Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 November 1898 — Those Girls at Golden’s. [ARTICLE]

Those Girls at Golden’s.

Everybody knew that the Goldens Couldn’t get a girl to stay, or one that would suit them if she would stay. That was the family worry from January to December—bow to secure competent help. A few girls stayed the month out, some only half a month, the majority a week or less and there had been known cases where the girl left the day after she arrived. It must not be supposed from this that the Goldens were hard people to get along with. Mr. and Mrs. Golden were nice, quiet people of an easy-going nature, and'the two daughters were just as affable and good natured as any two girls in the city. Young George Golden was rarely at home except during sleeping hours, and Willie, who attended school daily, did not interfere with the servant girls at all. The family always provided a good table and paid fair wages for help, while the house was not so large as to frighten a girl accustomed to a reasonable amount of work. But inside of twelve months the Golden family had had English, Welsh, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Danish, Swedes, Norwegians and colored girls. Those that weren’t lazy were dirty or cheeky. The English girl was found by Mi’s. Golden stretched at full length on the parlor lounge reading a cheap novel, while her work remained untouched around her. The Scotch girl had such a thick brogue that it impeded her utterance and made it almost impossible for her to be understood. The Welsh girl was addicted to drink, and the Irish girl was decidedly too familiar and acted as if sliq was mistress of the house. The Danish girl didn’t speak English at all. The Swedes broke almost everything in the house, including a few commandments, and the two Norwegian girls were lacking In neatness of appearance and general cleanliness. As for the innumerable colored girls that had been employed by the Golden family, they were In the aggregate lazy, dirty, cheeky, parsimonious iu the matter of the truth, and generous in the dispensation of groceries and other eatables to their relatives and friends. The great cardinal virtue in the Golden household was scrupulous cleanliness, and had that been the prominent characteristic of any one of the girls it is likely that her other shortcomings would have been overlooked and that she might have stayed in the position. As it was, however, the only two of the entire bunch that kept the house even passably clean were slow and always behind with their work. One day Mrs. Golden returned home from the “Intelligence” office —by the way, why on earth do they call these headquarters of ignorance “intelligence offices?”—in quite a flutter of excitement.

t “I do believe,” she declared, as she took off her hat and wrap, and seated herself in her favorite armchair, “I do believe that I have secured the right girl at last.” “Yes, we have heard that very often before,” remarked her husband, complacently; “they are always the *right kind of girls’ until they get here, and then they turn out wrong.” “But this one is really different from all the others,” said Mrs. Golden. “Different in what—appearance, manners or accomplishments? Ia it impossible for her to oversleep herself In the morning, burn the toast, or tell a lie? Doesn’t she break crockery, give cheek, or read novels? Is she fonder of work than of gossiping, or What kind of a freak is she?” “She’s just a plain, ordinary-looking girl, but she’s an American-first American we have had yet, remember, Joseph, and she looks clean, moves quickly, and talks well. She wants S2O a month, which shows that she hss a high appreciation of her own worth. 1 ’ “Oh, they all have that—none of them are too modest in their claims of what they can do. Twenty dollars is a mere bagatelle if she is worth it, but we have not had a girl yet that was worth half of it.” “Well, she’s coming this afternoon, and we’ll see how she gets on. For my part I believe the girl will give complete satisfaction to us all. I believe 1 have captured a new gem at last!” “What’s her name?” “Annie Rooney.” “Good gracious!” Sure enough Annie Rooney assume® her new duties in the Golden household that afternoon, and somehow there was that in her appearnnee which inspired confidence in every member of the family as soon as they saw her. At the table she was a jewel. Little, active, alert—swift to see what was wanted and quick to supply It, she had earned the admiration of all before the meal was over. She was up early in the morning, lighted the fire noiselessly, started breakfast on the way. and then commenced to clean the kitchen and everything In it; as she expressed it, the place “wasn’t fit to be seen with dirt.” “Joseph,” said Mrs. Golden to her husband, shortly after breakfast, “Annie has gone to do the up-stairs work, find I Just want you to come down and look at her kitchen.” Mr. Golden softly followed his wife down stairs, and the pair quietly tiptoed Into the kitchen. The greasy, grimy look on the walls had disappeared. the paint looked fresh and dean. The tin and agate ware shone brightly, as did all the metal work about the stove and kitchen shelves, the crockery dressey glittered and glistened In the morning sunlight, the linoleum on the floor Mas spotlessly clean. “There’s her morning's work before breakfast,” said Mrs. Golden. “1 wonder how ever she (lid it in the time?*’ “Here’s the answer,” replied her huabuud, sententiously, as he pointed to a package that stood near the sink. “The girl is a gem. as you salil, my dear—ahe uses Sapolio.” “But 1 should think it would take time ” “My dear, Annie Rooney evidently

knows the difference between time and Sapolio.” “What do you mean, Joseph?” “Time, my dear, was made for slaves —Shpolio has abolished slavery—in housework.”