If but one servant be kept, she ought not to be required to perform any duties after the dinner dishes have been washed and put away. The remainder of the day and evening should belong to her. If there be no servant, the housekeeper surely is entitled to what little rest she can get after dinner, and the other members of the family should find it a pleasure to prepare whatever light refreshments may be required in the evening. Remember that there are heavy duties for Monday morning, and do not leave a lot of dishes in disorder to add to these burdens.
Two or More Servants in a Family.
The round of duties for the week having been thus outlined, I wish to make a few suggestions to the woman who keeps two or more servants. The duties must be so divided that each shall bear her proper proportion of the work. In the case where there are several servants, there is greater ceremony in the mode of living. Suppose there be two servants, and the family be fairly large. The second girl must do all the upstairs work, take care of the parlors, halls, dining-room, china closet, etc. It will be her duty to care for the silver, glass, and fine china. Every evening, after the dining-room work is finished, she will go to the chambers, empty all slops, refill the water pitchers, turn back the bed clothes, and lay the night garments on the bed. She will draw the shades and see that there is a stock of matches, towels, etc. In the morning she will attend to the dining-room, put the breakfast dishes on to heat, dust the lower halls and parlors, and sweep the steps and sidewalk. The cook will care for all the lower part of the house, her own room, the cellar, and the back steps and stoop. The washing and ironing must be divided between them. It is usual to have the cook do the plain washing and ironing, while the second girl takes the starched clothes. If, however, the second girl be required to do plain sewing, the cook does the heavier part of the washing.
In the matter of the duties of a servant each housekeeper must make her own laws, but the more servants there are, the more clearly must each one’s responsibility be defined, and the mistress will save herself an immense amount of annoyance if she will take pains to divide the work of the household with good judgment and with justice, not allowing any dictation in the matter. She should not be hasty in reaching a conclusion, but should be firm in her decisions.
CHAPTER IV.
SOME THINGS TO BE LEARNED EARLY.
Proper Management of Fires.
ONE of the first things a young housekeeper must master is the science of managing fires. Now, a coal fire is like some people: it will stand a certain amount of nagging, pressure, and neglect, but it will make you suffer in some way for all your abuse. On the other hand, with uniformly fair treatment, it will repay a hundred-fold in comfort.
The demands upon the kitchen fire are varied. Sometimes we want a very hot oven or surface, and again we must have only a moderate amount of heat. The degrees of heat must be regulated by the various checks and draughts in the range, rather than by the use of a greater or less amount of coal. In the morning remove all the ashes and cinders. Put the shavings or paper on the grate loosely, and then put in the kindling wood, crossing the pieces, that there may be a free circulation of air. Open all the draughts and light the fire. As soon as the wood begins to burn, put on some coal. Let the fire burn for ten minutes; then shut all the dampers, but keep open the draught in front of the fire. When the coal begins to burn well, add enough fresh fuel to come nearly to the top of the lining of the fire-box. Keep the front draught open until all the coal has become ignited, but not until it becomes red-hot. Now close the front draughts, and the fire will be hot enough for anything you may want to do for hours to come. Should you want only a moderate heat, there are checks with all modern ranges which enable you to make the combustion very slow. If greater heat be wanted, open the draughts, and in ten minutes you will have a glowing fire.
These are the great secrets of always having a good fire when you want it: Do not let the coal burn to a white heat; when you do not require a hot fire, open all the checks; when you want a hot fire, close the checks and open the draughts; and, of course, the moment there is no further need of a hot fire, close the draughts and open the checks again. A fire built and managed in this manner can be used constantly for four or five hours.