The times., 1899-05-21
A VISITING HoUsEKEEPER.
Her Business Is n Pleasant and Pay
ing One.

Her Business Is Pleasant and Pay
ing One.
Dorothy Higgins is the old fashioned
name of a young woman who last summer
| discovered new occupation for. women.
That is, if the adjective new can ever be
used connecting women with housekeeping.
But Miss Higgins method has many novel
| features, and she speaks of her experience
very pleasantly.
Il came from my home in the West
| winter before last TO study the violin un-
der a famous New York teacher she says.
Like many other girls of limited means,
have an unlimited ambition, and some
! day hope to become an artist. At the end
| of the season, as my funds were low, !
| must admit / was disheartened. Just at
this time / chanced to meet, on the cars, a
| lady whom | had known during the winter,
and she inquired about my summer plans.
| For once in my life / was candid about my
poverty, and told her of my failure to make
engagements.
Dear met she exclaimed, why don't
| some of you girls try TO do housekeeping
that way? That is, divide your time
around several houses. If you would only
, come in for a Few hours, order the meal,
| direct the servants. and do all that sort of
| thing there would be no difficulty about
getting employment. l have just been call
| ing on friend who has a cottage near my
own in Newport. We are neither of us
wealthy women, but we have no end Of
| cial obligations. We don't feel that we
| can afford a housekeeper, and yet we are
actually dreading summer move be-
cause we know how much extra exertion Il
will require. Now, If we could only get
some one between us who understands how
to do such things to take them off our
hands, We would gladly employ them for
| the summer, at least"
That remark was an inspiration. and
before l left the car / had engaged TO call
on my friend and seriously discuss the
matter. To make a long story short, l
engaged TO divide my time between four
| homes in Newport for the summer act
| ing as visiting housekeeper. Now. had
good business head and considerable knowl-
edge about the keeping of a small house;
those were my stock in trade and l meant
! to succeed.
After the moving was over and each
household settled down and running
| smoothly. made out regular programme
embracing my duties for every day in the
week. AT stated time each morning /
held consultations with the mistress of
each house. ! learned their plans for the
day, and when possible had them give me
ried out. Then / made an inspection of
| the china closets. storerooms. cellars. etc,
gave out the necessary supplies to the
cooks buffers and chambermaids took an
inventory of things to be purchased and
| then went to market
'Of course, ] mean / did all these things
| in each house before going to market, be-
cause one visit had TO suffice, and you can
! easily see how prompt l had to be in the
nf fhnv 1,,t, as,x;,I
my marketing at the proper time.
THE purchasing over, / made my sec
ond round of inspection. 1t was this visit
the servants dreaded. for | required that
they have their mornings work completed
! and went through each room and closet in
every house. / had written out my orders
for the servants on my first call. On my
second call required them to repeat those
orders and tell me how they proposed to
carry them out This was the time when
all my tact, good humor, and irmness vas
required for all errors and difficulties with
the servants had to be settled in the man
ner least calculated to interrupt the
smooth running of the household machin-
cry. Once a month ] paid all wages and
outstanding bills, went over and balanced
my accounts then turned over my books
TO my employers for inspection.
Those were my regular duties. but 1t
was my irregular duties which gave me
the greatest amount of work, and ! must
admit, sometimes annoyance. Under the
head of irregular duties | place the various
entertainments given by my employers. OF
course, in four homes. during a season at
Newport, there were of necessity many en-
tertainments each week, sometimes lunch
cons, sometimes dinners and not quite so
frequently breakfast. All of these Ie-
quired extra work, to say nothing of the
extra amount of thought about the plans,
etc. On all extra occasions made ii
point to be present and personally super
intend and direct the servants
1T was lot of trouble perhaps yoA
will think, but it paid, for had the salts
faction of knowing that all my plans were
carried out and that my employers had
no reason to blush for the way in which
everything was conducted. The most sub
stantial proof of their satisfaction with my
work came only the other day, when they
all wrote urging me to continue with them
on their return to their homes in New
York. ! was really sorry to say no. for
had enjoyed the work, and been much ben
Gifted by the change. but as | said at the
beginning, l hope some day to become a
great artist, / cannot give up my violin.
| have earned enough money to take me
comfortably through the winter and com
plete my course under my present teacher.
But there is one thing of which / am GER
tain-l am giving up very comfortable
salary and pleasant duties, which ! hope
some other girl will drop into and follow
up the occupation OF visiting housekeeper."