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Mrs. Seely's Cook Book: A Manual of French and American Cookery : with ..

1902

Page 18

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
the brasses, and Windows. The parler maid assists her at dinner every other night, alternating with the chambermaid. The waitress serves breakfast, luncheon, and dinner. She at- tenda the front door nntil the parler maid is dressed. She has every other Sunday afternoon and evening out, and one evening in the week, the parler maid or chambermaid taking her place. She is dressed in black dress, white apron, cap, coUar, and cuffs. Duties of Parler Maid The parler maid is at work at six o'clock. She opens np the parlerà and sitting room, and dusts and puts in order the rooms on that floor. She then takes her breakfast. After breakfast she brushes the overcoats and hats, and lays out the gloves required by the gentlemen of the house. She also waits on the ndstress, keeping in order, laying out, dusting, and putting away her clothes. She helps the waitress at lunch, if there are gUests, and always at dinner, taking her place every other Simday afternoon and evening, also one evening in the week. She answers the front door-bell the day the waitress cleans the silver. She is dressed at three o'clock te attend the front door, and g^nerally mends, hems dusters and floor-cloths which she uses for that floor. She cleans the parlors thoroughly once a month, oftener if used very much, but dusts them thoroughly every day, taking care of her own broom, brushes, chamois, dusters, pails, etc., and washing dusters daily to keep them sweet and clean. She draws the shades, lights the gas and lamps, sees that the morning and evening papers are ready, attenda to the flowers, sees that the fires bum brightly, and closes up her part of the house. In fact she has the duties of a second man. Every other Sunday afternoon and evening she has out, and one evening in the week, but she must be home at ten-thirty. L 80 MB8. aSSLT'8 COOK SOOK Duties of Ohambermaid The ohambermaid rises and is downstairs at six o'clock. She sweeps and dusts the halls and stairs, draws baths, calls the family or visitors, and has her breakfast. After breakfast she goes to the servants' rooms, and after making their beds and tidying the rooms, she goes to the f amily rooms and opens bedroom Windows, takes clothes off the beds, one by one, placing them on two chairs, being careful not to let the clothes touch the floor, and turns the mattress across the f oot of the bedstead to air. She puts away dressing-gowns, slippers, washes out soap-diahes, and attends to the toilet articles. She goes through each bedroom in her care, opening up beds to air in each room. She begins at the first she exposed to the air, and makes the others in turn. Every day she sweeps up pieces, and thoroughly dusts not only the fumiture, but the woodwork of the room. Once a week she should thoroughly sweep every bedroom, clean globes and bath-room fixtures, and silyer toilet articles. One room a day should be done, the useful man cleaning the Windows, brasses, wiping oyer tops of pictures, Windows, doors, etc. AH work should be finished in the bedrooms before luncheon.