The St. Louis Republic., 1903-03-15

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1t was Saturday afternoon. promised
| to reappear Monday, though I was urged
to do SO Sunday.
| I told them was superstitious about be-
| ginning a new place" on Sunday. AS a
matter Of fact, I wanted Sunday in which
| to go to church. and take farewell Of the
world, as it were, and pray for grace with
! which to enter upon my new sphere of
usefulness and activity.
| Monday morning I lugged ny telescope
| to my new place. at o'clock.
i: Breakfast was in course of prepare ton
by the mistress of the house.
The laundress had just appeared, ard
from the basement I caught sounds Of
tub turning and filling.
There was that state of chaos prevailing
that usually goes with the predicament of
being two weeks without e girl" Details
are unnecessary.
| Every housekeeper, as we'll as every
hired GIRL" knows them well enough.
1 went up to my room to put on my CALI
CO dress. The room was a little corner,
with slanting roof, the only sort of roof
Permitted by Queen Anne architecture.
Remembering the chaos below, tried my
| muscles. hardened last summer by tennis
playing and rowing, and kept flexible this
| autumn and winter by ping-pong and
bowling; took a handspring or two, as
had learned to do at college. and thanked
my stars that had given some time to
athletics. was sure such training would
serve me well below stairs.
There was a real satisfaction in putting
my shoulder to the wheel of the domestic
machinery and helping things along
smoothly. but I'll confess that the hard
| scullery work that awaited me almost made
me weaken. for doubted my physical abili-
ty, Notwithstanding my good health, spirits
and physical training, to cope with it,
But the mistress gladly resigned the
kitchen to me. 1 took up the breakfast
| where she had left off served it, retaining
enough in the kitchen for the laundress and
myself, going promptly below stairs to
make myself known as the new girl'' to
that worthy woman, and to invite her up to
get a cup of coffee, because have always
felt that laundresses should not be made to
wait for their breakfast, nor go home at
the end Of a long day without cup of tea
and "a bite"
We breakfasted together, the laundress
and I, at a cleared-up corner of the kitchen
table. This was to save time q have al
ways known how to economize time.l As
We ate, was frequently summoned by a
call bell to the dining-room. When the
breakfast was served had slipped off
the gingham apron and donned a white one
The mistress had noted this change with a
glance Of approval.
WASHER wOMAN'S STRUGGLE
TO SUPPORT HER FAMILY.
The laundress told me that she had five
children-one messenger boy now earn
ing $50 a week-and she was the main
support Of them at $1.o5 a day.
There was acting within me the impulse
to run up to my little corner room and get
the IS gold piece out of my pocketbook and
present 1t with my best wishes to the
madonna of the washtub."
But judgment restrained me- A "hi-ed
girl'' with a fve-dollar gold piece to give
away would Immediately place herself un-
der the ban Of suspicion, despite the at
testment Of honesty furnished her by the
doctors and the minister's wife. So I re-
Trained. But I have the narne and address
of the patient 1aundress down in my MEM
ory book for future reference,
The postman came. and 1 answered his
ring. Before the sun went down that day
had answered fifteen rings-peddlers call
ers, and 50 on.
had taken many trips up and down the
basement steps waiting upon the laundress.
After the breakfast dishes were done I'D
I swept and busted the parlors and dining
room. They needed 1t sorely. The bric-a-
brac was pretty, and I took pleasure in
handling it daintily.
prepared the luncheon rang the bell,
lifted the 5-year-old cherub to his seat in
the high chair, after washing his face and
hands In the kitchen. and could not resist
the temptation to kiss him on his rosv
cheek as pumped him down. He Cid net