River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-08-12
JANET AT WORK.

never get a cent of pocket money now,
father"
He sighed as he answered, Il know il,
and am sorry, but the pressure seems
harder every year. Wants seem to in
crease faster than the means of supply
ing them. Hand this TO your mother,
Janet
Forgive me for worrying you. dear
father l ought to be earning my own
spending money, but there are SO few
ways of doing that unless 90 away
from home.
I'VE can't let you do that. There's
enough for all if we are careful
Take it out to Bridget" said her
mother, rs Janet gave her the money
from her father.
Twelve dollars. Dear mel said
Janet to herself, rather fretfully, as she
slowly walked toward the kitchen.
Bridget has earned it and | don't
grudge it to her, but wish could earn
twelve dollars"
''Wirra, wirra," Bridget sat on the
floor holding an open letter. and rock
ing Eherself backward and forward
with dismal groans. Pots, pans and
kettles were around in their usual con-
fusion. Its mesilf must be lawn yez,
the day, Miss Janet"
Servants were hard to find, and, ia
nets face wore the accustomed express
sion of dismay with which such notices
are always received, as she asked,
What's the matter, Bridget"
Its me sisters got faver bad. IN
it mesilf must be goin' to her; an
it's six weeks intirely I'll be sthayin
when it's so far to be goin'."
AS Janet handed her the money, a
sudden thought came to her.
Il am sorry for you, Bridget. Of
course you must 90, if you must. Per
haps we can get along without you un-
til you are ready to come back. "
Mother" she said, returning to her,
'Bridget's going away for a few
weeks" Mothers face grew as dis
mayed as Janet's had, for she was not
strong. and there were four boys.
AN phase we, ma'am, it's after
comm to try TO get the place | am.
What do you mean, Janet? said
her mother, laughing, as the girl cour-
tested low.
Il mean, mothe r, will you pay me
the same you pay Bridget, if will do
her wOrk?'
you can't do it all, Janet
What ] can't do I'll hire. | want
to do something. / want to get some
money can feel is my own, and that
] have rigbt to speL'd if l want new
book or bit of music, or anything
else. l can t get school-there are
40 applicants where there is one vacany.
can I get more than two music schol-
airs. | can't dispose of fancy work or
painting. and if could | might dabble
over them for month, and not clear
more than Bridget does in a week:
there arc so many doing that kind of
work. Kitchen work is the only work
there seems to be plenty of for girls.
"Yc,u may try it, but | think you II
get very tired of il"
Janet spent good part of her first
weeks wages in buying gingham
aprons, rubber gloves, and paying a
stout woman TO come and scrub and
scour until the last traces of gOOd-na-
tured, slovenly Bridget's presence
were removed. Then with clean kitch-
en-, clean utensils and clean towels,
Janet took hold of her work with a
right good will.
I'VE II All cooperate" said her IA
Their. when he heard of her intention.
Well cooperate cried the boys,
and they kept their word well in bring
! ing of the wood and water, and sweep
I ing the walks. Aud 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 10 her
mother. after the first day or two. "Be-
( fore when we have been without 4 girl
! | always hated it, because tried how
/ little / could get along with doing. and
/ how much could shove out of the way.
/ And, mother, YOU would be astonished
to see how little cleaning there is to be
done when nobody makes any unnecess-
airy dirt, and how much work can be
saved by using your wits TO save 1t.
! She never told her mother how her
back ached during those first days OF
D UNUSUAL tAGItiSt- Ills hOlC DAA go
she became accustomed to il. Every
/ day she learned more and more to sim
plify 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 hand
/ ling of table linen and other things
made the wash smaller. so that the
stout women could do two weeks wash
( in one Janet found there were few
DAYS in which she could not sit down
when the dinner was over. Other sur
prising things came to light.
Whats the matter that you don t
burn any wood nowadays" said Tom,
Il have so little splitting to do
/ Bridget. like so many of her sister
/ hood, had always seemed to consider
\ it her duty to keep roaring fire all
/ day. regardless of whether it was need
} ed or not, and father always looked
I blank over the fuel bills. One-haf the
quantity was now amply sufficient. and
and difference was soon apparent IN
many other things. The food for one
person is alwaya noticeable in a small
/ family, where a rigid hand must be
kept upon expenses, besides which ia
net was not slow in perceiying how
many things went fsrther than before
Odds and ends were utilized which had
been thrown away or had counted for
nothing, but no one felt afraid of scraps
done over by Janet's hand.
1--WE were never so comfortable be-
fore" said father.
"We never had such good things to
eat" declared the boys, who highly
appreciated the dainty, though plain
cookery, as contrasted with Bridget's
greasy preparations; for Janet full
of honest determination to earn her
wages, had given much attention to
the getting up of palatable, inexpen-
sive dishes, seeing variety, while