The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-30
5gle
SHREWD CHINESE SERVANTS.
Their Methods of Appropriatlng Their
Employers' Household Belongings.

Their Methods of Appropriatlng Their
Employers Household Belongings
A former Detroit young lady, now
married and living at Vancouver, b.
c., tells some interesting as well as
amusing stories of the Chinese, with
which article of humanity Vancouver is
overrun. They are as numerous there
as are negroes in certain of the south
ern cities, and no one would think OF
hiring a white servant, because they
are not to be had. A ''tenderfoot"
family, she says, ought to set the price
of their first servant as moderate as
possible, for, should they pay him
twenty-five dollars month to start on,
they will never be able to hire another
for cent less. The Chinese servants,
of Vancouver are not organized into
labor union. They don't need to be.
They all know each other and all work
together to the common end-to get as
much as they can of the good
things. The minute a newcomer
strikes the town he is shown around.
That, he will be told by his yellow
skinned brethren, is a twenty-fve-dol-
lar house; this twenty-dollar house,
and so on, and he readily promises to
do as the rest do.
Mrs McF- tells of servant she
had. She had let a former servant to
whom she was paying twenty dollars
month go, and hired in his place
celestial from twenty-five DOLE
house The latter was the incarnation
of stoldity and stupidity. He could do
only the simplest tasks and cook only
the plainest dishes. Disguised with him
the lady went to see his former mis-
tress, to whom she told all
''He has simply been fooling you"
answered that lady. Ling was the
best servant L ever had-a good cook,
who knew all about the choicest dishes,
willing and active. l only let him go
because he chased my daughter with
stick one day, with the avowed inten-
ton of beating her. But how much do
you pay him?"
Twenty dollars"
"Ah, there's the secret of his lazi-
ness. He is merely gauging his work
10 make it commensurate with his pay
according to his idea of the fitness of
things.
Mrs. McF-- raised his pay five dol
lars, and now gets the latest dishes,
etc. She has come to the conclusion
that the Chinese, especially the serv-
ants, are not such fools as they look. |
They never steal, she says. But |
they will lease the household belong |
ings just as though they owned them.
She went to a birthday dinner at a
friends house one day and was aston
ished to see three of her teaspoons and |
two damask napkins, all handsomely |
monogramed, on the table. Her friend /,
fortunately caught her eye at the criti-
cal moment, and noting the rising flush |
on Mrs. McF--'s face, took her aside .
and explained matters She was salts
fed and resumed her seat at |
the table, once more marveling
at the mixture of shrewdness
and independence in the Chinese
character-and honesty, too, for these
things are all religiously returned.
cleaned, to their rightfUl owners. She
had reason later on to thank her stars
this was the Chinese custom. She gave
six o'clock dinner in honor of the
visit of an eastern friend. She wanted
TO invite thirty guests. but hadn't the re-
quisite amount of tableware from which
TO feed them all at a table. In her di-
lemma she remembered the old trick
and acquainted Ling with the facts.
"Allee light, me sabe Ne gettee
him, " promptly responded that worthy.
She and her guests entered the din
sng-room that evening, and of a verify
Ling had kept his word, for upon that
table was the most varied assortment
of knives, forks, spoons, dishes, etc,
she had ever seen. The righteousness
of the scene flashed upon her. and,
laughing outright, she explained mat
GERS TO her eastern visitor while the
rest of the company looked on and
Ianghingly nodded approval Detroit
Free Press.