Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1888-08-03

I the case was q fictitious one, he felt sure tina
there were multitudes of women similarly
situated. and the editor would be doing
/ good Christian work if he would put this
1 young woman in communication with some
one of them.
/ The Joint letter found its way in due time
/ to the sanctum of puzzled and amused edi-
L tor. who froWned and laughed alternately
1 over its contents, buit-dispused to toss 10 an
i TO the WGste-bHNket, but finally put lt in hls
\ pocket with a dozen other documents. II
I might have remained there indefinitely for
I the editor was n young man. and had no
/ personal interest iu EEs domestic problem.
/ but, during that day with hia sister, his se-
4 rene enjoyment was suddenly disturbed by
series of dull thumps Hp9H Ehs stairs follow
I ed by piercing screams.
THERE said Mrs Lattimef rushing away.
/ ''She let's the baby faii down stairs. ! always
said she'd kin IT, I shall dismiss hsf the
/ minute Fred gets baekl" she painted return
I ing with the baby. ~ never draw au FasF
breath except when the children afe asleep.
"Oh, by the way. Florence" replied HeI
brother i've got hold Of d solution Tor ali
your domestic difficulties. SeFeF say I'm not
practical again Here are two arrVanta for
you made TO oFdef=h cook and q nursery
maid-natve8, sisters, capable educated.
/ warranted by the minister; what more could
YOU ask"
Raymond, what on earth are you talking
abOut2"
Its all here, you can see for yourself The
! fact is, I've been thinking "a good deal about
/ this labor question;and one evening L wrote
] a letter for the Ounal, purpOrting to come
] from a Mrs. +. l.. Howe, setting forth her
/ troubles with servants, and appealing to the
/ help"
/ 'EYou miserable humbugl read it with
] sympathizing heart and meant to write to
| her myself-Our cases were so much alike
/ only forgot it.
! ''Well, here comes a letter from a rustic
/ maiden, who speaks for her sister and herself
] and proposes to understand the job. She's
/ in serious earnest, too, and I'm quite i'm
/ IN
Mrs. Lattimer read with a critical, not to
/ say skeptical, air.
"Td sooner have Bridget with all her pep
] cry temper Deliver me from superior, I'm
! as-gOOd-as-yOu-ar servants. I intend to be
/ mistress in my own house, and I want serv-
! ants and not companions and friends.
An, right you have my approval there;
/ but L thought the trouble was,
/ you were not mistress. They obey Just far
! enough to enable to keep their places and
! draw their wages, and they have no cOncep-
/ ton of any other kind Of service. Now, if /
/ were a hOusekeeper, 1 should try these girls
/ certainly you couldn't be worse of.
! III you were hOusekeeper, you would do
/ just as the rest Of US dO-bear the ills we
/ know, rather than tempt the unknown"
! perhaps so; am profoundly thankful
! that I'm not woman, to go on doing
/ thing to all eternity, because my grand
| mother did it before me- and my neighbOrs
/ Will think 1T so queer of me to try any new
/ way"
what are you going to do about the let
/ teri lou really ought to IT.
! $50 1 shall. I shall tell the minister have
/ forwarded the letter to Mrs. E. L. Howe who
/ Will correspond with him if she decides to
! pursue the matter"
| If the EDITORS letter, proving that Mrs. E.
/ l.. Howe was no myth, created deep and pro-
! found excitement in the little circle of three,
/ what can be said of the effect produced by a
! letter addressed to Miss Matte Harper offer
( ing to her and her sister service in the
! house of the writer with wages and cOndi-
| lions very carefully specified? To be sure, it
/ was signed Mrs. Frederic Lattimer. but of
] course, one would use a fictitious name III a
! paper The letter written in plain terms;
! it said servants not ''hired girls which was
| supposed IN bingham to be a title of greater
! respect and stipulated that the engagement
! was only for d month OF trial, at the end of
! which time, If Mrs. Lattimer was not pleased,
! she would pay their expenses home.
1t IL come pretty tough on You, Marthy
Harper, being looked down on as a servant -
said the kind old hOusekeeper. You won't
! have no ISOLATION with the family"
81 don't care to associate with TIE family;
we don't associate with the men we make
! shirts for" said Matte. 1 shall have Dolly,
/ and Dolly VIII have me- and we viii both
have the babies. L don't think we shall care
! for much more"
1t was only at Mattie's earnest entreaty
| that the minister fOrebOre to accompany
/ them to their home.
''lt would look as if we expected to be re-
/ ceiVed as something more than we are, - she
! said to Dolly. "And / want her to under
stand that all we ask is fair wages for fair
! work.
So they went alone. A smart-looking
! maid answered the ring at the dOOr-beH, cal
/ culated their social standing at "a glance and
| left them in the hall while she went for her
| mistress. Presently the girl came back and
/ conducted them to the kitchen. Mattie's
/ eyes noted that the floor was uuswept the
! range greasy and a pile of unWhOlesOme-
! looking towels lay on the table; for Bridget
had been gone a week, and a procession of
! supplies, each one worse than the last, had
| held brief possession of her kingdom.
Il am so glad it isn't a basement kitchen,
! and see what a nice large yard, " she said to
| Dolly, whose eyes were ready to overflow.
Something came gathering along the hall,
! and the door was pushed open to admit
/ beautiful boy Of four, drawing a tin horse
/ after him.
ooh, you darling!'' exclaimed Dolly rap
| turOusly.
/ But the boy drew back little, saying:
Where's Bridget2"
And In minute the nurse bounced upon
him, and dragged him of, calling him a lit
| tie torment, and a bad, naughty boy"
Mattie's first bread, rashly undertaken with
| Budgets homemade yeast, was an utter
failure, and the baby chung obstinateley to
Joanna In spite of DOliy's Establishments,
/ while Mrs. Lattimer, knowing nothing of
! housekeeping herself, had not particle of
/ patience with ignorance IN others, and clung
/ to her deep persuasion that nothing but the
most vigorous putting down could ever keep
/ these girls from disagreeabie assumption.
/ But long before the end Of the month Dolly
| reigned sweet and serene in the nursery,
/ wore her nurses cap without an uncomforta-
/ bic thought and drank in delight from the
/ shaded park, with its flowers and birds and
/ fountains, as unconscious OF bitter servitude
as the children she loved and guarded.
/ NAs for Matte" Mrs. Lattimer confessed
/ to her brother, ''she's simply invaluable, and
/ 1 shall never be able to endure an ordinary
/ servant again, but if she hadn't known her
/ mind better than did mine, we should have
/ parted the very first week. There's one blessed
/ thing your old j Journal has dOnefOr the labor
I
I endOW the paper out of gratitude"
| "Ah, 1 always felt that 1 was born to be