Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-11
JOBSON'S SEASIDE PROTEGE

MRS. JOoSon, said Mr.. Jobson to Mrs..
Jobson on the hotel porch down at the
seaside on the evening before they returned
to Washington, two weeks ago. II wish
you would be good enough to let me have
your Views on the subject of colored serv-
ants, based upon the tumultuous expert
erces you have had with the several scores
OF them that have been in our employ dur
Ing married life in Washington" -
Alarm, Of course. was instantly depicted
| in Mrs. Jobson's countenance.
why said she, you know that we have
never had any trouble with Josephine dur
ing the two years that she has been with
US, and 1 am sure no one could ask for a
better girl than She
Souldn't, hey?' cut in Mr.. Jobson. as
he began to file his nails and to look omi-
ncusly amiable. And the sugar trust
couldn't ask for any better consumer than
that same Josephine. could it? And the
tea and potato and coffee and dressed meat
combinations haven't had a pretty swell
snap of 1t through the patronage of the
Jobson family, due to the operations of
that same Josephine, since she's been with
us, have they? And 1 haven't been feeding
more than 2i9 residents of Bloodields and
ether sections of the capital city given over
to the occupation Of"
Josephine is a good, honest GIRL" inter-
rupted Mrs. Jobson. stanchy, land if 1
have occasionally given her few little
left-over-e'
This is all completely beside the mark"
said Mr.. Jobson. grandiloquently. THE
real point Is that l am going to experiment
with a white servant, and the white serv-
ant is going to be no less person that
the amiable, if homely middle-aged Hiber-
man woman Nora, who Is the chief hustler
around this hotel.
Il asked Nora this morning If she could
cook and she told me that she could l
did not suggest the idea that / intended to
offer her employment with US in Washing
ton, but 1 shall expect you to put the prop
osition before her during the evening. If
she accepts, l have doubt she will,
she will go back with us in the morning.
1t may be that We shall. have to give her
wages a trif1e higher than We pay to Jose
phine but she has all the earmarks of a
high-grade woman of-aE-work and I'm 60
Ing to see if 1 can't get hold of a servant
who will occasionally pay a little attention
to me when / make humble requests around
the house instead of treating me if L
were a horsehair sofa of the period of 1854
stored in the attic, as your beloved Jose
phine does
Mrs. Jobson looked the picture of con-
sternaton during this speech.
But l have been watching Nora she
finally contrived to say, "and l have no.
ticed that when she sweeps she bestows
all of the sweepings under the bureau of
our room. and
Pure Imagination broke in Mr.. Jobson
in his judicial tone. Mora is a jewel of
tidiness.''
But. worst of ALL" pursued Mrs. Jobson.
looking more and more alarmed, Il am
sure she drinks She happened to come near
me the other morning making up the room
and her breath smelt so strongly of liquor
that
Mrs. Jobson." cut in Mr.. Jobson, 81 fully
understand that 1t is one of the privileges
Of your sex, of whatever station, to en-
deavor to undermine each other. This
same Nora has commended herself to me, a
close observer. during my. stay at this
hotel model, respectable. middle-aged
Irish serving woman, and it is my desire
to engage such servant in place of the
no-account Senegambian at present in our
employ. You will be good enough to make
terms with Nora this evening. and if she
Is willing to accompany US to Washington,
you will find at the end of two weeks that
she wi prove herself absolutely indis-
Mrs. Jobson sighed. But what Mr.. job
son said went and half an hour later
Mrs. Johson found herself being interro-
gated by the angular, somewhat red-nosed
Nora as to the kind of plant the Jobson
household in Washington was: how much
washing there was to be done: the ar
engagements as to the servants day off; the
hours at which the meals were expected
to be ready; the rules and regulations with
respect to the servants reception of COM
pany. and on. Mrs. Jobson stood the
ordeal of Interrogation with her customary
fortitude. and when Nora demanded
monthly wages about one-half in excess or
the usual Washington scale for maids-of-
all-work, Mrs. Jobson acceded to the terms
Command of the JobSon household. Upon
her arrival she had rather elevated her al
ready somewhat retrousse nose at the size
of the JobSon establishment, but with a
few remarks of depreciation, addressed to
neither of the Jobsons in particular, she
went to work to see what could be made
of the outfit The first meal she prepared
was breakfast. and she fried the steak in
stead of broiling it-a fact which Mr.. JOB
sons teeth instantly made him aware of,
although he waved it aside lightly
I'm 10 oil Tipht
gets her hand in bit, said he. mastlcat-
ing the leathery steak. Mrs. Jobson said
nothing.
Mr. Jobson got home from the office that
evening and the dough of the chicken pot.
pie prepared by the jewel Nora was OF
about the consistency OF pqwilrs PAL
A couple of days later Mr. Jobson hap
pened to overhear Nora give Mrs Jobson a
somewhat sharp reply when the mistress
of the household instructed her with refer
ence to the proper way to beat the rugs,
and he told Mrs. Jobson that, in his opin-
ion the servant perhaps had an unsubdued
nature that might require careful handllng,
and that he trusted Mrs Jobson would en-
ploy mild methods with her, instead OF
austerity of manner.
On Tuesday evening last the Jobsons took
a ride down the river after dinner. They
got back about in the neighborhood of 10
o'clock The light in the basement dining
room attracted them, and they entered the
house that way.
Nora under the fiarlng nght OF the three
gas Jets was seated at the dining room
table. In front of her was a half-flled
black pint bottle. with the label of the
Jobsons' grocery on it; some squeezed lem
ons. a pitcher of ice water, half-con-
sumed can of sardines and a loaf of Wen
ma bread. from which most of the crust
had been torn. Nora's hair was down, and
her eyes were glazed
Morals terms of reproach were not visited
upon the head of Mrs. Jobson. She seemed
to be quite convinced of the fact that Mrs.
Jobson was a perfect little lady. and a
whole lot too good for Mr.. Jobson. with
reference to whom Nora exhausted the
whole vocabulary of vituperation and
scorn. She adverted critically to Mr.. job
son from every possible point of view
physical, mental, financial; and when she
finally seized rolling pin and defied Mr..
Jobson and the whole universe combined
to lay a finger on her. Mr. Jobson felt that
he'd got it coming and going, both ends
from the middle.
Mrs. Jobson got Nora on the New York
train, whittier she was sending her to her
relatives, with a months wages and a
ticket. on the following morning. When
Mrs. Jobson returned to the Jobson house
hold after performing this duty she found