiquet. Why. it was honly the other
day as my missus wanted to know ow
the table ought to be set for dinner
Hask the first cook, ma am saws /. for
Iwasn't engaged to dress tables. but
honly to wait on 'em, / told the French
cook, and he got orful .waxy. 1t, nd
never do, yer know, fer me to be q him
terferln with the cook" 80 &
But don't you think it was a compli-
~ ~ .NOu1 SAPcIlcuCts..- .s.Fs.,z sr.asss
MiSsas meant well, hive no doubt,
as SO she hort seem as I've lived in two
lords, fam lies, and waited Oh a Russian
Count for more mir year, Tn ~
Wy Ihen' You can explain, doubtless,
the organization of the servants de-
partment?9 "a .son lHs us seoma5,f s.
no. one better But hain't
yer dry?' hel After calling for sstwo
lwhiskys 'ot" the gentleman proceeded:
1.-The s3ed of the establishment is the
steward. But there'svery few HaIneri-
cans as keeps regular stewards. Buffers
In this country gently does the stew
ard s work, and q pretty good thing
they make hout of it. They mostly oits
seven hundred dollars in wages and
three suits year, but theymake double
that in perquisites and commissions
and private tips. tih aNo2 q ,o''2ffr
l2its Afore abutler goes to a place. the
first thing he hasks himself is: .Wot i
the place WORTH and if he don't see
his way to making, twice his wages he
won + take it. Lor'sbless yer heart. the
wages haint nothink. He gets his
whack from the wine merchant. and he
can save ON is clothes. If he makes
two suits do the place of three he'll get
the tailor to allow him for the suit he
don tuwant, and it's charged to the
masters account. a After the butler
comes the valet His perquisites are
not to be, ssneezed at, for he gets his
masters old clothes, nearly as GOOD as
new, besides letsov tips,b Some on en-
make $500 or $500 a year hix tr:si par
aticlir'when the !fam'ly's on its Etlropean
tower. The first footman's pick1in's is
mostly in tips, too; he gets the flowers
left after receptions and balls, which he
sells hover agin. The 'all porter's place
is quite nice thing for man that
knows his business slni. .yff s3,i F,8
-,,,t'' How about the coachman?" 50 "
ah rs got his hown men tolook halter.
such ,as grooms, 'elpers and stablemen.
He haint got bad thing either for. he.
tween his tips from the veterinary sur
geon and the 'arnesS- makers, and a
good sum now and again from the sale
OF n boss, / guess is place is wurth all
the way from eight 'undred dollars hup,
with his board, lodgin' and clothes
found" -.-,s .,...,
"a. Il suppose the same rules apply to
female servants also?n fsr ss.. sa7 >. p. i
Yes, and some on 'em make more
than We do. The lady, maids, who are
mostly French or German, come in fer
lots o. things, silk dresses, laces, and
very often 'andsOme sums o. money,
cos yer see theirs is a confidential posi-
ton, and they don't change much. Hi
could tell Yer ssome very tidy stories
which I've heard from ladies' maids.
and they'd make hinterestin' reading,
but, of course, j wouldn't do that. COS
its against the rules of hourprofession. -
What is a lady's maids place
WORTH" l.ai area sHians7 .g-es5ba'
"In a good rich family what don't
know much, / should say it s wuth nigh
on thousand a year. one way and an
other. After the lady's maid comes the
upper 'ousemaid, wot sees the rooms
properly busted; then there's the sec
ond 'ousemaid wot attends to fires and
sweepin' bout. The third 'ousemaid
keeps the lower part of the ,ouse hin
order. Ousemaids don't. get much,
not more than twenty. dollars month.
Kitchen maids sell the fat-ahd- scrap.
which comes TO something in the course
of a Year, while the cooks chip in with
the butchers and grocers, for they car,
horder almost what they like. Hanler-
leans, yer see, will spend their, money,
and they haint Particlir about the
Have you any notion about the cost
OF a ball or reception during the height
of the season. -, 90, - - j,
! could give yer a retty fair hidea.
A friend % mine told me that at a ball
given by Mrs. William III. Vanderbilt,
last winter, the bills footed up to eight
thousand dollars for wines, fruit flow
ersi and heXtra attendance. Why, an
Henglish family wouldn't spend alf the
money. l know for "a fact that at a
certain bali given by family in Fifty
seventh street, a friend that's in service
there got no less than thirty dollars in
tips for 'elpin' the gents hon with their
hovercoats. Some families don't hal
low tips. but their people never stay
with 'em longer than a month at a
time: They're holways changin' and
families that change never get good
servants. Live an let live is my motto;
fairs fair half the world. over. Our
knowledge of langwidge makes US worth
all we gifts. ~ Y. Journal, !, $500. -,
r. q