THE VISITING HOUSEKEEPER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 10536, 10 August 1912, Page 4

THE VISITING HOUSEKEEPER.

(By VIRGINIA TYLER HUDSON.)

When the time came for Nan Thomas to earn her own living—a time which had been farthest from her thoughts when a well-to-do father had sent her to school—jusc how to do it proved an all but unsolvable enigma. There was tho usual over-supply of teachers in Ro3emont, even if Nan had been competent to teach; she knew a little music, a little painting, not enough of either to impart to another. Stenography, too, was out of the question. What Nan must do she must do at once. "It isn't as if Nan were,pretty," confided comely Mrs Gray to her neighbour, Mrs M'Kenzie, as they chatted across the low_ fence while at work ir» their respective flower gardens. Mrs Gray thoughtfully smoothed her own shiny coils of bright hair, as f/he went on: "If 6he were, she might marry—but I don't think even wo who love her most, could call Nan exactly that." To many girls the outlook would have' been as dismalas Longfellow's rainy day. Happily for Nan, though, she was not one to sit down and deplore when anything might be done. First of all, then, in searching for a solution of the problem, she had eat down and inventoried he possibilities. Reluced to writing in Nan r s queer upright hand, the inventory read: Miss Nancy Thomas — Liabilities. —Huge debts of money and gratitude to Mummy for everything. Responsibility to self to make a living and a success. Assets.—One large quantity of carroty hair. Two rather pale blue eyes. One turned-up nose. One freckled face (rather good smile, though). One ability to make good bread, puddings and pies. One faculty for all kinds of cooking. One aptitude for sowing and planning gowns and "making over", clothes. One real ability to darn stockings. One knowledge of expert laundry. One ability to scrub, sweep, make beds, dust, and keep house. " I guess that's about all on the asset side, too," sighed Nan when she had finished her account for the twentieth time. "Actually it looks as if the only thing I could do would be to go out to service- and, of course, I must not do that for Mummy's sake. So she had thought and thought until her head reeled. At last there came an inspiration and a decision, with tho result that at the very moment her townswomen were discussing her prospects and seeing no hope for her, she was writing a letter to her very best chum announcing that the weighty question had l>eon settled. "Dear Ethel," she wrote, "I don't know whether you will be pleased or not with what I am going to tell you— I don't know whether I am myself or not yet—but Ido know lam wildly excited. I have solved the problem of how to make the two ends lap over. I've gone into business I The little card I enclose will explain in part, but there is a lot' more detail-"

Which she proceeded, to explain _ at length, but which was probably little heeded by the astonished Ethel when the little pasteboard fell out of the letter, bearing in n«*t engraved Old English the announc«ment that—- " Mias Nancy Thomas has established a Hous«hold Aid Bureau for Rosomont, and is prepared at a moment's notice to assist at any kind of housework on the 'part time' system. Rates, from fifteen cents to one dollar an hour, aocwding to the kind of work desired. Inspection requested." Nan paid a boy five cents an hour to take her little cards around town and leave them at the doors of her friends and acquaintances. It seemed a little more proper to distribute them this way than by mail, as she had so often left her calling-card with her mother's at the same doors. Needless to say, their arrival created a great stir in Rosomont. and many and varied comments.

"For my part," Mrs Gilbert told her, "I'm right down glad somebody has sense enough to help us solve this servant problem. Why, ever since that factory started over in Maysville, there hasn't been a lady in Rosemont who could get a girl for love or money." "Exactly/' from Nan, a smile light-

ing up the ' rather pale blue eyes" she had. inventoried and decided could never bo considered as assets. "Just what I took into consideration when I laid my plans." "But what is your plan, doar?" urged tho impatient Mrs Gilbert, whose stocking basket at home at that moment was running over. "Just what 1 say on the card," answered Nan. " I'll come and help you a while for so much an hour, and, while you'ro sitting down to the dinner I cooked by the hour. I'll probably be washing old Mrs Taylor's famous china after a tea party." "It does sound reasonable," admitted Mrs Gilbert. " and yet " "Reasonable!" laughed Nan,, not giving the older lady time to demur or deplore. "It's more than that—it's sensible. Just as soon as I read how they were doing the very eame thing in a big way in Boston, and how some college girls in New York had solved the servant problem for a big university settlement, says I to myself, * Nan Thomas, you and you alone have been given the power to solve the self-same Question for Rosemont. Rosemont shall no longer be servantless.' '' " Maybe so—-perhaps you're right," again admitted the older woman. Then, ater a slight hesitation, she added, "If you really moan it, dear, you might come over to my house for a few hours to-morrow and we will see what we can do."

And thus the great scheme was launched.

All of that was nearly a year ago. If Nan had prophesied then how her business would grow, or had she even whispered of a bank account, she would only havo encountered humorous incredulity. For all that, though, she has a real "business" to-day—the " Household Aid Bureau of Rosemont." She has almost a dozen girls to help her—girls who would have scorned to " go out to service," but who "are firm believers t in the dignity of housework as_ a -business. They are all pretty, bright girls, _ too, who have not given up their social standing one jot.

Unlike Nan, who is really expert in oil kinds of household work, most of them designate their specialty. But 6he has persuaded her waitresses and expert cooks also to learn mending and marketing and even nursing in light cases where a trained nurse is not necessary. In this way they keep always busy. If some Rosemont lady has an invitation to tho matinee she calls Nan up at the little office she has established and asks her to send someone to mind the baby for, say, twenty-five cents an hour. If she is going to give a dinner party she telephones that she will gladly pay a dollar an hour for. someone to cook her dinner, and fifty cents an hour for another someone to wait on the table. Until Nan's familiar face and her neat figure in the plain white linen ■dress for light work, or the blue gingham for heavier, became still more familiar, the women of Rosemont never realised jußt how many odd tasks they did have for which they would so willingly pay Her a few cents an hour to have out of the way. Marketing, babytonding, silver-cleaning, close&cle'aning, collar-cleaning, renovating lamps, accounts, mending, making and washing and ironing dainty baby dresses and fine household linens—all ' these and a thousand more Nan and her Household Aids are doing for Rosemont to-day. ■ And she and her aids are gradually working up to a healthy, happy independence, the same kind that anv girl, who is willing to do the same work can know—and such an independence as non© of them could ever know had they chosen any other line without special training. The ladies of Rosemont are congratuVting themselves that not only is thoir servant _ problem solved, but that they are saving money nnder the new system. As the newly-wed Mrs Combes remarked to her young book-keeper husband:_ " We are all equal in Rosemont now. You know, dear, we could never afford to keep a whole servant to ourselves. But with Nan to help with the hardest work we can get everything done for less than fifteen dollars a month. And really, do you know, she leaves 60 little to do that the rest is only a pleasure."