Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-10

education. She often is allowed to wear a
hat instead of servants cap. Often she is
very young; and so, because she knows no
better, she terriies her little charges into
good behavior by reciting to them the most
outrageous tales of ghosts and skeletons
L know of one institutrice like this She Is
no longer institutrice, but wears a purple
velvet cape like that of Marie Even nou,
in the time of her new glory she wakes mn
In the night with screams of terror drea M
ing of the Korriganes and witches and
white and bloody revenants out of the tales
with which she used to scare the little chill
dren. '
The Femme de Chambre.
The femme de chambre has many forms
and types which range from the smart
soubrette, the confidante of her mistress
heart, intrigues and secret debts. to the
mere chambriere, or hustling chambermaid
A recent sensational Paris law suit dis
closed an astounding relationship between
a high-type soubrette ard her high-tvne
demi-mondaine mistress. The servant sued
her mistress for a running account of loans
which mounted into the tens of thousands
OF francs. Besides. for two years, she al
legged, she had never been paid a cent OF
salary. When asked to justify what SEEM
ec monstrous claim she said she never
really counted on her salary. She was a
capitalist in small way. having amassed
the money which she had loaned and now
was suing for. through saving up her per-
Quisites as femme de chambre. She took
commissions right and left from tradesmen
and claimed the right to do go. She said
her mistress would never wear a gown
but once or twice and then handed IL over
to her as a gift. The femme de chambre
always sold these dresses, sometimes get
ting as high as $40 apiece. Madame never
required an account. She was above the
meanness of taking money for her cast-cfr
clothes. She borrowed money from her
maid-who now sued for IT back.
Wages.
The ordinary femme de chambre in a
good house receives from eight to fourteen
dollars a month in salary, her caps and
aprons, and practically most of her gowns
which she makes over from the cast-of
garments Of her mistress. II valet de
chambre is kept, she has no cleaning up to
do. The man makes beds. sweeps, dusts
and all. Her work in that case is rather
waiting on her mistress toilet, answering
bells, and putting in her leisure time with
fine needle work. When there is no valet
de chambre, the femme de chambre sinks
naturally to the level of chambermaid,
more favored than the others by her mis-
tress. with whom she is always in intimate
contact. II she is happily situated, her
gifts will be more important than her SAL
airy. But, not having the same opportuni-
ties for exacting commissions as are en-
joyed by kitchen servants, the place Is
not so lucrative as that Of head cook.
The Head Cook.
With the head cook We are still in the
high world; where pickings are good. where
masters and mistresses do not scan ac-
counts too carefully. or where even a COM
PLEASANT maitre d'hotel winks at the sys-
tematc robbery from which he claims his
benefice. In the well-to-do middle class.
where there may be a coachman and valet
de chambre hut seldom a maitre d'hotel
the cook is justly queen. She is regularly
a woman already mature. from thirty-five
to forty-five years OF age, and often mar
r!ed. sometimes to the coachman. She is