The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-02-24
THE SERVANT
PR0BLE

= used to think this talk about the
servant problem was all tommyrot
After a years experience I have
changed my mind
We 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 I was a child
the real, old-fashioned kind, she was.
Wei Minnie just stayed long enough
to Justify my pre-nuptial eulogies Of
her cooking, when one evening my
wife came in and remarked on an agi-
tated whisper:
There's a Mr.. Minniel
Impossible, began, when she cut
me short
Yes, and he's come back. He was
serving term in states prison; but
It's been shortened for good behavior.
Well, 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 a life sen.
tence.
we next tried working house
keeper She was looking for a 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
yegime lasted two days. On the third,
having done some washing for herself
(she refused to wash for us), 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 ESQ
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 in
the shape Of a four-yearold child, but
we were desperate, SO agreed to the
child. Various adventures marked the
reign Of Olga. One night after a hard
day at the office / came home to find
a crowd about our door and Olga
standing on the step wringing her
hands and moaning that her child was
lost. | offered to try and find the child
II Olga would cease her wailing and
get dinner ready-and was called a
heartless brute for thinking Of dinner
under the circumstances.
Il notified the police and then, after
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 tnevi
table departure Of Olga, who also had
a sort Of husband who made periodical
Temperatures in the bosom Of his
family.
Next came Old Virginia, regular
southern nanny, who looked to be 80
years old at least. She was a respect
full old darky and her soft "yassam'
to my wife's directions made a pleas
ant contrast to the abrupt manners Of
the more modern girls. Every girl has
her day, and this girl of 80 began to
get downcast toward the end Of the
month. Her mother was sick down
Sorth somewhere, and she was afraid
it was very serious. II 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 tho
advanced age she must have been.
Worse news on the very last day Of
the month made It compulsory Tor her
10 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 a belle. but her suitors
were many and at last she succumhed
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 NeweEorh.
Mora was the last She also had
heart strings that were being pulled
from Ireland. A youth who loved her
kept writing her to return 70 the old
sod. and her old father also joined his
appeals in vain. Nora liked America
and II 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
sy she would return. She made a YER.
bal contract to stay with Us Tor three
years. We settled back with Z sigh Of
relief Two weeks later we went to
the country, in the mountains Of Penn
sylvanla The banshee followed US,
Tor there we're no other white servants
there and as there had been an add.
ton to our family recently It was nee
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
/ IL. IN q. hnlr ,,n NH Al hnh.. Alli