The daily Alaskan., 1913-05-20
ANew Phase of the Servant Question
 By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS


 "Oh. les a long story but seeIn' we've nothing better to do, don't mlud teIln' It to you"
 "Go on"
 "Tye always made lt a rule to work through servants. can get more ad- vuumgcs by mklu' 'em in to deal than lu any other way They make it dead easy for a felIer The easiest lob ever got wus this way. was waIEu along a street In a suburban town. where the houses wasn't too near together, Iooldn' for a job when come to a decent looldu' house-uot too fine. for lu the finest they have safes: nor too poor lookln for ln them kind lhcy don't have nothln' to put In safes: but the middle Eud where they have good things, but not so valuable that they keep 'em out O the way-as [ was sayln. [ come to house of the middle kind and. goIn around to the back door. knocked and asked the maid If there was any old clothes In the house they didn't want was out of job and would be glad of any thing could get
 "Shc looked 0t me, and says she; You don want any old clothes You're IooEI1' for a lob but not the ordinary ElnI of a Iob-onc with more profit ln lt chan doin' odd jobs at 20 cents an hour
 "Sho looked at me kind Of nowm' and twIgged right or. q wouldn't mind a pard ! suys, and she asked me what ! meant and | says halves That's raIr. she says When do you want to begin workT q always work at night, l says, when other people Is sIccpin''
 "Weu. [ made a deal with her right 0T. and ! was to do the job the next night The maid was goin' to have friends Co dinner then, and she was always expected to put away Che sil. yer. Che best bcln' brought on on swell occasions. took to that idee and pulled ont a Aver to bind the bargain. After lal,n' my instructions how to sit ru and what Co do next | goes away
 "Thc next night about n o'clock l went ,o the house. and they wns jIst putin out che lights A eco went by sIugn' hIs night stick, SO waited till he'd put a block or two between me and him: chen went into the back yard and sat down In a dark place for half an hour. givin' 'cm time to get to sleep The m0ld bad left a stcpIadder outside. cause lt wns basement house. and | was to sit in ut a back
 kitchen wndcr on Che main floor
 'I nut or the job ull l felt that all that was goln' to sleep had gone there; then [ puts thc stcpadder 0gIn the wall and goes up to the wInder It went uD us slick as lf It had been grcascd and. Iccln I found the maid bad soaDcd G. This made me feel sure she wasn't trlcyIn' me and was doIn' everything to help me on. got down to Che floor Inside and follcrcd the di- rccIIDu she'd given me. pussin' from Che Iinin' room Into thg pantry, where the maid saId she w'ls goIn' to leave the silver. tcllID' her mistress tue next mornIn' she'd forgot to take lt tO her room where she kept It nights. so she wouldn't have to wgken any one by gIttIu lt In thc mornIn,
 or got Into thc pantry an right and was fcclIn' for thc swag when an electric went up. and there stood a cop at each of the pantry doors They had me cooncd up. and | was covered by both of 'om at Che same time
 "It was an up with mo, of course. They c'apDcd Che bracelets on me and took me out into tho hall An the lights was turned up, and downstairs [ saw the gentleman of the house com l in. with the maid behind him, only they an was dressed In their regular clothes. l was an broke up by seein' | thc maid dressed like a lady.
 "'Wel,' said the gentleman to his wife, this d0ln' your own housework ! is suvln' iu more ways than one, isn't It my dear? There's a thousand dollars worth of property held on to | by your bcIn' maid and cook and all the other servants, and Tll put half of Iit Into a brooch for you Then, turn. in to the cops. he said to 'em; A year | ago. when we was spendIn' thousand dollars year for servants, We lost l 5000 more in one night Luckily my wife likes housework. isn't literary, don't write papers for woman's clubs and Is a profitable woman to have in ! the house.
 "Theu be Ilst takes her ln his arms and gives her a smack, and she was the proudcst lookIn' woman you ever seen. But I noticed chat when she seen me between two cops she looked sorry for me-"
 The convict paused and then added collectively: or don't say that all aerv- ants is ln with us, but ! does say that |if an the leddlcs in the land gits to doln' their own housework the most profitable part Of our business 'lI be gone But l don't reckon they'll do it l The wlmmen Is glttin' brainy, and they likes to write papers and spout 'em But we got to look out for them as isn't up to them literary Dronka."