The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-27
GRIEVING FOR GRETCHEN
SOME BORN GIRL-HUNTERS, SOME
ACHIEVE GIRL-HUNTING,


not many weeks ago an inconspicuous
tWant ad" might have been observed by
an attentive reader of a daily paper snugly
nesting in the middle Of a column among
975 of its fellows.
HOUSEWORK.-Wan a thoroughly com
IL petent houseworker. Must be good
cook To a capable woman good wages viii be
paid. Call, with references, etc.
When ''the girl comes, with brown locks
curled, crying, % what a beautiful
world,'" then shall we hear no more of the
servant girl problem; meanwhile some
women are born girl hunters, a few achieve
girl hunting and many of US have the sport
IAN We viii of girl hunting thrust upon u.s.
Eight hundred girls looking for situations,
175 situations looking for girls. A painful
interest attaches to small adsn in certain
moods of mind. Between the Scylla of the
girl lately landed, who is willing to learn"
and the Charbydis of the ''refined aud edu-
Gated young lady who will assume light
household duties and give music lessons"
what shall one choosel Is there any balm
in Gilead in the shape of the respectable
woman to do general household or mind
children" the tidy English young person"
whose ambition Is to go into "a fine fam
lily" the working housekeeper whose ideal
is 'widower's small familyn where she
can feel at home and take an interest" the
'well-recommended" girl who is willing
and oblging, no cards." the Russian maid
who speaks little English" or must one
pin ones hopes of a breakfast to the "South-
ern lady who has met with sudden reverses
OF fortune, owns typewriter, and would
not object to assist with fine sewingp
had in my time hired out as a second
girl and tried to hire as governess in a
spirit of wanton, If professional, curiosity,
and now what avenging spirit would guide
the footsteps of those unknown shes
who should enter on a tour of inspection of
me-
1t was with becoming humility that 1
entered the room where sat the first indi-
vidual who rang the front door bell and
offered to fill the yawning kitchen void.
She was Scotch, squarely built, strong look
ing, with a colorleSs complexion, dark hair,
and a rather heavy but sufficient aniable
and intelligent face, which reminded me
someW hat of Jennie Deans may as well
call her Jennie, for / had not the presence
OF mind to ask her name. No amount of
practice in interviewing is of much assist
ance In real emergency. In fact, may
confess that waited in some trepidation
Tor her to interview me. long course of
servant girl and mother-in-law AMI plumber
Jokes has an unbalancing effect on the
judgment.
Jennie. / ascertained, by awkward ap-
proaches, had never lived out in this coun-
try. She bad a seven years reference from
Glasgow family, but She had left it in West
Hoboken. Finding her not formidable l
consulted privlly a list of questions half
drawn from my pocket and asked if she
was good bread maker. She told me that
ID Glasgow her fame spread far aud wide
as an expert on scenes, but bread baking
was an unknown science not there pursued.
she was sure, however, that she could
learn, ferceiving with relief that l was
not AFRAID OF Jennie, asked her to send for
her reference and call on me again 1t is
as well to say that had been advised by
an experienced housekeeper to engage at
least seven to pay me q second visit after
their characters had been duly investi-
gated, with the assurance that not more
Than one IN seven would come. Jennie
fulalied the prediction by staying away.
And yet cherish her memory. She did
not ask me if l used electric lights instead
OF gas, or whether the laundry tubs were
porcelain or soapstone or whether /
interfered in the kitchen or allowed fol.
lowers. She was neatly dressed, looked
wholesome and had a pleasant voice. l
hope she is having her afternoon out this
sunny Thursday, alternating week and week
with the upstairs girl.
MY second caller gave me a cold chill.
Her graceful, slender figure. pretty, nionant
face and jau ty little turban were unmis-
fakaoly American. Had fallen into the
hands of the lady of culture, who would
NIL any position not too meniaign NV list of
inquiries which had this time laid openly
on the table prepared to write down the
answers hastily concealed under the cover
OF a magazine.
Mrs. Nellie Richards, or a name of home
growth PnuQIlv -.
my visitor. Her story was common one,
put IL interested me. She had helped her
mother run boarding house until about
sixteen months ago. Then her mother had
uieo and she had married a telegraph oper-
ator. The time she had spent in wedlock
seemed to her thousand years. First her
husband lost his place and they went to
i've with her father in a little town on the
cage OF New Jersey Then she became dis
satisfied with her husbands readiness to
depend on the bounty of her relatives She
urged him to look for work They had
occasional quarrels and fits of jealousy.
Finally she decided that if they separated
Tor couple of years, she maintaining her.
self until he regaiued foothold, thew might
both gain wisdom She looked for
situation as copyist and thought of taking
in sewing. Then she came to the conclu-
sion that her most sensible course was to
do the work she was best used to, that of
the kitchen. She had felt the subtle at
traction which had hoped might inhere
in my modest four lines, and although an
American girl and of good common school
education, had come from Jersey expressly
to. see me. She had relatives of whom I
was at liberty to inquire concerning her
but must be cautious in my questions. for
her aunt kept three servants and she pre
ferred that the fact that she was going to
live out should be broken gently to her
There seemed to be no cause for very serious
or prolonged trouble between Nellie and
her husband, and l felt constrained to urge
her to go home, but felt some respect for
the common sense of the woman who could
choose domestic service in spite of genteeI
precedent.
Number three was Irish Mary. bright
checked, big. rawboned, awkward. honest.
with immense feet and dreadful voice
but good humor shining in her gray-blue
eyes Mary had lived four years In one
family. She had nursed two children be-
longing to 1t through scarlet fever and a
maiden aunt through typhoid. She was
devoted TO them, but the children were
growing up and they had no further use for
a hired girl She couldn't cook much be-
cause there were ten in the household and
her hands had been full with the scrubbinR
and dishwashing and cleaning. Besides
the maiden aunt liked TO cook and didn't
want to be fnterfered with. She wanted
the privilege of going to mass before break
fast SUNDAYS, but IL she felt free IN 90 In