Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-06-19

Mra A. was well known, at least BY repu-
tation, judging from the complimentary
, chorus that greeted this last utterance.
when she wants a girl she can get 20. :"
"Her servants have to do their work well,
but she knows how to treat them" Her
girls never leave unless they die or get
married." "She Is real lady" 'She
doesn't poke her nose into a girls private
affairs"
These were only few of the eulogiums
pronounced on the absent Mrs. A, and she
was one of the very few that received any
commendation from the kitchen critics.
A running commentary on well-known
women of the place followed, and some of
the structures passed were very keen. Scraps
Of conversation reached me something like
this: "Mrs. G. is dreadfully fussy and par
ticular and puts on lots of airs with her
servants wonder if she thinks we don't
know sne was hired girl once herself A
real lady don't have to put on such airs and
be SO afraid of herself"
81 stayed q month once at Mrs DIS,
but she thought she could 60 into my room
and look through all my things Whenever
she wanted to. I found her reading my
letters more than once. 1 wonder how she
would liked to have had me going through
her thinr- at way. would have had just
as much n. to do 1t as she had"
A Mistress Who Was Suspicious.
'tAIrs F. was awfully funny. She was
always leaving ten-cent piece or 9 quarter
around some place to see If would take it.
tumbled quick enough to her little game,
but il made me mad. She had the worst
children ever saw. They had to mind
her, but she let them be as impudent to the
girls as they chose. i never heard children
talk SO in all my life, and their mother
seemed to think it was all right, NO matter
what they said to me. The oldest boy
slapped me in the face one day and I put
him out of the kitchen. I wouldn't stand
that sort of thing You can just bet Then
there was scene. The mother scolded me
but never said word to the child, so I up
and told her that wouldn't stav another
hour unless she would keep the youngsters
of out the kitchen aud make them behave re-
specially to me. She wouldn't do it, of course,
and I left 1t was in the midst of a large
washing, too, but 1 didn't care one bit ;"
"You know Mrs M? Well, she doesn't
know any more about housekeeping than
baby does. She wouldn't own up to it,
though, and she used to act As wise as an
old grandmother. She never knew what to
order for meal, so at last she commenced
giving me published menus Well, halt the
time couldn't get the things in those old
bills of fare. They weren't to be had in the
market and that is all there was about n.
So I got in the habit of buying just what
could. and she never knew the difference
between the printed bill of fare and mine,
for I'd never let on.
A Homo Where Food Was Wasted.
"The amount of food wasted in that house
was something awful She always wanted
a great lot Of everything cooked for fear
COMPANY would come In Unexpectedly.
Then she'd never let me put scrap on the
table the second time. and didn't dare give
any to the beggsrs either. I just had to
throw everything away. Sometimes there
would be a great big roast or whole
chicken. It used to make me feel bad.
don't believe much in beggsrs myself, but
I'd heap rather give good victuals like
that to them, than to throw them away.
That woman will come to want before she
dies, you see if she doesn't"
81 wonder if any of you ever lived with
Mrs o." remarked another girl who had
kept silent upto this point, because if you
haven't, you don't know thing about work
She only kept one girl, and I had to do all
the work, even the washing and ironing.
There were eight in the family, too. She
never did an earthly thing, not even to
make her own bed, or look after the mend
ing. I had it all to do, and half the time
washing. Then she had an awful lot of
company. I've ironed there sometimes
until o'clock in the morning, aud that
wasn't any fun either, for 1 had to be up
again At to get breakfast. 1 stood 1t for
more than two years though, for was green
then. Besides, couldn't help liking her,
too But / tell you I wouldn't 60 back
again."
Not Getting Their Pay.
M think the meanest thing Of all, though,
Is to be cheated out of your money. 1 |
lived with one woman who was good enough |
in every othcr way, but she was a regular |
old miser. She did hate to pay me Just
awfully. Every Saturday she'd hunt up
an old skirt or an old dress that wasn't fit
to be seen, or maybe an old pair of shoes
Then she'd tell me how good they were still
and how much more they were worth than
my weeks wages, but that she'd give them
to me anyway for just what she owed me,
because she knew 1 needed them. And I'd
just have to take them. You never saw
like her. You couldn't get your
money and that's s all there was about it.''
Are these decidedly ungrammstical scraps
of talk interesting? They should possess |
some merit from an ethical standpoint at |
least, as they are from real life. OF course,
the servant problem is two-fold There are
plenty of domestics who are ignorant, dis |
honest, untruthful and drunken. Yet these |
girls are in the minority. The average serv- |
ant is fairly competent, honest and willing. |
She often comes from a respectable country |
family and desires to be treated with some |
degree of consideration. The trouble is |
that niistresses make no distinction at all |
between the ignorant and the competent,
between the honest and the unreliable. The |
servant girl has not the education which |
will allow her to tell her trials and tribula-
lions in cold print The wrongs and woes
Of her mistress have formed the theme of |
many an eloquent article, but Bridget has
been compelled to remain dumb.