I decided, however, that I would rather try Mrs.Ruffner's house than remain in the coal-mine, and so my mother applied to her for the vacant position.

I was hired at a salary of $5 per month.
I had heard so much about Mrs.Ruffner's severity that I was almost afraid to see her, and trembled when I went into her presence.

I had not lived with her many weeks, however, before I began to understand her.

I soon began to learn that, first of all, she wanted everything kept clean about her, that she wanted things done promptly and systematically, and that at the bottom of everything she wanted absolute honesty and frankness.

Nothing must be sloven or slipshod; every door, every fence, must be kept in repair.
I cannot now recall how long I lived with Mrs.Ruffner before going to Hampton, but I think it must have been a year and a half.