The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-06-26
A New Phase Of the
Servant Question
BY LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

ing 10 ana FRO, W1lle the guards kept
an eye out for all to make sure that
they were not getting together In one
or more groups. The two men smoking
together, though they had no acquaint-
ance. opened conversation In the usual
way.
what are you here for?" asked one
"The servant question"
whats the servant question got to
do with yer bein' within walsT"
"Oh, it's long story; but, seem
we've nothing better to do, l don't
mind tellin' it to you"
$50 on"
"I've always made it a rule to work
through servants. | can get more ad-
vantages by takin' em in to a deal
than in any other way. They make
it dead easy for a feller. The easiest
job ever got was this way. was
walkin' along street in a suburban
town, where the houses wasn't too
near together, lookin' for a job, when
come to decent lookin' house-not
too fine, for in the finest they have
safes; nor too poor lookin, for in them
kind they don't have nothin' to put in
safes; but the middle kind, where they
have good things, but not so valuable
that they keep 'em out. O. the way-as
! was sayin, | come to a 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. 1 was out
of a job and would be glad of any
thing l could get.
'She looked at me, and. says she:
You don't want any old clothes. You're
lookin' for a job, but not the ordinary
kind of a job-one with more profit in
it than doin' odd jobs at 20 cents an
hour
"She looked at me kind of KNOWN
and | twigged right off. Il wouldn't
mind a pard,' 1 says, and she asked
me what I meant and l says halves
That's fair she says. When do you
want to begin work? 4 always work
at night says, when other people is
seepin''
"Well, made a deal with her right
off, and I was to do the job the next
night The maid was goin' to have
! friends to dinner then, and she was
always expected to put away the sill
yer. the best bein' brought on on swell
occasions. I took to that idee and
pulled out flyer to bind the bargain.
After takin' my instructions how to git
in and what to do next l goes away.
"The next night about IL o'clock
went to the house, and they was jist
putin out the lights. A cop went by
slingin' his night stick, so l waited till
he'd put a block or two between me
and him; then went into the back
yard and sat down In dark place for
half an hour, givin' 'em time to get to
sleep The maid had left a stepladder
outside, cause it was a basement
house, and was to git in at a back
kitchen winder on the main floor
"I put off the job till felt that all
that was goin' to sleep had gone there;
then | puts the stepladder agin the
wall and goes up to the winder. 1t
went up as slick as II it had been
creased, and, feelln' found the maid
had soaped 1t. This made me feel sure
she wasn't trichin' me and was doin'
everything to help me on. got down
to the floor inside and follered the di-
rection she'd given me, passin' fro m
the dlnin' room into the pantry, where
the maid said she was goin' to leave
the silver, tellin' her mistress the next
mornin' she'd forgot to take it to her
room. where she kept it nights, so she
wouldn't have to waken any one by
gittin' it in the mornin'.
II got into the pantry all right and
was feelin' for the swag when an
electric went up, and there stood a cop
me cooped up. and was covered by
both of 'em at the same time.
1T was all up with me, of course.
They clapped the bracelets on me and
took me out into the hall All the
lights was turned up, and downstairs
saw the gentleman of the house COM
in. with the maid behind him, only
they all was dressed in their regular
clothes. l was all broke up by SEEM
the maid dressed like lady.
"'Well,' said the gentleman to his
wife, this doin' your own houSework
is savin' in more ways than one,
isn't 1t, my dear? There's thousand
dollars worth Of property held on to
by your bein' maid and cook and all
the other servants. and I'll put half of
1t into a brooch for you Then, turn
in to the cops, he said to EN-: "A year
ago, when we was spendin' thousand
dollars a year for servants, we lost
/ So, 900 more in one night Luckily my
: wife likes housework. isn't literary,
} don't write papers for woman's clubs
and is profitable woman to have in
the house
"Then he jlst takes her In his arms
: and gives her a smack, and she was
; the proudest lookin' woman you ever
yeen. But noticed that when she
seen me between two cops she looked
sorry for me-"
! The convict paused and then added
i re6ectiyely: II don't say that all serv-