Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-30

etoselner probable that there would be
| FEWER cases of "incompatibility" UP In the
courts.
Robert did not want me to discharge our
one servant" said Meta, but she was a
save at every turn until Robert gets on his
! Feet l-oh, Sara, l didn't know how per-
iectly ignorant 1 was rIftil I went down
INTO the Kitchen and faced that awful
range; and here Meta stopped 10 take 4
laugh at herself. How it rejoiced me TO
hear 1t; woman who can laugh at her
own plumbers has good stuff in her
Simple When One knows How
, Il never made a fire In my life and I
didn't know the first principle of making
one 1 had the headache, and it was late,
and so hot. Nora had left all the dinner
dishes unwashed, and the flies were fairly
swarmins. Robert could not wait for
breakfast. because he had an engage
ment down in the city, 30 he went
away not knowing the condition of things
in the kitchen. Sara. for half an hour I
cried SO hard I could not do anything The
Red sea couldn't have looked more for
| midable before its waters divided before the
children Of Israel than the work before me
In that kitchen. 1 burned up all the news
papers in the house in a vain attempt to
start hard coal fire with them. When
Robert came home he showed me that one
must clean out the CRATE and exactly how
TO pile the kindling and paper and pour on
the coal. 1t was such a simple thing that
was ashamed that l didn't know how be-
fore. When l could not start the fire /
concluded to wash the dishes anyhow. /
thought that simple enough. 1t was worse
than the fire. l tried them without soap at
first. We had lecture on dainty house
keeping one evening in the last year at
school. and l dimly remember that the
pretty lecturer said that soap was so in
furious to the hands and was utterly un-
necessary. Water, plenty of water. poured
directly on the dishes. then lift them, one
at time, into dripping pan, and pour
more water over them, and lift them into
another pan to dry was about the formula
l had murder in my heart as / thought Of
that lecture and the woman who deliv-
cred It,"
But she meant hot, boiling water" I
could not help interfering. IF your dishes
are not very greasy you can follow those
instructions literally, only / prefer to dry
the dishes on a towel" added.
believe she did say hot water" said
one thing needful. didn't 1? Well. / told
you l was a simpleton. / used lots of soap
nnally, but those dishes were so rough that
hated to touch them. and Robert suggested
tnat We get some sandpaper and smooth
them on. / had to let the pots and pans
go; they simply refused to come clean,
though 1 wore my finger-nails to the quick
scraping them. How do you manage them.
Sara"
told her my plan was to fill them with
water the moment emptied them and set
them on the back part of the stove to heat
slowly till l was ready to wash them
Then they are apt to be free of whatever
clings TO the sides. and a scrape or two
of big oyster shell will finish the worst
part Of the cleaning. Soap and water, a
rinsing and then placed on The stove to
dry out does the work with but little trou-
ble assured her.
How to Sweep.
1T sounds very simple" she sighed, but
I am afraid / would blunder somewhere
And how do you sweep" she continued
Il thought that would be easy enough, but
/ blistered my hands the first three min
utes. See? And such a looking place as it
was when / got through. The dirt went
back under the piano and the couch and
the sideboard, and what didn't 20 there
flew up In the air. I have seen our servants
sweep at home, but the horrid dirt didn't
act as though possessed of a demon. I have
not tried 1t since. for Robert could not in
struct me. and I'm too proud to ask any,
body else. This room has not been swept
for week. and 1t isn't fit for respectable
people to sit in. Is there any particular
formula for sweeping, Sara?"
/ had to laugh at Metals comical look of
despair. despite the pathetic side that was
showing through her recital. Then 1 told
her as concisely as I could how to sweep
with the least trouble and best results. 1t
is odd how few people really know how to
sweep, even among the thousands who do
1t every day. My mother. who was one of
the most capable housekeepers Of the time,
and housekeepers were more capable then
than now, for they didn't leave everything
to a servant. always made me tie something
around , my head to protect my hair. the
time; the fine dust that flies when one is
sweeping is extremely hard on the hair
Then had to wear thick gloves and take
out Of the room to be swept every chair
table. rug. footstool and everything else
that would go out Of the door easily. Then
the curtains were shaken and pinned up
of the floor. and the windows thrown wide
open so that the air would circulate and
carry of the dust. I had to sweep with
long even strokes. keeping the broom well
on the carpet, never lifting II suddenly,
as that would throw the dirt in the air. She
pet to take up the dust" like dampening
the broom In water or sprinkling tea
leaves about or damp bits Of paper. She
thought such things injured the carpet. A
grease was her remedy for ''cluttered"
up ROOM The dust and dirt was always
to be taken up on a dust pan at the end
Of each width of carpet. which must be
swept its length and never crosswise Of
the breadths.
Good Airing.
After finishing the sweeping the room
was to be left to air for ten minutes. then
the pictures and furniture remaining in
the room were to be busted with a cloth. |
carefully shaking 1t out Of the window
often, SO that none Of the dust was left to
float around the room. Then each piece
Of furniture was to be beaten and busted
before being brought back. After that
process my mothers rooms smelled as
sweet and clean as though she had just |
furnished them new. A vast difference |
from the odor that greets you like the |
smell from a moldy cellar when You open |
the front door Of many houses whose mis- |
tresses think themselves neat"
II know l can follow those directions"
said Meta slowly, but / am afraid the |
elbow grease will have to be given time |
to develop. What has been done can be |
done again. I am not as old as Portia |
was. SO I am not ashamed to confess that |
like her, \
I am an unlesson'd girl. unschoord. un-
practiced;
Happy in this. she is not yet so old |
But she may learn; happier than this.
She is not bred dull but she can learn; |
Happiest Of ALL in that her gentle spirit
Commits itself to yours to be directed
Don't desert me, please in my hour of |
trouble. l feel so much stronger now than |
did an hour ago. / have learned two |
very essential Lessons this morning. How |
to wash dishes and how to sweep and |
dust. knowledge is strength-no, power |
Is the way Bacon puts 1t, isn't It? Do you |