The Washington weekly post., 1899-11-08
cepyr,rst. u,s. By c p L.vI.,

ing the table for dinner.
Nothing, except that the cook got
cranky and left me at noon,'' che replied.
"HOu-you mean you got down on her
end bounced her out without a moments
warning" he continued
Il mean nothing Of the kind. She found
fauls with the range. the kitchen. the
washing, and everything else, end tnally
said she'd go."
Ar. Bowser suiked and sTowled while
eating the dinner, though IL was better
one than usual. and Il was not until Mrs.
BowseF had cleared the table and wss
ready TO sit down for the evening that he
touched rp0n the subject again by say
ing:
Il want 20 talk 20 you little. AMI ]
hope you viii be able 10 keep your tenn
Per while do 20. You have had hity Gif-
ferent cooks In the last year. and the fact
that none Of them have remained with
YOU over ten DAYS shows that there IS
something radically wrong somewhere"
Il had only five cooks In the last year.
corrected Mrs. BOwser. There's the book
with their Mares written down.
Il said fifty. and / know I'm right
said Mr. BOwser with emphasis "fifty
different cooks. and your treatment Ga
them WAS 30 outrageous that not one OF
them could put up with H."
"Only FIVE aud one fell sicg, one had
to 90 home on account Of death in the
family, and two of the others refused 10
stay on your account"
Refused 10 stay on my account! Wo-
man. explain yourselfr'
They said you were too fussy and
cranky"
'Neverr' shouted Mr. Bowser a. his face
grew red in a minute. No girl ever said
those words. In order 10 make excuses
for your keinous conduct you are resort
ing To prcvariCation. We never had cook
who didn't look upon me as a sort Of
father to her. II has been your fault that
they have left. You have met them with
an icy glare; you have ground them under
the iron heel; you have used them as If
they had no souls or feelings. I've watched
You. and I've often wondered why some
% the poor creatures didn't turn on you
with the carving knife"
That's all nonsense" quietly replied
Mrs. Bowser
Nonsense. is IT, Is II nonsense to put
your heel or the neck of girl obliged to
work for her living? Is il nonsense for
you TO 20 around with your nose in the
air and never think of her soul? Is II
nonsense for you 10 nag and bulldoZe and
threaten and browbeat until a girl doing
her best is driven to take her bundle and
leave?"
Perhaps you can do better
81 know | can"
'Then why don't you experiment.
Il Will Yes, woman, / will show you
that by proper treatment and due respect
for her feelings a girl can be kept in this
house for years instead of days Why, |
you don't understand human nature, to
begin with. If / was a working girl and
you talked to me as I've heard you talk
10 some Of the applicants I'd drown myself
before I'd come 10 your
There's an advertisement for the morn |
ing paper" said Mrs. Bowser "and if |
you'll stay home for couple of hours |
and select a cook l shall be greatly oblis- |
ed to you"
IN do #, and if l don't find one who'll |
want 10 stay with US as long as she lives |
YOU can set it down that your conduct has
given our house a hard name. L know
mat other families keep girls for years
and years, and I'm sure we could IL you
used them like human beings"
Mr.. Bowser had d good deal more 10
say before bedtime but Mrs. Bowser let
him go on and waited for her revenge.
Breakfast had scarcely been dispatched
reXt morning before a girl arrived in
answer 10 the ad. IL was left to Mr.. Bow
ser 10 welcome her, and he met her with
a smile and began:
Il am glad TO see you. The promptness
with which you have answered the ad |
speaks well for you. What wages do you
want per month";
How does it come that you are hiring
the help?" asked the girl
Because l think / understand them
better than my wife does
oh | see. Then you are to boss the
kitchen?"
IN a general way, yes"
Then don't want the place! wouldn't |
work where ! had to take orders from a
hen-kussy of a man.
She was gone before Mr.. Bowser could |
get out another word. but while he was |
wondering what allied her a second ap- |
piicant arrived.
rs the missus sick and abed?" she |
queried as she got inside the door.
Not at all" replied Mr.. Bowser my |
wife has had so much trouble with SER |
wants that I thought l would do the en- |
gasing this time"
But what do you know about the kitch- |
en- and coOking?"
"a good deal, my dear giri-a good deal. |
You sec
Il see that it's a house where there |
would be trouble in no time. and / won't |
take the placei" said the girl as she back
ed out. Mr.. BOwser felt a chill pass over |
him, but he braced up and tried to look 1
bland as No. 3 rang the bell The girl /
looked at him with doubt and suspicion, |
but waited TO hear what he had TO say.
h.. 7
differ somewhat on this hired help prob
lem. 1t never seems TO occur 10 her that
the girl in The kitchen has a soul"
But what's a cooks soul to do with
the work." asked the applicant.
"You-you don't exactly understand me
You have a soul, OF course. You also have
feelings. IL must be hard enough for you
10 have TO toll from day 10 day for SIG /
per month. but when on top OF that the
woman of the house Is constantly grind
ing you into the dust your outraged feel
ings must-must-
Il don't want the placer said the girl
as she started for The door.
But, my dear girl"
Il have never worked in an insane asy-
lum. and 1 never shalt" she added as she
went out.
There was something wrong with Mr..
Bowsers system. He realized il. but he
was determined 10 see IL through. No.
appeared almost as soon as No. 3 had de-
parted, and after bland welcome, he
said:
Have you ever worked in a family
where the woman treated you as if you
had no soul2"
NO. sir" she promptly replied.
III you could find a place where the
family would look upon you as a human
belng-where your feelings would Be re-
spccted-where there would be no yawn-
Ing gulf between employer and employe
If you"
who runs the kitchen here?' inter-
rupted the girl. as she rose up.
We'll, my wife has been running Il,
you know. but she has had so much trou-
bic with her girls that 1 have decided To
take hold"
Then / wouldn't care for the place,
When a man has 10 turn boss of his own
kitchen he'd better do the cooking as
we!lr'