San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-08-21

JOyneHb was suuuenly ulSburDeu ny Dol 10
of dull thumps upon the stairs, followed b.
piercing screams.
"Therep said Mrs Lattimer rushing
away. "She's let the baby fall down stairs
] always said she'd kill It'll l shall dismiss
her the minute Fred gets back" she painted
returning with the baby. 81 never draw al
easy breath except when the children are
asleep"
''Oh, by the way, Florence" replied hei
brother, "rve got hold of solution for al
your domestic difficulties. Never say Pm
not practical again. Here are two servants
for you made to order-a cook and a nursery
maid-natives, sisters, capable, educated
warranted by the minister. What more
could you askF
Raymond, what on earth are you talking
aboutg'
"It's all here, you can see for yourself. The
fact is, I've been thinking good deal about
this labor question, and one evening wrote
a letter for The Journal purporting to have
come from Mrs Z. L. Howe, setting forth
her troubles with servants, and appealing to
the host of respectable unemployed women
for help"
"You miserable humbugl read it with
sympathizing heart, and meant to write
her myself-our cases are so much alike-only
forgot it."
"Well, here comes letter from a rustic
maiden, who speaks for her sister and her
self, and proposes to undertake the job
She's in serious earnest, too, and Pm quite
impressed by her letter. Just read it."
Mrs. Lattimer read with a critical not to
say skeptical air.
"rd sooner have Bridget with all her pep
perry temper Deliver me from superior, I'm
as good as you are servants. Intend to be
mistress in my house, and I want servants
and not companions and friends"
"All right, you have my approval there;
but thought the trouble was you were not
mistress. They obey just far enough to en-
able them to keep their places and draw their
wages, and they have no conception of any
other kind of service. Now, if l were
housekeeper l should try these girls; GER
tainly you couldn't be worse off"
"If 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; Pm profoundly thankful I'm
not woman, to go on doing a thing to all
eternity because my grandmother did it be-
fore me, and my neighbors would think it
so queer of me to try new way"
"What are you going to do about the let
ter9 You really ought to answer it."
$50 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
letter addressed to Miss Matte Harper, offer
ing to her and her sister service in the house
hold of the writer, with wages and condi-
tions very carefully specified! To be sure,
it was signed Mrs. Frederic Lattimer, but of
course one would use fictitious name in a
paper. The letter was written in very plain
terms; it said servants, and not "hired girls"
which was supposed in bingham to be title
of greater respect, and stipulated that the
engagement was only for a month of trial,
at the end of which time, if Mrs. Lattimer
be not pleased she would pay their expenses
home.
It'll come pretty tough on you, Marthy
Harper, being looked down on as a servant"
said the kind old housekeeper. You won't
have any ISOLATION with the family"
~ don't care to associate with the family;
we don't associate with the men we make
shirts for" said Matte II shall have Dolly,
and Dolly will have me, and we shall both
have the babies. don't think we shall care
for much more"
1t was only at Mattie's earnest entreaty
that the minister forbore to accompany
them to their new home.
sit would look as if we expected to be re-
ceived as something more than we are" she
said to Dolly And l want her to under
stand that all we ask is fair wages for fair
work"
So they went alone A smart looking
maid answered their ring at the door bell
calculated their social standing at 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 mlswept, the
range greasy, and a pile of unwhoIesome
looking towels lay on the table; for Bridget
had been gone 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 nice large yard" she said to
Dolly, whose eyes were ready to overflow.
Something came Gathering along the hail.
and the door was pushed open to admit a
beautiful boy of four, drawing a tin horse
after him.
"Oh, you darling!" exclaimed Dolly, rap
turous.y.
But the boy drew back a little saying,
"Where's Bridget%
And in minute the nurse pounced upon
him and dragged him off, calling him "a
little torment and bad, naughty boy"
Mattie's first bread, rashly undertaken
with Bridgets home made yeast, was an
utter failure, and the baby chung obstinateIy
10 Inhnnna in srita of Dnllr.s Llnrrl i.L,-.....