The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-11-15
The New Girl.

never get cent of pocket money now,
father.n -
He sighed heavily as he answered 81
know it, and I'm sorry, but the pressure
seems harder and harder every year.
Wants seem to increase faster than the
means of supplying them. Hand this
to your mother, Janet"
"Forgive me for worrying you, dear
father. 1 ought to be making my own
spending money, but there are so few
ways of doing that unless 60 away from
home"
"We can't let you do that yet. There's
enough for all if we are careful"
"Take it out to Bridget" said her
mother, as Janet gave her the money
from her father.
"Twelve dollars. Dear me" said
Janet to herself, rather fretfully, as she
slowly walked toward the kitchen.
"Bridget has earned it, and l don't
grudge it to her, but how 1 wish l could
earn SI2l"
"Wirra, wirra!" Bridget sat on the
floor, holding an open letter and rock
ing herself backward and forward with
dismal groans. Pots, pans and kettles
were around in their usual confusion.
"It's mesilf must be LAWN yez the day,
Miss Janet"
Servants were hard to find, and Janet S
face wore the accustomed expression of
| dismay with which such notices were al
ways received as she asked: "What's
the matter, Bridget!"
''It's me sisther's got the faver bad,
an it's mesilf must be goin' to her.
An it's six weeks intirely I'll be shtayin
when its so far to be goin'."
AS Janet handed her the money a sud-
den thought came to her.
"I'm sorry for you, Bridget. OF
course, you must 60 if you must. Per-
haps we can get along without any one
until you are ready to come back"
"Mother," she said, returning to
her, "Bridget's going away for few
weeks" Mothers face grew as dis
mayed as Janet's. had, for she was not
strong and there were four boys.
can phase ye, ma'am, it's afther
comm to try to get the place am"
mother, laughing as the young girl
courtseyed low.
81 mean, mother, will you pay me
the same you pay Bridget, ifI do her
work."
"You can't do it all, Janet"
"What I can't do I'll hire. 1 want
to do something, and I want to get a
little money I can feel is my own and
and that have a right to spend if ]
want a new book or a bit of music
or anything else that may need
can't get a school-there are forty ap-
plicants where there is one vacancy.
1 can't get more than one or two music
| scholars. Ican't dispose of fancy work
or painting, and if I could might dab
BILE over them for month and not clear
more than Bridget does in week, there
are so many waiting to do that kind OF
work. Kitchen work is the only work
there seems to be plenty of for girls"
"You may try it, but I think you'll
get very tired of it.
Janet spent good share of her first
weeks wages in buying gingham aprons,
rubber gloves, and paying stout woman
to come and scrub and scour until the
last traces of good-natured slovenly
Bridget's presence were removed.
Then, with clean kitchen, clean utensils
and clean towels Janet took hold of her
work with right good will.
"We'll all cooperate" said father,
when he heard of her intention.
"We'll cooperate" cried the boys,
and they kept their word we'll in bring.
ing of wood and water and sweeping
the walks. And after the first morning
she found that Tom had made the fire
and ground the coffee before she came
down.
"There's great satisfaction in doing
things thoroughly" said Janet to her
mother, after the first day or two. "Be-
fore, when we have been without girl
I always hated it because I tried how
little 1 could get along with doing and
how much could shove out of the way.
Now that I'm making business of it I
don't feel that way. And, mother, you
would be astonished to see how little
cleaning there is to be done when no.
body makes any unnecessary dirt or
how much work can be saved by using
your wits to save it."
She never told her mother how her
back ached during those first days OF
unusual exercise. This wore off as she
became accustomed to it. Every day
she learned more and more to simplify
her work. A few minutes in the kitchen
just before bed time arranged things so
exactly to her hand that there was no
hurry or crowding at the busy time in
the morning. Careful handling of table
linen and other things made the wash
smaller, so that the stout woman could
do two weeks wash in one. Janet
found that there were few days in which
she could not sit down when the dinner
work was over. Other surprising things
came to light.
"What's the matter that you don't
burn any wood nowadays1" said Tom,
81 have SO little splitting to do"
Bridget, like SO many of her sister
hood, had always seemed to consider
it her bounden duty to keep roaring
fire all day, regardless of whether there
was need of it or not, and father always
looked blank over the fuel bills. One
half the quantity was now found amply
sufficient, and difference was soon ap-
parent in many other things. The food
for one person is always noticeable in
a small family where a rigid hand must
be kept upon expenses, besides which,
| Ianet was not slow in perceiying how