Herownfamilywasmuchimpressedbythethousanddollars，andfoundtheoccupationofhousekeeperalongwaymoretolerablethanthatofhouse—maid，adistinctionwhichmadeDianthasmileratherbitterly。
Evenherfatherwrotetoheronce，suggestingthatifshechosetoinvesthersalaryaccordingtohisadvicehecoulddoubleitforherinayear，maybetrebleit，inBelgianhares。
_\"They’d_doubleandtreblefastenough！\"sheadmittedtoherself;butshewroteaspleasantaletterasshecould，declininghisproposition。
Hermotherseemedstronger，andbecamemoresympatheticasthemonthspassed。Largeaffairsalwaysappealedtohermorethansmallones，andsheofferedvaluablesuggestionsastotheaccountkeepingofthebighouse。Theyallassumedthatshewaspermanentlysettledinthiswellpaidposition，andshemadenoconfidences。Butallsummerlongsheplannedandreadandstudiedoutherprogressiveschemes，andstrengthenedherholdamongtheworkingwomen。
Laundressafterlaundressshestudiedpersonallyandtestedprofessionally，findingagenerallevelofmediocrity，tillfinallyshehituponamelancholyDane——abigrawbonedred—facedwoman——whosehusbandhadbeenamiller，butwashurtabouttheheadsothathewasnolongerabletoearnhisliving。Thehugefellowwasdocile，quiet，andendlesslystrong，butneededconstantsupervision。
\"He’lldoanythingyoutellhim，Miss，anddoitwell;butthenhe’llsitanddreamaboutit——Ican’tleavehimatall。Buthe’lltaketheclothesifIgivehimapaperwithdirections，andcomerightback。\"
PoorMrs。Thoraldwipedhereyes，andwentonwithherswiftironing。
DianthaofferedherthepositionoflaundressatUnionHouse，withtworoomsfortheirown，overthelaundry。\"There’llbeworkforhim，too，\"
shesaid。\"Weneedamanthere。Hecandoadealoftheheavierwork——beporteryouknow。Ican’tofferhimverymuch，butitwillhelpsome。\"
Mrs。Thoraldacceptedforboth，andconsideredDianthaasaspecialprovidence。
Therewastobecook，andtwocapablesecondmaids。Theworkofthehousemustbedonethoroughlywell，Dianthadetermined;\"andthefood’sgottobegood——orthegirlswontstay。\"AftermuchconsiderationsheselectedoneJulianna，a\"personofcolor，\"forherkitchen：notthejovialandsloppypersonageusuallyfiguringinthischaracter，butatall，angular，andsomewhatcynicalwoman，amisanthropeinfact，withasmallson。Formenshehadnorespectwhatever，butconcededagrudgingadmirationtoMr。Thoraldas\"theusefullestbiddablestmaleperson\"shehadeverseen。ShealsoextendedspecialsympathytoMrs。Thoraldonaccountofherpeculiarburden，andtheSwedishwomanhadnoantipathytohercolor，andseemedtotakeamelancholypleasureinJulianna’scausticspeeches。
Dianthaofferedhertheplace，boyandall。\"Hecanbe’bellboy’andhelpyouinthekitchen，too。Can’tyou，Hector？\"Hectorrolledlargeadoringeyesather，butsaidnothing。Hismotheracceptedtheproposition，butwithoutenthusiasm。\"Ican’tkeepnoeyeonhim，Miss，ifI’mcookin’anless’nyoukeepyoureyeonhimthey’snoworktobegotout’nanykindo’boy。\"
\"Whatisyourlastname，Julianna？\"Dianthaaskedher。
\"Isuppose，asamattero’fac’itsdenameofdelastniggerI
married，\"shereplied。\"Derewasseveralof’em，allhavin’differentnames，andtotellyoudetrufMis’Bell，Igotcleanmixedamongst’em。
ButJulianna’smyname——worldwithoutendamen。\"
SoDianthahadtowaivehertheoriesaboutthesurnamesofservantsinthiscase。
\"Didtheyalldie？\"sheaskedwithpolitesympathy。
\"No’m，deydidn’tnoneof’emdie——worseluck。\"
\"I’mafraidyouhaveseenmuchtrouble，Julianna，\"shecontinuedsympathetically;\"Theydesertedyou，Isuppose？\"
Juliannalaidherlongspoonuponthetableandstoodupwithgreatgravity。\"No’m，\"shesaidagain，\"deydidn’tnoneof’emdesertmeonnooccasion。Idivorced’em。\"
MaritaldifficultiesinbulkwerebeyondDiantha’scomprehension，andshedroppedthesubject。
UnionHouseopenedintheautumn。ThevanishedpeppertreesweredimwithdustinOrchardinastreetsasthelongrainlesssummerdrewtoaclose;butthesocialatmospherefairlysparkledwithnewinterest。
Thosewhohadnotbeenawaychatteredeagerlywiththosewhohad，andbothwiththeincomingtideofwintervisitors。
\"ThatgirlofMrs。Porne’shasstartedherhousekeepingshop！\"
\"That’MissBell’hasgotMrs。Weatherstonefairlyinfatuatedwithhercrazyschemes。\"
\"DoyouknowthatBellgirlhasactuallytakenUnionHouse？GoingtomakeaGirl’sClubofit！\"
\"Didyouever_hear_ofsuchathing！DianthaBell’sreallygoingtotrytorunherabsurdundertakingrighthereinOrchardina！\"
TheydidnotknowthattheyoungcaptainofindustryhaddeliberatelychosenOrchardinaasherstartingpointonaccountofthespecialconditions。Theevenclimatewasfavorableto\"goingoutbytheday，\"
orthedeliveryofmeals，thenumberofwealthyresidentsgaveopportunityforcateringonalargescale;thecrowdingtouristsandhealthseekersmadeamarketforallmanneroftransientserviceandcookedfood，andtheconstantlackofsufficientorcapableservantsforcedthepeopleintoanunwillingconsiderationofanyplanofdomesticassistance。
Inayear’sdeliberateeffortDianthahadacquaintedherselfwiththerankandfileofthetown’shousemaidsanddayworkers，andpickedherassistantscarefully。Shehadstudiedthelocalconditionsthoroughly，andknewherground。Abigfadedbuildingthatusedtobe\"theHotel’
inOrchardina’sinfantdays，standing，awkwardanddingyonasitetoovaluableforahouselotandnotyetsaleableasabusinessblock，wastheworkingbase。
AhalfyearwithMrs。Weatherstonegaveher$500incash，besidesthe$100shehadsavedatMrs。Porne’s;andMrs。Weatherstone’scheerfullyofferedbackinggavehercredit。
\"Ihatetoletyou，\"saidDiantha，\"Iwanttodoitallmyself。\"
\"Youareapainfullyperfectperson，MissBell，\"saidherlastemployer，pleasantly，\"butyouhaveceasedtobemyhousekeeperandIhopeyouwillcontinuetobemyfriend。AsafriendIclaimtheprivilegeofbeingdisagreeable。Ifyouhaveafaultitisconceit。ImmovableColossalConceit！AndObstinacy！\"
\"Isthatall？\"askedDiantha。
\"It’sallI’vefound——sofar，\"gailyretortedMrs。Weatherstone。\"Don’tyousee，child，thatyoucan’taffordtowait？Youhavereasonsforhastening，youknow。Idon’tdoubtyoucould，inaseriesofyears，workupthisbusinessallstarkalone。IhaveeveryconfidenceinthosequalitiesIhavementioned！Butwhat’stheuse？You’llneedcreditforgroceriesandfurniture。Iamprofoundlyinterestedinthisbusiness。
Iammorethanwillingtoadvancealittlecapital，ortoensureyourcredit。Amanwouldhavesenseenoughtotakemeupatonce。\"
\"Ibelieveyouareright，\"Dianthareluctantlyagreed。\"Andyoushan’tlosebyit！\"
Herfriendswereacutelyinterestedinherprogress，andshoweditinpracticalways。TheNewWoman’sClubfurnishedfivefamiliesofpatronsfortheregularserviceofcookedfood，whichsoongrew，withsatisfaction，toadozenorso，varyingfromtimetotime。Themanyfamilieswithinvalids，andlonelyinvalidswithoutfamilies，weregladtoavailthemselvesofthespecialdelicaciesfurnishedatUnionHouse。
PicnickersfounditeasiertobuyDiantha’smarveloussandwichesthantospendgoldenmorninghoursinputtingupinferioronesathome;andmanywhocookedforthemselves，orkeptservants，weregladtoprofitbythisoutsidesourceonSundayeveningsand\"daysout。\"
Therewasoppositiontoo;boththenaturalresistanceofinertiaandprejudice，andtheactivemalignityofMrs。Thaddler。
ThePornesweresympatheticandanxious。
\"Thatplace’llcostherallof$10，000ayear，withthosetwenty—fivetofeed，andtheyonlypay$4。50aweek——Iknowthat！\"saidMr。Porne。
\"Itdoeslookimpossible，\"hiswifeagreed，\"butsuchismyfaithinDianthaBellI’dbackheragainstRockefeller！\"
Mrs。Weatherstonewasnotalarmedatall。\"Ifshe_should_fail——whichIdon’tforamomentexpect——itwontruinme，\"shetoldIsabel。\"Andifshesucceeds，asIfirmlybelieveshewill，why，I’dbewillingtoriskalmostanythingtoproveMrs。Thaddlerinthewrong。\"
Mrs。Thaddlerwasmakingherselfratherdisagreeable。Sheusedwhatpowershehadtocrydowntheundertaking，andwassoactivelymalevolentthatherhusbandwasmovedtocovertopposition。Heneverarguedwithhiswife——shewaseasilyaheadofhiminthatart，and，ifitcametorecriminations，hadcertaincontrovertiblechargestomakeagainsthim，whichmodehimangrilysilent。Hewasconvincedinadimwaythatherruthlessdomineeringspirit，andthesheermalicesheoftenshowed，weremoreevilthingsthanhisownbadhabits;andthatevenintheirdomesticrelationherbehaviorreallycausedhimmorepainanddiscomfortthanhecausedher;buthecouldnotconvinceherofit，naturally。
\"ThatDianthaBellisafinegirl，\"hesaidtohimself。\"Adamnfinegirl，andasstraightasastring！\"
Therehadcreptout，throughthequenchlessleakofservantstalk，avaricoloredversionoftheincidentofMathewandthetransom;andthetownhadgrownsowarmforthatyounggentlemanthathehadgonetoAlaskasuddenly，tocooloff，asitwere。HisGrandmother，findingMrs。
Thaddlerinvinciblewiththisnewweapon，andwhatshehadsolongregardedasherhomenowvisiblyMrs。Weatherstone’s，hadretiredinregaldignitytoheroldPhiladelphiaestablishment，wheresheupheldthestandardofdecorumagainsttheweakeninghabitsofadeterioratedworld，formanyyears。
AsMr。Thaddlerthoughtofthissweepingvictory，hechuckledforthehundredthtime。\"Sheoughttomakegood，andshewill。Something’sgottobedoneaboutit，\"saidhe。
DianthahadneverlikedMr。Thaddler;shedidnotlikethatkindofmaningeneral，norhismannertowardherinparticular。MoreoverhewasthehusbandofMrs。Thaddler。Shedidnotknowthathewasstillthelargestownerinthetown’sbestgrocerystore，andwhenthatstoreofferedherspecialtermsforherexclusivetrade，sheacceptedthepropositionthankfully。
ShetoldRossaboutit，asamatterwellwithinhisknowledge，ifnothisliking，andhewasmildlyinterested。\"Iammuchalarmedatthisnewventure，\"hewrote，\"butyoumustgetyourexperience。IwishI
couldsaveyou。Astothegroceries，thosearewholesalerates，nearly;
they’llmakeenoughonit。Yoursisalargeorderyousee，andsteady。\"
Whensheopenedher\"BusinessMen’sLunch\"Mr。Thaddlerhadastillbetteropportunity。Hehadareputationasahighflyer，andhadreallyintendedtosacrificehimselfonthealtaroffriendshipbypatronizingandpraisingthis\"undertaking\"atanycosttohispalate;butnosacrificewasneeded。
Diantha’sgroupofdayworkershadtheirearlybreakfastanddeparted，takingeachherneatlunch—pail，——theyatenothingoftheiremployers;——andbothkitchenanddiningroomwouldhavestoodidletillsuppertime。Buttheyoungmanagerknewshemustworkherplantforallitwasworth，andspeedilyopenedthediningroomwiththesideentranceasa\"Caffeteria，\"withthelargeroneasasortofmeetingplace;
papersandmagazinesonthetables。
Fromthecounteryoutookwhatyouliked，andseatedyourself，andyourfriends，atoneofthemanysmalltablesorintheflat—armedchairsinthebigroom，oronthebroadpiazza;andasthisgavegoodfood，cheapness，achanceforacomfortableseatandtalkandasmoke，ifonehadtime，itwaslargelypatronized。
Mr。Thaddler，asanexperienced_bonvivant，_despisedsandwiches。
\"Picnickymakeshifts\"hecalledthem，——\"railroadrations\"——\"breadandleavings，\"andwhenhesawthesepilesonpilesofsandwiches，listedonlyas\"No。1，\"\"No。2\"\"No。3，\"andsoon，hisbenevolentintentionwavered。Buthepulledhimselftogetherandtookaplateful，assorted。
\"Comeon，Porne，\"hesaid，\"we’llplayit’saSundayschoolpicnic，\"andhedrewhimselfacupofcoffee，findinghotmilk，creamandsugarcrystalsathand。\"Ineversawacheapjointwhereyoucouldfixityourself，before，\"hesaid，——andsuspiciouslytastedthemixture。
\"Byjing！That’scoffee！\"hecriedinsurprise。\"There’snoscumonthemilk，andthecream’scream！\"Fivecents！Shewon’tgetrichonthis。\"
Thenheappliedhimselftohis\"No。1\"sandwich，andhisdeterminedexpressiongavewaytooneofpleasure。\"Whythat’sbread——realbread！
Ibelieveshemadeitherself！\"
Shedidintruth，——sheandJuliannawithHectorasgeneralassistant。
Thebigovenwasfilledseveraltimeseverymorning：thefreshrollsdisappearedatbreakfastandsupper，thefreshbreadwaspackedinthelunchpails，andthestalebreadwasevennowmeltingawayinlargebitesbehindthesmilingmouthsandmustachesofmanymen。Perfectbread，excellentbutter，and\"What’sthefillingI’dliketoknow？\"
Morethanoneinquiring—mindedpatronsplithissandwichtoaddsighttotaste，butfewcouldbesureoftheflavorsomecontents，fatless，gritless，smoothandeven，coveringtheentiresurface，thelastmouthfulasperfectasthefirst。Somewerefamiliar，somenew，allweredelicious。
Thesixsandwicheswerefivecents，thecupofcoffeefive，andthelittle\"dropcakes，\"sweetandspicy，weretwoforfive。Everymanspentfifteencents，someofthemmore;andmanytookawaysmallcakesinpaperbags，iftherewereanyleft。
\"Idon’tseehowyoucandoit，andmakeaprofit，\"urgedMr。Eltwood，makingapastorialcall。\"Theyaresogoodyouknow！\"
Dianthasmiledcheerfully。\"That’sbecauseallyourideasarebasedonwhatwecall’domesticeconomy，’whichisdomesticwaste。Ibuyinlargequantitiesatwholesalerates，andmycookwithherlittlehelper，thetwomaids，andmyownshareofthework，ofcourse，providesforthelot。Ofcourseonehastoknowhow。\"
\"Wheneverdidyoufind——ordidyoucreate？——thoseheavenlysandwiches？\"
heasked。
\"Ihavetothankmylaundressforpartofthatsuccess，\"shesaid。
\"She’saDane，anditappearsthattheDanesaresofondofsandwichesthat，inlargeestablishments，theyhavea’sandwichkitchen’topreparethem。Itisquiteabitofwork，buttheyaregoodandinexpensive。
Thereisnolimittothevariety。\"
Asamatteroffactthislunchbusinesspaidwell，andledtolargerthings。
Thegirl’smethodsweresimpleandsoorganizedastomakeonehandwashtheother。Herhousehadsometwenty—oddbedrooms，fullaccommodationsforkitchenandlaundryworkonalargescale，bigdining，dancing，andreceptionrooms，andbroadshadypiazzasonthesides。Itspositiononacornernearthebusinesspartofthelittlecity，andatthefootofthehillcrownedwithsomanymillionairesandnearmillionairesascouldgetlandthere，offeredmanyadvantages，andeveryonewastaken。
ThemainpartoftheundertakingwasaHouseWorker’sUnion;agroupofthirtygirls，pickedandtrained。These，previouslyworkingoutasservants，hadreceivedsixdollarsaweek\"andfound。\"Theynowworkedanagreednumberofhours，werepaidonabasisbythehourorday，and\"found\"themselves。Eachhadherownroom，andthebroadporchesandballroomweretheirs，exceptwhenengagedfordancesandmeetingsofonesortandanother。
Itwasastirringyear’swork，hardbutexciting，andtheonlydifficultywhichreallyworriedDianthawasthesamethatworriedtheaveragehousewife——theaccounts。
WHATDIANTHADID
XI。
THEPOWEROFTHESCREW。
Yourcaristoobigforonepersontostir——
Yourchauffeurisalittleman，too;
Yetheliftsthatmachine，doesthelittlechauffeur，Bythepowerofagentlejackscrew。
Dianthaworked。
Forallheremployeesshedemandedaten—hourday，sheworkedfourteen;
risingatsixandnotgettingtobedtilleleven，whenherchargeswereallsafelyintheirroomsforthenight。
Theywereallupatfive—thirtyorthereabouts，breakfastingatsix，andthegirlsoffintimetoreachtheirvariousplacesbyseven。Theirdaywasfrom7A。M。to8。30P。M。，withhalfanhourout，from11。30totwelve，fortheirlunch;andthreehours，between2。20and5。30，fortheirowntime，includingtheirtea。Thentheyworkedagainfrom5。30
to8。30，onthedinnerandthedishes，andthentheycamehometoapleasantnineo’clocksupper，andhadallhourtodanceorrestbeforethe10。30bellforbedtime。
Specialfriendsand\"cousins\"oftencamehomewiththem，andfrequentlysharedthesupper——foraquarter——andthedancefornothing。
Itwasnolightmatterinthefirstplacetokeeptwentygirlscontentedwithsucharegime，andworkingwiththesteadyexcellencerequired，andinthesecondplacetokeeptwentyemployerscontentedwiththem。Therewerefailuresonbothsides;halfadozenfamiliesgaveuptheplan，andittooktimetoreplacethem;andthreegirlshadtobeaskedtoresignbeforetheyearwasover。Butmostofthemhadbeenintraininginthesummer，andhadlistenedformonthstoDiantha’searnesttalkstotheclubs，withgoodresults。
\"Rememberwearenotdoingthisforourselvesalone，\"shewouldsaytothem。\"Ourexperimentisgoingtomakethiskindofworkeasierforallhomeworkerseverywhere。Youmaynotlikeitatfirst，butneitherdidyouliketheoldway。Itwillgroweasieraswegetusedtoit;andwe_must_keeptherules，becausewemadethem！\"
Shelaboriouslycomposedaneatlittlecircular，distributeditwidely，andkeptapileinherlunchroomforpeopletotake。
Itreadthus：
UNIONHOUSE
FoodandService。
GeneralHouseworkbytheweek……$10。00
GeneralHouseworkbytheday……$2。00
Tenhoursworkaday，andfurnishtheirownfood。
Additionallaborbythehour……$。20
Specialserviceforentertainments，maidsandwaitresses，bythehour……$。25
Cateringforentertainments。
Delicaciesforinvalids。
Lunchespackedanddelivered。
Caffeteria……12to2
Whatannoyedtheyoungmanagermostwastheuncertaintyandirregularityinvolvedinherwork，thefactsvaryingconsiderablyfromhercalculations。
Inthehouseallransmoothly。SolemnMrs。Thorvalddidthelaundryworkforthirty—five——bytheaidofherhusbandandabigmangleforthe\"flatwork。\"Thegirls’washingwaslimited。\"Youhavetobereasonableaboutit，\"Dianthahadexplainedtothem。\"Yourfiftycentscoversadozenpieces——nomore。Ifyouwantmoreyouhavetopaymore，justasyouremployersdoforyourextratime。\"
Thislastoftenhappened。Nooneonthefaceofitcouldaskmorethantenhoursoftheswift，steadyworkgivenbythegirlsatbutafractionover14centsanhour。Yetmanytimesthehousekeeperwasanxiousformorelaboronspecialdays;andthegirls，unaccustomedtothethreefreehoursintheafternoon，werequitewillingtofurnishit，thusaddingsomewhattotheircashreturns。
Theyhadadressmakingclassattheclubafternoons，andasUnionHouseboastedagoodsewingmachine，manyofthemspentthefreehoursinenlargingtheirwardrobes。Someamusedthemselveswithlightreading，afewstudied，othersmetandwalkedoutside。Thesenseofhonestleisuregrewuponthem，withitsbroadeninginfluence;andamongherthirtyDianthafoundfourorfivewhowereableandambitious，andwillingtoworkheartilyforthefurtherdevelopmentofthebusiness。
Hertwohousemaidswerespeciallyselected。Whenthegirlswereoutofthehousethesetwomaidswashedthebreakfastdisheswithmarvelousspeed，andthenhelpedDianthaprepareforthelunch。Thiswasalargeundertaking，andallthreeofthem，aswellasJuliannaandHectorworkedatituntilsomesixoreighthundredsandwicheswereready，andtwoorthreehundredlittlecakes。
Dianthahadherownlunch，andthensatatthereceiptofcustomduringthelunchhour，makingchangeandorderingfreshsuppliesasfastasneeded。
Thetwohousemaidshadalongday，butsoarrangedthatitmadebuttenhourswork，andtheyhadmuchavailabletimeoftheirown。Theyhadtobeatworkat5：30tosetthetableforsixo’clockbreakfast，andthentheywereatitsteadily，withthediningroomsto\"do，\"andthelunchtogetready，until11：30，whentheyhadanhourtoeatandrest。From12：30to4o’clocktheywerebusywiththelunchcups，thebed—rooms，andsettingthetablefordinner;butafterthattheyhadfourhourstothemselves，untilthenineo’clocksupperwasover，andoncemoretheywasheddishesforhalfanhour。Thecaffeteriausedonlycupsandspoons;thesandwichesandcakeswereservedonpaperplates。
Inthehand—cartmethodsofsmallhousekeepingitisimpossibletoexacttheswiftprecisionofsuchwork，butnotinthestandardizedtasksandregularhoursofsuchanestablishmentasthis。
Dianthareligiouslykeptherhouratnoon，andtriedtokeepthethreeintheafternoon;buttheemployerandmanagercannottakeirresponsiblerestascantheemployee。Shefeltlikeamostinexperiencedcaptainonatotallynewspeciesofship，andherpaperplanslookedveryweaksometimes，asbillsturnedouttobelargerthanshehadallowedfor，orherpatronageunaccountablydwindled。Butifthedifficultiesweregreat，thegirl’scouragewasgreater。\"Itissimplyabigpieceofwork，\"sheassuredherself，\"andmaybealongone，butthereneverwasanythingbetterworthdoing。Everynewbusinesshasdifficulties，I
mustn’tthinkofthem。Imustjustpushandpushandpush——alittlemoreeveryday。\"
Andthenshewoulddrawonallherpowerstoreasonwith，laughat，andpersuadesomedissatisfiedgirl;or，hardestofall，tobringinanewonetofillavacancy。
Sheenjoyedthedetailsofherlunchbusiness，andstudieditcarefully;
planningforarestaurantalittlelater。Herbreadwasbakedinlongcylindricalclosedpans，andcutbymachineryintothinevenslices，notacrustwasted;fortheyweregroundintocrumbsandusedinthecooking。
Thefillingforhersandwicheswasmadefromfish，flesh，andfowl;fromcheeseandjellyandfruitandvegetables;andsonamedornumberedthatthegeneralfavoritesweregraduallydetermined。
Mr。Thaddlerchattedwithheroverthecounter，asfarasshewouldallowit，anddiscoursedmorefullywithhisfriendsontheverandah。
\"Porne，\"hesaid，\"where’dthatgirlcomefromanyway？She’sagenius，that’swhatsheis;aregulargenius。\"
\"She’sallthat，\"saidMr。Porne，\"andabenefactortohumanitythrownin。Iwishshe’dstartherfooddelivery，though。I’mtiredofthosetwoSwedesalready。O——comefrom？UpinJopalez，IncaCounty，I
believe。\"
\"NewEnglandstockIbet，\"saidMr。Thaddler。\"Itsadamnshamethewaythewomengoonabouther。\"
\"Notallofthem，surely，\"protestedMr。Porne。
\"No，notallof’em，——butenoughof’emtomakemischief，youmaybesure。Womenarethedevil，sometimes。\"
Mr。Pornesmiledwithoutanswer，andMr。Thaddlerwentsulkingaway——abagofcakesbulginginhispocket。
ThelittlewoodenhotelinJopalezboastedanextravisitorafewdayslater。Abigredfacedman，whostrolledaboutamongthetradesmen，triedthebarber’sshop，loafedinthepostoffice，hiredarigandtraversedthelengthandbreadthofthetown，andwhocalledonMrs。
Warden，talkingrealestatewithhermostpolitelyinspiteofherprotestationandthescornfullooksofthefourdaughters;whoboughttobaccoandmatchesinthegrocerystore，andsatonthepiazzathereoftosmoke，asdidothergentlemenofleisure。
RossWardenoccasionallyleanedatthedoorjamb，withfoldedarms。Henevercouldlearntobeeasilysociablewithranchmenandteamsters。
Servethemhemust，butchatwiththemheneednot。Thestoutgentlemanessayedsomeconversation，butdidnotgetfar。Rosswaspolite，butfarfromencouraging，andpresentlywenthometosupper，leavingacarrot—hairedboytowaituponhislingeringcustomers。
\"Niceyoungfellerenough，\"saidthestoutgentlemantohimself，\"butraisedonramrods。Nevergot’emfromthosewomenfolksofhis，either。
He_has_arowtohoe！\"Andhedepartedashehadcome。
Mr。EltwoodturnedoutanunexpectedlyusefulfriendtoDiantha。Hesteeredclubmeetingsand\"sociables\"intoherlargerooms，andaspeoplefoundhowcheapandeasyitwastogivepartiesthatway，theycontinuedthehabit。Hebroughthisdoctorfriendstosamplethelunch，andtheytestedthevalueofDiantha’sinvalidcookery，andweremorethanpleased。
Hungrytouristswerewhollywithoutprejudice，andprizedherlunchesfortheirownsake。Theydescendeduponthecaffeteriainchatteringswarms，somedays，robbingtheregularpatronsoftheirfood，andsentsuddenordersforpicniclunchesthatbrokeinupontheroutinehoursoftheplaceunmercifully。
Butofallherpatrons，thefamiliesofinvalidsappreciatedDiantha’sworkthemost。Wherealittleshackortentwasalltheycouldaffordtolivein，orwherethetinycottagewasmorethanfilledwiththepatient，attendingrelative，andnurse，thisdepotofsupplieswasareliefindeed。
Agirlcouldbehadforanhourortwo;ortwogirls，together，withamazingspeed，couldputasmallhouseindaintyorderwhilethesickmanlayinhishammockunderthepeppertrees;andbegonebeforehewasfrettingforhisbedagain。Theyliveduponherlunches;andfromthem，andotherquarters，roseanincreasingdemandforregularcookedfood。
\"Whydon’tyougointoitatonce？\"urgedMrs。Weatherstone。
\"Iwanttoestablishthedayservicefirst，\"saidDiantha。\"ItisaprettybigbusinessIfind，andIdogettiredsometimes。Ican’taffordtoslipup，youknow。Imeantotakeitupnextfall，though。\"
\"Allright。Andlookhere;seethatyoubegininfirstrateshape。
I’vegotsomeideasofmyownaboutthosefoodcontainers。\"
Theydiscussedthemattermorethanonce，Dianthamostreluctanttotakeanyassistance;Mrs。Weatherstonedeterminedthatsheshould。
\"Ifeellikeabiginvestoralready，\"shesaid。\"Idon’tthinkevenyourealizethe_money_thereisinthisthing！Youareinterestedinestablishingtheworkinggirls，andsavingmoneyandtimeforthehousewives。Iaminterestedinmakingmoneyoutofit——honestly！Itwouldbesuchatriumph！\"
\"You’reverygood——\"Dianthahesitated。
\"I’mnotgood。I’mmosteagerlyandselfishlyinterested。I’vetakenanewleaseoflifesinceknowingyou，DianthaBell！Youseemyfatherwasabusinessman，andhisfatherbeforehim——I_likeit。_ThereI
was，withlotsofmoney，andnotaninterestinlife！Now？——why，there’snoendtothisthing，Diantha！It’soneofthebiggestbusinessesonearth——ifnot_the_biggest！\"
\"Yes——Iknow，\"thegirlanswered。\"Butitsslowwork。IfeeltheweightofitmorethanIexpected。There’severyreasontosucceed，butthere’sthecombinedsentimentofthewholeworldtolift——it’sasheavyaslead。\"
\"Heavy！Ofcourseit’sheavy！Themorefuntoliftit！You’lldoit，Diantha，Iknowyouwill，withthatsteady，relentlesspushofyours。
Butthecookedfoodisgoingtobeyourbiggestpower，andyoumustletmestartitright。Nowyoulistentome，andmakeMrs。Thaddlereatherwords！\"
Mrs。Thaddler’swordswouldhaveprovedratherpoisonous，ifeaten。Shegrewmoreantagonisticastheyearadvanced。Everyfaultthatcouldbefoundintheundertakingshepounceduponandenlarged;everydoubtthatcouldbecastuponitsheheavilypiledup;andheroppositiongrewmorerancorousasMr。ThaddlerenlargedinherhearingupontheexcellenceofDiantha’slunchesandthewondersofhermanagement。
\"She’spickedabuncho’winnersinthosegirlsofhers，\"hedeclaredtohisfriends。\"Theysetoutinthemorninglookinglikeaflockofsweetpeas——intheirpinksandwhitesandgreensandvi’lets，——anddomoreworkinanhourthantheaverageslaveycandointhree，I’mtold。\"
Itwasaprettysighttoseethosegirlsstartout。Theyhadasortofuniform，asfarasaneatginghamdresswent，withelbowsleeves，whiteruffled，andaDutchcollar;asortofcrossbetweenanursesdressandthatof\"LaChocolataire;\"butcolorswerelefttotaste。Eachcarriedherapronandacapthatcoveredthehairwhilecookingandsweeping;
butnothingthatsuggestedtheblackandwhiteliveryoftheregulationservant。
\"Thisisanewstageoflabor，\"theirleaderremindedthem。\"Youarenotservants——youareemployees。YouwearacapasanEnglishcarpenterdoes——oraFrenchcook，——andanapronbecauseyourworkneedsit。Itisnotaruffledlabel，——it’sabusinessnecessity。Andeachoneofusmustdoourbesttomakethisnewkindofworkvaluedandrespected。\"
Itisnoeasymattertoovercomeprejudicesmanycenturiesold，andmeetthecriticismofwomenwhohavenothingtodobutcriticize。Thosewhowere\"mistresses，\"andwanted\"servants，\"——someonetodotheirwillatanymomentfromearlymorningtilllateevening，——werenotpleasedwiththenewwayiftheytriedit;butthewomenwhohadinterestsoftheirowntoattendto;whomerelywantedtheirhomeskeptclean，andthefoodwellcookedandserved，werepleased。Thespeed，theaccuracy，theeconomy;thepleasant，quiet，assuredmanneroftheseskilledemployeeswasaverydifferentthingfromtheoldslipshodmethodsoftheordinarygeneralservant。
Sotheworkslowlyprospered，whileDianthabegantoputinexecutionthenewplanshehadbeenforcedinto。
Whileitmatured，Mrs。Thaddlermaturedhers。WithsteadydroppingshehadletfallfarandwidehersuspicionsastothecharacterofUnionHouse。
\"Itlooksprettyqueertome！\"shewouldsay，confidentially，\"Allthosegirlstogether，andnopersontohaveanyauthorityoverthem！Notamarriedwomaninthehousebutthatwasherwoman，——andherhusband’safool！\"
\"Andagain;Youdon’tseehowshedoesit？NeitherdoI！Theexpensesmustbetremendous——thosegirlspaynexttonothing，——andallthatbrothandbrownbreadflyingabouttown！Prettyqueerdoings，Ithink！\"
\"Themenseemtolikethatcaffeteria，don’tthey？\"urgedonecaller，perhapsnotunwillingtonestleMrs。Thaddler，whoflusheddarklyasshereplied。\"Yes，theydo。Menusuallylikethatsortofplace。\"
\"Theylikegoodfoodatlowprices，ifthat’swhatyoumean，\"hervisitoranswered。
\"That’snotallImean——byalongway，\"saidMrs。Thaddler。Shesaidsomuch，andsaiditsoingeniously，thatadarkrumorarosefromnowhere，andgrewrapidly。SeveralfamiliesdischargedtheirUnionHousegirls。
Severalgirlscomplainedthattheywereinsultinglyspokentoonthestreet。Eventhelunchpatronagebegantofalloff。
Dianthawaspuzzled——alittlealarmed。Herslow，steadyliftingoftheprejudiceagainstherwaschecked。Shecouldnotputherfingerontheenemy，yetfeltonedistinctly，andhadherownsuspicions。Butshealsohadhernewmovewellarrangedbythistime。
ThenamaliciouslyinsinuatingstoryoftheplacecameoutinaSanFranciscopaper，andaflockoflocalreportersbuzzedintosamplethevictim。Theyhelpedthemselvestotheluncheon，andlikedit。butthatdidnotsoftentheirpens。Theytalkedwithsuchofthegirlsastheycouldgetintouchwith，andwrotesuchversionsofthesetalksassuitedthem。
TheycalledrepeatedlyatUnionHouse，butDiantharefusedtoseethem。
FinallyshewasvisitedbytheEpiscopalianclergyman。HehadheardhertalkattheClub，wasfavorablyimpressedbythegirlherself，andhonestlydistressedbythedarkstorieshenowheardaboutUnionHouse。
\"Mydearyounglady，\"hesaid，\"Ihavecalledtoseeyouinyourowninterests。Idonot，asyouperhapsknow，approveofyourschemes。I
considerthem——ah——subversiveofthebestinterestsofthehome！ButI
thinkyoumeanwell，thoughmistakenly。NowIfearyouarenotawarethatthis—ah——ill—consideredundertakingofyours，isgivingrisetoconsiderableadversecommentinthecommunity。Thereis——ah——thereisagreatdealbeingsaidaboutthisbusinessofyourswhichIamsureyouwouldregretifyouknewit。Doyouthinkitiswise;doyouthinkitis——ah——right，mydearMissBell，toattempttocarryona——aplaceofthissort，withoutthepresenceofa——ofaMatronofassuredstanding？\"
Dianthasmiledrathercoldly。
\"MayItroubleyoutostepintothebackparlor，Dr。Aberthwaite，\"shesaid;andthen;
\"MayIhavethepleasureofpresentingtoyouMrs。HendersonBell——mymother？\"
*
\"Wasn’titgreat！\"saidMrs。Weatherstone;\"Iwasthereyousee，——I’dcometocallonMrs。Bell——she’sadear，——andincameMrs。Thaddler——\"
\"Mrs。Thaddler？\"
\"OIknowitwasoldAberthwaite，butherepresentedMrs。Thaddlerandherclique，andhadcometheretopreachtoDianthaaboutpropriety——I
heardhim，——andshebroughthiminandverypolitelyintroducedhimtohermother！——itwasrich，Isabel。\"
\"HowdidDianthamanageit？\"askedherfriend。
\"She’sbeentryingtoarrangeitforeversolong。Ofcourseherfatherobjected——you’dknowthat。Butthere’sasister——notabadsort，onlyverylimited;she’stakentheoldmantoboard，asitwere，andIguessthemotherreallysetherfootdownforonce——saidshehadarighttovisitherowndaughter！\"
\"Itwouldseemso，\"Mrs。Porneagreed。\"I_am_soglad！Itwillbesomucheasierforthatbravelittlewomannow。\"
Itwas。
Dianthaheldhermotherinherarmsthenightshecame，andcriedtikeababy。
\"Omother_dear！_\"shesobbed，\"I’dnoideaIshouldmissyousomuch。
Oyoublessedcomfort！\"
Hermothercriedabittoo;sheenjoyedthisdaughtermorethaneitherofherolderchildren，andmissedhermore。Amotherlovesallherchildren，naturally;butamotherisalsoaperson——andmay，withoutsin，havepersonalpreferences。
ShetookholdofDiantha’stangledmassofpaperswiththeeagernessofaquestinghound。
\"You’vegotallthebills，ofcourse，\"shedemanded，withheranxiousrisinginflection。
\"Everyone，\"saidthegirl。\"Youtaughtmethatmuch。Whatpuzzlesmeistomakethingsbalance。I’mmakingmorethanIthoughtinsomelines，andlessinothers，andIcan’tmakeitcomeoutstraight。\"
\"Itwon’t，altogether，tilltheendoftheyearIdaresay，\"saidMrs。
Bell，\"butlet’sgetclearasfaraswecan。Inthefirstplacewemustseparateyourbusiness，——seehowmucheachonepays。\"
\"ThefirstoneIwanttoestablish，\"saidherdaughter，\"isthegirl’sclub。Notjustthisone，withmetorunit。Buttoshowthatanygroupoftwentyorthirtygirlscoulddothisthinginanycity。Ofcoursewhererentsandprovisionswerehighthey’dhavetochargemore。Iwanttomakeanaverageshowingsomehow。Nowcanyoudisentanglethegirlpartfrontthelunchpartandthefoodpart，motherdear，andmakeitallstraight？\"
Mrs。Bellcouldanddid;itgaveherabsolutedelighttodoit。ShesetdownthetotalofDiantha’sexpensessofarintheServiceDepartment，asfollows：
RentofUnionHouse……$1，500
Rentoffurniture……$300
Onepaymentonfurniture……$400
Fuelandlights，etc……$352
Serviceof5at$10aweekeach……$2，600
Foodforthirty—seven……$3，848
—————
Total……$9，000
\"Thatcoverseverythingbutmyboard，\"saidMrs。Bell。
\"Nowyourincomeiseasy——35x$4。50equals$8，190。Takethatfromyour$9，000andyouare$810behind。\"
\"Yes，Iknow，\"saidDiantha，eagerly，\"butifitwasmerelyagirl’sclubhome，therentandfixtureswouldbemuchless。Ahomecouldbebuilt，withthirtybedrooms——andallnecessaryconveniences——for$7，000。
I’veaskedMr。andMrs。Porneaboutit;andthefurnishingneedn’tcostover$2，000ifitwasveryplain。Tenpercent。ofthatisarentof$900yousee。\"
\"Isee，\"saidhermother。\"Bettersayathousand。Iguessitcouldbedoneforthat。\"
Sotheysetdownrent，$1，000。
\"Therehavetobefivepaidhelpersinthehouse，\"Dianthawenton，\"thecook，thelaundress，thetwomaids，andthematron。Shemustbuyandmanage。Shecouldbeoneoftheirmothersoraunts。\"
Mrs。Bellsmiled。\"Doyoureallyimagine，Diantha，thatMrs。
O’ShaughnessyorMrs。YonYonsoncanmanageahouselikethisasyoucan？\"
Dianthaflushedalittle。\"No，mother，ofcoursenot。ButIamkeepingveryfullreportsofallthework。Justthescheduleoflabor——thehours——theexactthingsdone。Onelaundress，withmachinery，canwashforthirty—five，（itsonlysixadayyousee），andtheamountisregulated;aboutsixdozenaday，andalltheflatworkmangled。
\"InaGirl’sClubalonethecookhasalldayoff，asitwere;shecandothedownstairscleaning。Andthetwomaidshaveonlytableserviceandbedrooms。\"
\"Thirty—fivebedrooms？\"
\"Yes。Buttwogirlstogether，whoknowhow，candoaroomin8
minutes——easily。Theyaresmallandsimpleyousee。Makethebed，shakethemats，wipethefloorsandwindows，——youwatchthem！\"
\"Ihavewatchedthem，\"themotheradmitted。\"Theyareasquickas——asmill—workers！\"
\"Well，\"pursuedDiantha，\"theyspendthreehoursondishesandtables，andsevenoncleaning。Thebedroomstake280minutes;that’snearlyfivehours。Theothertwoareforthebathrooms，halls，stairs，downstairswindows，andsoon。That’sallright。ThenI’mkeepingthemenus——justwhatIfurnishandwhatitcosts。Anybodycouldorderandmanagewhenitwasallsetdownforher。Andyousee——asyouhavefiguredit——they’dhaveover$500leewaytobuythefurnitureiftheywereallowedto。\"
\"Yes，\"Mrs。Belladmitted，\"_if_therentwaswhatyouallow，and_if_
theyallworkallthetime！\"
\"That’sthehitch，ofcourse。Butmother;thegirlswhodon’thavesteadyjobsdoworkbythehour，andthatbringsinmore，onthewhole。
Iftheyaretherightkindtheycanmakegood。Iftheyfindanyonewhodon’tkeepherjob——forgoodreasons——theycandropher。\"
\"M’m！\"saidMrs。Bell。\"Well，it’saninterestingexperiment。Buthowaboutyou？Sofaryouare$410behind。\"
\"Yes，becausemyrent’ssobig。ButIcoverthatbylettingtherooms，yousee。\"
Mrs。Bellconsideredtheordersofthissort。\"Sofaritaveragesabout$25。00aweek;that’sdoingwell。\"
\"Itwillbelessinsummer——muchless，\"Dianthasuggested。\"Supposeyoucallitanaverageof$15。00。\"
\"Callit$10。00，\"saidhermotherruthlessly。\"Atthatitcoversyourdeficitand$110over。\"
\"Whichisn’tmuchtoliveon，\"Dianthaagreed，\"butthencomesmyspecialcatering，andthelunches。\"
Heretheywerequiteatseaforawhile。Butasthemonthspassed，andtheworksteadilygrewontheirhands，Mrs。Bellbecamemoreandmorecheerful。Shewasupwiththeearliest，tookentirechargeofthefinancialpartoftheconcern，andatlastDianthawasabletorestfullyinherafternoonhours。Whatdelightedhermostwastoseehermotherthriveinthework。Herthinshouldersliftedalittleassmalldraggingtaskswereforgottenandalargegrowingbusinesssubstituted。
Hereyesgrewbrightagain，sheheldherheadasshedidinherkeengirlhood，andherdaughterfeltfreshhopeandpowerasshesawalreadythebenefitofthenewmethodasaffectinghernearestanddearest。
AllDiantha’sfriendswatchedthespreadoftheworkwithkeenlysympatheticintent;buttoMrs。Weatherstoneitbecamealmostasfascinatingastothegirlherself。
\"It’sgoingtobeoneofthefinestbusinessesintheworld！\"shesaid，\"Andoneofthelargestandbestpaying。NowI’llhaveasurprisereadyforthatgirlinthespring，andanothernextyear，ifI’mnotmistaken！\"
TherewerelongandvividdiscussionsofthematterbetweenherandherfriendsthePornes，andMrs。Pornespentmorehoursinher\"drawingroom\"thanshehadforyears。
Butwhiletheseunmentionedsurpriseswerepending，Mrs。WeatherstonedepartedtoNewYork——toEurope;andwasgonesomemonths。Inthespringshereturned，inApril——whichislateJuneinOrchardina。ShecalleduponDianthaandhermotheratonce，andopenedherattack。
\"Idohope，Mrs。Bell，thatyou’llbackmeup，\"shesaid。\"YouhavethebetterbusinessheadIthink，inthefinancialline。\"
\"Shehas，\"Dianthaadmitted。\"She’stentimesasgoodasIamatthat;
butshe’snomorewillingtocarryobligationthanIam，Mrs。
Weatherstone。\"
\"Obligationisonething——investmentisanother，\"saidherguest。\"I
liveonmymoney——thatis，onotherpeople’swork。Iamabasecapitalist，andyouseemtomegoodmaterialtoinvestin。So——takeitorleaveit——I’vebroughtyouanoffer。\"
Shethenproducedfromherhandbagsomepapers，and，fromhercaroutside，alargeobjectcarefullyboxed，aboutthesizeandshapeofaplatewarmer。Thisbeingplacedonthetablebeforethem，wasuncovered，andprovedtobeafoodcontainerofanewmodel。
\"IhadonemadeinParis，\"sheexplained，\"andtherestcopiedheretosavepayingduty。Liftit！\"
Theylifteditinamazement——itwassolight。
\"Aluminum，\"shesaid，proudly，\"Silverplated——newprocess！Andbambooatthecornersyousee。Alllinedandinterlinedwithasbestos，rubberfittingsforsilverware，plateracks，foodcompartments——see？\"
Shepulledoutdrawers，openedlittledoors，andrapidlylaidoutatableserviceforfive。
\"Itwillholdfoodforfive——theaveragefamily，youknow。Forlargerordersyou’llhavetosendmore。Ihadtomake_some_estimate。\"
\"Whatlovelydishes！\"saidDiantha。
\"Aren’tthey！Aluminum，silvered！Ifyourwashersarecarefultheywon’tgetdented，andyoucan’tbreak’em。\"
Mrs。Bellexaminedthecaseandallitsfittingswitheagerattention。