Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-08-23
which they had to pay for board and

other necessaries."
"And the reason they gave was? ."
Mrs. Ward, who was an interested lis
tener, asked the question.
''They hated the drudgery and con-
finement of house labor. They loved
the excitement and independence of
their life in the store. OF course.
they all gave as one main reason
Tor not wanting to be house servants
the loss of social position. Several of
the girls in the factory had been
hired girls. They all without excep-
ton spoke of their former work with
evident dislike, and with one or two
exceptions refused to entertain any
proposition to go back to the old
work think one of the girls in the
Art mills will go to Mrs. Vane's. She
worked for her some years ago, and
liked her. But what can the needs of
the home OF to-day present to labor
in the way of inducement to, como
into its field? ! must confess had
very little to say to the girls in the
way of inducement. Not on account of
my ownexperience," Barbara fastened
to say, with grateful look at Mrs.
and Mr.. Ward, "for you have been
very, very kind to me and made my
service sweet; but in general, 1 must
confess, after these three weeks con-
tact with labor outside the home, I
see somewhat more clearly the
reason why all branches of woman's
labor have inducements that house
labor does not offer"
"And how about the prospects for
pupils for the training SCHOOL," Mr..
Ward asked, keenly. He had come
to have a very earnest interest in
the proposed building.
"Out of all the girls 1 have SEEM"
Barbara answered, with some hesita-
ton, "only four have promised def
nitely that they would take such a
course and enter good homes as
servants. One of these was an Amer
lean girl in an office. The others were
foreign-born girls in Bondman's."
"The outlook is not very encourag-
ing, is it?" Mrs. Ward remarked, with
faint smile.
"It looks to me, Martha" Mr.. Ward
suggested, ''as if it might be neces-
sary to put up training-school for
training our Christian housekeepers
as well as Christian servants. If what
Barbara has secured in the way of
confession from these girls is ac-
curate, it looks as if they are un-
willing to work as servants because
of the unjust or unequal or I'M
Christian conditions in the houses
that employ them"
s'At the same time, Richard, re-
member the great army of incompe-
tent, ungrateful girls we have borne
with here in our home for years I'M
til Barbara came. What can the
housekeeper do with such material?
If the girls were all like Barbara, it
would be different, you know"
"Well, 1 give it up" replied Mr..
Ward, with sigh, as he opened up
his evening paper. "The whole thing
is beyond me. And Barbara, of course,
will be leaving us as soon as this
new work begins. And then farewell
to peace, and welcome chaos again."
"You are not going to leave us
just yet, are you, Barbara" Mrs.
Ward asked. with an affectionate
glance at Barbara.
"The house is not built yet" Bar
baEa answered, returning Mrs. Wards
look.
"Of course, Barbara will leave us
when she has home of her own,"
Mr.. Ward said in short sentences, as
he read down part of the page.
"Then our revenge for her leaving
US will be the thought that her
troubles have just begun when she
begins to have hired girls herself"
81 don't think there's any sign of it
yet" Mrs. Ward said, looking keenly
at Barbara, who colored little 81
have not noticed any beaus in the
Kitchen
'More likely to come in through
the parlor," Mr.. Ward suggested. And
again Barbara looked up with
blush, and Mrs. Ward could not help
admiring the girls pure, intelligent
face.
There was silence for moment,
when Barbara went over her list of
figures and memoranda.
ITO he continued