The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1905-02-03
Why She Couldn't
Keep Servants
tOriginal.l

more about women than any married
man IN the world. He was constantly
making deductions with regard to
them. For instance, if he saw a wOm-
an pass mirror, glance at her refec-
ton, adjust her hat or some other por-
ton of her apparel he would assume
that she was vain. When he married
me he took especial pains TO discover
whether | was popular with my own
sex. Il wouldn't give fig for wom-
an whom women don't like" he said
in telling me of his precaution after
we were married and in doing so paid
me the compliment to say that in my
case the report was favorable. I
didn't consider it compliment for my
very best woman friend had never
been popular with women simply be-
cause they didn't understand her.
We lived in a town on the Pacific
coast where the only servants to be
had We're Chinese. We went to house
keeping as soon rs we were married,
and | hired cook named Charlie Lee.
Charlie agreed to give me months
fered him 81 month more than | was
paying him, and without either giving
me the stipulated notice or the privi-
lege even Of raising his wages he left
me the day before | was to have
friends in for dinner More than this,
he demanded wages for two weeks
when he had only been with me eight
days. l paid him for one week and
told him to go. and go quickly, and
never show his face in my house again.
When John came home and I told
him what had happened l saw by the
wrinkle in his forehead that he consid-
cred me in some way to blame, but he
said nothing. / secured another China
man as cook, but was astonished when
he told me at the end of the first week
that he would stay with me no longer.
Are you sure" asked John, that
you have said or done nothing to ruffle
him?''
''I'm sure I've neither said nor done
anything that should ruffle him"
John turned to the evening paper
that he had brought home with him,
and | knew he considered there was
something wrong with me or | would
not have lost two servants within a
month The third Chinaman stayed
with me just two days, when he disap-
peared without having the impudence
to ask for pay, though year afterward
l missed an article of bric-a- brac that
was ample compensation for his pay.
John had refrained from speaking his
mind on the servant question till this
third cook left me- Then we had our
first spat
you must admit. my DEAR" he said,
that there is some reason for the de-
parture of all your servants" -
''You mean that / don't treat them
kindly"
''Not that, but perhaps your manner
may be trif1e dictatorial."
Il should have supposed" 1 retort-
ed, ''that you would have inquired be-
fore marrying me whether my manner
to servants was sufficiently deferential.
"You misunderstood me. Our man
ner is something for which we are
not responsible, being born to it. I can
readily understand how these simple
Chinese, exiles from their homes, may
have sensitiveness to kindness that
heard no more, for I went out Of the
room, and I fear / shut the door after
me trifie harder than was necessary.
what was preventing my keeping
servant if had to send to the Flowery
Kingdom for a native detective I went
to q friend told her the circumstances
and asked her advice.
'"TheSe Chinese are very clannish,"
she said. What one does they all do
but how do they all know enough
to do the same thing? Those I have
had surely were not acquainted
II have had one of them for years."
she said "I'll ask him if he can ex-
plain
Chang Wing. her servant, was called
in and the case put to him. He said he
would go to see me the next day after
his work was finished He came, as he
agreed, and walked straight into the
kitchen, where he commenced to exam
inc the furniture and cooking utensils.
Then he looked into every crevice and
corner 1t struck me that he was search
ing for evidence of the presence of mice
in the house, for l had heard of the
Chinese appreciation of this delicacy,
and Informed him that there were none
and | wouldn't have them on my prem
ises on any account. He paid no at
tention to the information. keeping on
with his ransacking. He looked on the
bottoms of the chairs and the pots and
kettles, turned up the oilcloth on the
floor, removed every article in the kit
chen closet and examined it as well as
the walls and the shelves Finally he
took down the clock and looked at it's