Evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1907-1913, 1907-11-29
tine SERVANT
PROBLEM


servant problem was all tommyrot.
After a years experience | have
changed my mind
I'VE started in first rate he went
on, running his eye down the Help
Wanted, Female, column OF the pa
per from force of habit my mother
willed me her old, faithful servant
been with her ever since / was child
the real, old-fashioned kind, she was.
Well, Minnie just stayed long enough
to justify my pre-nuptial eIogies of
her cooking. when one evening my
wife came in and remarked on an agi-
tated whisper:
There's Mr. Minniei'
impossible l began, when she cut
me short
Yes, and he's come back. He was
serving a term in states prison; but
it's been shortened for good behavior
We'll, we had nothing against Mr..
Minnie but we couldn't help wishing
when we saw our cook depart, bag and
baggage, that his had been life sen
tence.
I'VE next tried working house
keeper She was looking for place,
primarily, to store her vast belongings,
incidentally as cook We slowed our.
selves compactly into the front of the
| apartment and left Mrs Adams and
her goods and chattels the rear. Her
regime lasted two days. On the third.
having done some washing for herself
tshe refused to wash for u.s., she
stepped on the window sill on her re
turn from the fire escape, where she
had hung out her wash, and the win
dow sill gave way under her 25o
pounds. We found her straddling the
wreck, lamenting that she was injured
for life and breathing forth dire
threats of damage suits.
Our next was Olga, who claimed
to have worked for the royal family OF
Sweden. She had an incumbrance IL
tho shape of a four-year-old child, but
we were desperate, so agreed to the
child. Various adventures marked the
reign of Olga. One night after hard
day at the office came home to fine
crowd about our door and Olgs
standing on the step wringing hel
hands and moaning that her child was
lost offered to try and find the chile
| If Olga would cease her wailing ant
get dinner ready-and was called
heartless brute for thinking of dinner
under the circumstances.
Il notified the police and then, afte.
| joining in the search for several hours
was told by my wife over the telephone
that the child had been found playing
in the back yard. Several incidents OF
this kind reconciled me to the inevi
table departure of Olga, who also haG
a sort of husband who made periodical
Temperatures In the bosom OF his
family.
Next came Old Virginia. regular
years old at least. She was a respect
! full old darby and her soft ''yassam'
to my wife's directions made pleas
ant contrast to the abrupt manners OF
the more modern girls. Every girl has
| her day, and this girl of 80 began to
/
month. Her mother was sick down
south somewhere, and she was afraid
it was very serious. If you could have
seen Virginia, with the weight OF al
most a century bending down her
shoulders, you would have realized
| that any sickness her mother might
! have would be almost hopeless at the
advanced age she must have been.
| Worse news on the very last day OF
the month made it compulsory for her
to leave at once for the sunny south.
MARY, the Hungarian, who never
would wear shoes, and went around
| in her stocking feet all day, was the
next visitor to our kitchen. Mary did
| not look like belle, but her suitors
were many and at last she succumbed
to one persistent swain. She could not
| tell which to choose, as she liked the
man from Hoboken, but did not like
the place, and did not like the man
from the East Side, but did like New
York. She finally chose New York.
Mora was the last She also had
heart strings that were being pulled
from Ireland. A youth who loved her
1 kept writing her to return to the old
| sod, and her old father also joined his
appeals in vain. Nora liked America
and if they could not find courage to
follow her she was not going to give
up the land of wine and honey for a
while yet When she got enough mon
ey she would return. She made YER
bal contract to stay with us for three
years. We settled back with sigh OF
relief. Two weeks later we went to
the country, in the mountains Of Penn
l sylvania. The banshee followed us,
4 for there were no other white servants
i there and as there had been an addi-
! ton to our family recently it was nee
4 essary to have Nora along. Nora
| would not eat with the colored SER
wants and the house would not provide
separate arrangements for her. Nora
/ left In high dudgeon and wild tele-
! grams to my wife's mother brought
her up to help us with the baby till
we could get back to civilization.