The Washington herald., 1909-01-06
One Way of Earning.

Erl-- Lle b0-t0I EG-aa4-
Ny earnings amount 10 over SZ5
week and I have named my trade visit
housekeeper 10 business women, said a
young widow who has the support and
education Of four small children TO look
out for. 1t was a question Of putting
my children in az Institution or finding
some way by which I could earn q Iiv-
ing at home"
There are several business women who
live in the same apartment house with
me None Of them feels that she is able
70 keep a regular servant and the clean
ing woman that came 20 them weekly
never did what they wanted.
They were always envying me my
neat rooms. one day the thought struck
me and I offered 10 do their weekly
cleaning and mending- Ny charges are
8 a week for cleaning and % cents for
mending- To the cleaning woman who
always accompanies me I pay 81 a day
besides giving her three meals
This woman comes at a. m. and
after eating her breakfast helps me 10
get the children OF p school Then we
set my own little fat 10 rights. After
this Is properly accomplished we begin
the real work OF the day. making the
fats Of my patrons shine like new.
While ny woman scrubs, cleans, airs
and makes the beds I mend and prepare
the clothes. house linen. and personal ap-
paTei for the laundry. I see that the cur
tains are kept fresh and clean, that the
china and glass are washed and polished.
I clean the silver and knives and do the
thousand and one little things necessary
to make a fiat look horneIike.
"On Monday we do the four flats which
are In the same house with me. On other
days We can only do two a day. because
they are some distance away. OF course
If I didn't have TO be back home in the
middle Of the day 10 give my children
their lunch and make sure that all was
going well with them I might take sew
eraI more flats L is my children who
are behind al this work. and my first
thought must always be OF them
AS a business for other women can
only say that there are hundreds of
business women who would be glad to
get some reliable woman to come into
their fats once a week and do the
work that I DO for reasonable sum OF
course they are not able 10 pay more than
3 or s.. and 70 make a living by such
work a woman has 70 get enough fats
10 occupy her tine. Il is like any other
business; TO do IL well one must work
and work hard.
Fortunately for ne ny cleaning wo-
man. who IS a middle-aged Swede. is by
nature cleanly and has no inclination to
slight her work. There are no extra
expenses IN the work, which Is one great
advantage Every fat owner has brooms.
brushes. soap and all other items neces-
sary for the work II is well. however.
for a woman who wishes TO undertake
such a trade 70 have It understood with
her patrons that in case something is
needed she can buy It, charging it up IN
her weekly bill
Several times I have been asked II I
didn't have difficulty IN collecting my
pay 7 can't speak too positively when
I answer. No.
L have found that a woman who draws
salary enough as a business woman to
keep a fat is business TO her finger tins
She pays as she goes, and promptly
Each week when I enter fat I look in
a designated place and there I find my
81
a woman undertaking such work must
see 10 il that her assistant is trust
worthy Two women going alone into a
home as we have 20 go have unlimited
opportunity 70 appropriate the belong
ings Of the owner
When I was beginning women refused
TO consider nv proposition because they
said that while they trusted me thew
didn't feel that I could guarantee my
cleaner Although I now trust my clean
IT,
own home without the slightest hest
ta1cy- I see that she has precious few
opportunities Of pilferine If she should
be so inclined