Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-16

with nieces and step-fathers with stet
| daughters.
Servants are abundant. and if one doe
| not please better may be readily OF
| tanned, so that CHILEAN ladies are entirel
| relieved from some of the RESPONSIBILITIES
| that harrass Northern houSekeepers Her
the hire of servants is so cheap and thei
| demands SO moderate that people can mor
| easily afford the five or six that usual,
compose the kitchen brigade than tn,
| matron of the United States her one or two
Eight dollars per month Is 4 high price L
| pay ones cook, and so on down the scale Il
nothing but his keep for the erraud boy
who is everybody's servant, and the hard
est worked member of the household.
\ New England lady, who is now wreSt-
ling with the mysteries of Gillian house
keeping in Valparaiso, writes me as fol
lows concerning her experience: I'VE en-.
gagged cook, who promised faithfully &c
come on 4 certain morning, and retained
our predecessors man-seryant, neither OF
whom spoke one word OF English. while we
were equally ignorant of Spanish We
took possession on the appointed day, bur
no cook put in an appearance. The dinner
hour came and there was no dinner. There
was nothing in the house but groceries and
bread. and we could buy nothing, because we
could not speak the language of traffic, ana
even with plenty of provisions on hand We
adobe range. SO the gentleman returned
TO the hotel and the ladies satisfied them
selves on bread and butter.
A friend who called during the evening
suggested that, pending the arrival Of 4
cook, we have our meals brought from the
cafe-a common custom here. You have a
lot of tins made, fitting one into the other.
with wire passing through rings ut the
sides. TIE bottom tin contains Goals, and
different meats and vegetables are placed
above the other in the successive tins. AT
dinner time one may see men rushing
through the streets of Valparaiso in every
direction, with strings of dishes varying in
length according to the magnitude of
THE PURCHASER DINNER.
We lived in that WAY for week, ION half
cold food that all tasted of unwashed tin
and the menu OF many yesterday'Si; till at
last we secured well recommended COOK :;
who is 20 have Sd per month for getting up
two meals day. washing most of the dishes,
and going to market. She sleeps i'll her own
house, and has the usual perquiSIteS az
corded 10 servants here. viz: Meat and
vegetables from our own table. one pound
of brown sugar Il week, and \ cents worth
of bread per diem Butter is never allowed
them coffee at the generosity Of their en-
ployerS.
You would laugh 10 see me in the morn
ing approach my cook with money in one
hand and dictionary in the other, 10 give
orders concerning the marketing. 1t is not
difficult to catch the pronunciation of Span
ish, and in case of stern necessity one may
dispense with verbs altogether. The brief
est OF dialogues, something in this fashion,
always occurs: Dolores, qniero por pa
pas, huevos, beefsteak." Il want potatoes,
eggs and beefSteak.) To which Dolores re-
spectfully replies: 81, Senorita, muy
muy bueno-"Yes, Miss, very we'll
The man-servapt or majOr-domo, as he is
magnificently termed takes charge OF the
dining waits at table and acts as cham
bermaid, for it is a singular fact that the
chamber ''maidens'' of Chilli are univer-
sally of the other sex. We have one street
stair case, up which everything is brought
The first thing l hear in the morning is the
clatter upon the steps of the water carrier,
who brings us two kegs of water daily, for
which he is paid 80 per month. Then
comes the bread man, to whom we pay soc
a day for what our family of seven are sup
posed to consume; then the milk man,
bringing half Il pint for ) cents; and lastly
the cook arrives, with the marketing and
the days supply Of fuel. In this hand-to-
mouth way Of living | always have au I'M
comfortable impression that some day we
shall be left destitute. But everybody else
lives in the same fashion, and indeed no
other way is possible here. The laundress
=.
and returns those that she carried away
seven days before. One must keep a close
account of every article to guard against
theft, and there is always the dire suspi-
zion that your pretty embroidered skirts,
your wash dresses, your husbands shirts,
etc, are being worn by the laundress and
her relatives during that long week of alb
sence.'
In every Chilian household hospitality to
evening visitors is expressed by tea and
hostess always pouring out the
beverage and d servant handing it to the
guests. The beverage of the common peo-
Die is yerba mate, the leaves of a shrub
hat grows in Paraguay, and it is also much
Ised by the better classes, though the Chi
lese plant takes its place in the parlor. Yer
"a mate is slightly eXhilerating drink,
With the taste of tea and faint SAVIOR of to-
,acco. 1t is prepared by putting little
)urnt sugar in the bottom of a cup, then a
,inch or two OF the dried leaves, after which
polling water is poured on and it is drunk,
teaming hot, or rather, is sucked through
tube The poor use little gourds for cups,
With bamboo tube called u bombilla while |
he rich indulge In elegant mugs of silver or |
nina, with silver bombllas.
Evening parties, large and small. formal |
nd informal. are very much in fashion, |
nd the refreshments served are always !
axes, ices and tea. Years ago-befofe the !
'hlllanS grew jealous of foreigners and |
lso, perhaps. before journalists came down |
ere to publish unpleasant truths about |
hem-all strangers were welcomed with |
verflowing hospitality and delightful SIM
llclty. But now much warmth is seldom |
hown, except in remote country places,
ghere the mate cup and its bombilla is still |
assed from your neighbours lips to your
wn; and where the hostess will pause in |
ront of you with her dish of dulces in one
and and spoon in the oteer. while she en-
elopes peach in its rich syrup and gently
trusts it into Your mouth, and so on around
he circuit of the drawing-room.
Suppose you bring u letter of introduce
ion to Senior So-and-So, who stands high
n some Chilian city. He leaves his card
t your hotel with the information that
e Will celebrate greatly acquaintance
nth you and when you return the call
I'LL assure you that his house and all it
ontains is entirely at your service-a
phrase, except that henceforth
GU have the entree of the casa, and his
life will receive you cordially. The par
u is always lighted at evening. and you
re at liberty TO drop in at or 10 o clock
very evening in the week if YOU like. to
axe tea and remain till midnight, the usual
being music, conversation and
"a. The master of the mansion is not
ften present, for he is spending his even
lgS elsewhere In the same way or maybe
laying cards at his club. SUNDAY is the
ay for complimentary visiting calls being
lade at or in the afternoon, and also
twilight. Ladies are rarely attended
ONE from evening visits by anyone out a
eryant, ''beaux,' as we al the North I'M
arStan0 the term mn haiuor na,rrlirta6