The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-06
TALK OF SERVANTS
Stories that are More Good-Na-
tured than the Average.
BESIEGED BY TWO HUNDRED
She Could Say Salt" and Built Fire
A Woman who Has No
Difficulties

The great question of the servant girl is
discussed more generally in vacation time
than at any other season. Last springs
trials are over and those of this fall have
not begun. 1t was in the indulgent mood
of the summer holidays that woman said
on Saturday, swinging in hammock under
big oak the while:
~ cannot imagine why people. should
take the ground that servants are scarce
or hard to obtain, or why they should
eternally point to the kitchen as the one
field that is lying fallow and is ready for
energetic cultivation.
A wIDowER's EXPERIENCE.
''There is my husbands brother-in-law,
a young lawyer, widower with one child.
| He advertised for a housekeeper the other
day-guess how many applicants he had for
the situation!
Twenty" said woman who has no
children.
Ten" said woman who has four or
five.
1.-Two hundred" answered the first
speaker, quietly.
HE hasn't had much experience, and
didn't appreciate what desirable place it
was from the housekeepers standpoint
The advertisement asked applicants to
call at his office on such morning. L be-
lieve it was last Tuesday. He rude quietly
tnd two or three comfortable middle-aged
persons awaiting him. You can imagine
his surprise a. hnding stream of women
of all ages, sizes, compilations and nation
alties pouring into the building.
''The elevator was full and the upper
hall was choked. Mrs room was
: crowded, and his partner had been obliged
to throw open the one next door.
GAS he forced his way in Mis- sur
prise changed rapidly to dismay. But he
is man with head for emergencies. He |
climbed upon chair. Then he made
! little speech to the gathering. He says he |
told them he couldn't deal with such
number, but if they would leave their
names and addresses he would write to
such Of them as he wished to confer with.
One of the clerks took page after page OF
names, in spite of the fact that good num-
ber seeing there was no hope for them,
turned at once and went away"
! DISPENSING THE AssEMBLAGE.
"And how did he make his selection7"
, HE found stack of letters from candi-
Y dates for the place, so many that he didn't
attempt the task of reading them. They
! went one and all into the waste paper bas-
( ket, and he took woman who hadn't ap-
piled at all, but who was recommended by
Y me. believe there are always more than
z enough servants, but, naturally they pre-
/ fer some places to Others"
. 81 must confess" said little woman
d with small, red headed boy leaning against
her knee ''that while [ have had great
many funny experiences with servants,
q have never had an unpleasant one"
"When l first went to housekeeping
had little or no money to spare, and
couldn't have juftiied to myself the ex-
IS travagance of a servant except that Dicky
= here was in his cradle. L took a young
W Swedish girl who could speak just one
word of English: that word was salt
n She explained to me afterward that on the
l. voyage over she learned potatoes and
al salt but was unlucky enough after land
i ing to forget potatoes
J. In consideration of her strong arms and
ID her pleasant blue eyes and her ability to
20 say SALT l agreed to pay her IS month,
ir and l doubt if for that SUNNI er
u any human being was ever served
before with such devotion. She
" scrubbed for me and secured for me until
S. | was afraid she would serve the house as
ig the cracker said the natural guardians of
~ pore leetle BADLY down III Florida
e. served the child when they subjected it to
@ daily baths and washed it clean plumb
rs away
le "When there was ice cream for dinner
on she put aside her own appetite and saved
OF the delicacy for Meeses is breakfast,
RS the cream melting peaceably in the cup
I'd board meanwhile.
ly ~ was puzzled every day to know how to
ID. make her understand. One morning
L
the door and pointed and said Hot, hot,
ny many times. Minna knew hot and nod
,at ded with emphasis. Pretty soon the smell
as of smoke began to come up strong in my
ed sewing room. 1 rushed to the kitchen.
There stood Minna puzzled and frightened
We she had built fire, as she imagined | had
em told her, in the 'ofen.' But Minna's blue
ry eyes were eyes l came to be very fond of
l and when she went away TO be married she
l and l both cried"
in "They say" said one of the group, turn.
is ing to quiet woman in corner, "tha
Ii you never have any trouble with servants.
he 81 have never kept one less than tire,
ng years, and never had one leave me eXcep
to be married.
There was a little stir at this announce
ian ment and two or three voices asked to
of gether: 'How do you manage"
to AZ do not manage" said the quiet woman
nat ''Things manage themselves. l am YER
of careful about engaging a servant to begil
with. l take time to talk with her and tr
my best to Judge if she is the kind of per
son can harmonic with. When once sh
10y has come into my house, l treat her so ia
'ss, as know how, exactly as [ should wish
Is be treated if 1 were holding an honorabl
the and well-understood position in somebody
APPS household. L take it quietly for granite
Gu that her place is one that is desirable an
ent to which respect attaches.
ose A COMFORTABLE ROOM.
ity 81 give her as comfortable room q
trc, there Is in the house, and that matte
30 of course and without trying to patroni2
hot or be kind quietly encourge her to hay
,stS her friends visit her and to have littl
,''' pride In entertaining them. l leave he
entirely free to 90 out when her work
M done and l sometimes pinch myself j
i, ar other particulars to be able to pay what
% "a think girl really earns"
~ Butt exclaimed half dozen voices in
breath, don't they take advantage of yo
LID most shamefullyl If | did like that
couldn't call my house my own"
~ told you L was very careful in the b,
ginning. 1 never engage anybody until
owe feel very sure, and haven't made mi
i'm take so far. have liked some of my cir
;ai5 better than others, but with them all
81 have been excellent friends"
1t was here that the first big drop Of
coming shower struck somebody's nos
and every body ran for cover, and dropp'
-. for the moment the inexhaustible subie
GIN of servant girls.--NelC York Recorder.