Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-06

NJ Ill hOney?" remarked
IN Sophronia Matilda as
! ! !: !
- ~ MWS she fourished her
&@.,- hAAlI3\ dust cloth about the
wv XaW ~ MI, scribbling woman's
i mA writing desk.
II NnrTVSp Sophronia Matilda
NL ,M{W TM is housemaid in a big
TIA NA Y L,NV boarding establish
M IL w ment housemaid is
C%SS her generic name
House grandmother
would more strictly
describe her, as she is sixty years DID, and
has beheld her descendants even unto the
third generation. Her face is tar black
and her crinkly hair the color of milk and
looks like the rawlings of some fine, close
woven white fabric. A 25-cent piece would
ride her upper lip unendangered by any
drawing of gravitation, and her nose looks
as If 1t had been an active participant in a
hard game of croquet
II done work for a lady once" went on
Scphronia Matilda, who was plainly in a
conversational mood, '"at her husban' was
a newspaper man. an like 'em right well,
too, but Ian gracious! I los so much
sleep trampin' aroun' the kitchen nights
q slep' In e kitchen benin a cu'tain on a
coD a gettin' things for that man to eat,
II
to leave.
at mus be mighty nice now to be
smaht enough to write for de papers," she
continued, picking up a paper weight and
polishing 1t vigorously. as an excuse for re-
naming. Il done wish I know how, for
tells yo', honey. Ise got somefin on my
min at folks ought know, an it's de
mistis problem, ats what 1t is" she con-
ciuded, setting down the paper weight with
emphasis.
1.-The what?" questioned the scribbling
woman.
DE mistis problem, de mistis problem
Ain you hear tell bout de sarvant prob
lem? Well, eff was writin' I'd write
bout 5es de odder side. which is de insists
problem"
what. don't you like your placer" in
quired.
Laws yes! likes my place. Use too
oil an too smaht to git a place any mo- at
don't like. but its odder folkes' places. an
odder folkses' mistises what's a woritin'
me-" "s--
well. I'll tell you what I'll do" replied
the scrfbbling woman, who was curious to
hear this black philosophers views. 'I'll
put down exactly what you say about this
other side of the servant problem, while
you stand there and tell 1t, and then it will
be the same as If you had written 1t, be-
cause everything in 1t will be yours. Now
begin"
Sophronia Matilda would have flushed
with joy had her tint permitted. AS 1t was
she excitedly mopped her brow with the
dust cloth and said:
Hoss' Life.
'eLerume see row, where'n 'mence at3
'Well,' she began, after moments re-
Election. sin de fust place. de mistises thinks
they's The -or'y ones as has any trouble, but
I tells yo' honey. bein' in service. takin' 1t
| de year roun', is nothin' but boss life"
"a dogs life. do you mean?' queried.
Deed doan', l means moss. A boss is
| druv. q dog on'y follers. OATS de way wifi
| US. Yves drllv
"An' Use done hear mistises" she went
on. when Use been dustin or somefin in
| anothe' room, tell DER gesses what a dref-
full time they was a havin' a gittin' dey
new servants a used to dey ways: I jes
like to know now, If dey think it's fun for
US to git used to new mistises' ways? One
of 'em will want you to do q thing so, an
de next place where you works at, why
she'll wan 1t 'tirely diffunt an OATS how
1t Is.
81 done hear 'em say too, oh, my maids
such drefful disagreeaole girl. ] CANT
bear to have her roun' I wonder If dey
think they's always so mighty pleasant
Folks as is always a wantin' suffin', amt
ap to be. an mistises, of cose, is ailus and
everlastinly a wantin' suffin'-suf1ln' cook
ed, suffin' cleaned. suffin' changed bout de
| house. sufiin' done somewhere. Everythin'
8 always wrong an wese always a fussn'
to make 1t right. They'se q frettin', an
wese tryin' to fix things to suit 'em.
The Innumcrable Requirements.
mo, they mustn't be not!lin' wrong bout
u.s." went on Sophronia Matilda, bracing
| herself against the mantel, "but they all
kin be as wrong as they'se min to. We
| musn' be skacely human. We musn' have
| no chilluns, kase dey makes a noise in de
| kitchen. but de mistis kin have a house full
| of 'em. an ev'y las one jes' laisin' Cain;
stops de work, hut young miss up stairs
| kin have 'em settin' all roun' de pa'lor;
many's the time we doansgit no place to
sleep. specially eff wese niggahs. kase mig
gahs kin camp down anywhere; we mus
buy all they OIL clothes they'se got through
a wearin'. an have 'em TEX the pay out o.
cur wages, or else they Sc mad: we kin eat
| the vittles when they'se done got cor, but
mus go to de doah when de bell rings, a
| lookin' as neat as pin. even eff our hans
| is in the flour, stove blackin' OF wash tub,
whites it ticks de miSts, her own self q
| half hour to git down af' her gesses comes;
| if they keeps more'n one se'vant where we
works at like as not we has 10 sleep with
some mighty mean cook or nursemaid.
| How'd white folks, now, like to get in e
| bed with no account stranger people? An
| if we changes places often, a tryin' to git
| suited, why bimeby we skacely knows who
we is. an We certainly DON know whar We
belongs at"
Sophronia Matilda was clearly getting ex.
| cited over her woes, and to make a pleas
ant suggestion 1 said: well, you must
| now and then happen on good mistress
| Scphronia?"
Many Kinds of NIistresses.
| 1--WE happens on all kin's honey, deed
we does. an once in a greet WHILE of co'se
a good one; an I'm boun' we sees more OF
de worl', too. than de mistises do when
they goes traveIin' summers-though it's
mosely a bad worr. ree'nuf-kase they
on'y summers an we summers an winters
bof; kase they on'y sees the outsides, an
we sees de insides. too
'Lawd! but there's all kinis of white
| ladies in dis world, an 'clar to goodness
| dom know which is de meanest. There's
| de mistiS who bosses you ev'y minute an
| folders you roun' e kitchen like cat does
mouse she's done cotched. One place
where l worked at week de mistis lone
L oil %