Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-16


stood the cook, with a broomin one hand and pot
of hot water in the other. From ono end of the
broomstick ioated in grim and sullen defiance
my wife's best black silk apron, which was in
tended to answer the purpose of a death or vic
tory" flag. ! retreated in amazement before the
awful spectacle and sought to enter at a side door,
where / was met by the bootblaek and the cham
bermaid, armed with old umbrellas and boot
brushes, and q bedstead had been planted in
front of the doorway for a breastwork. There
was no chance for admission anywhere. AT one
window stood my wife, the commander-in-chief,
eating raisins and issuing orders.
At another window were two of my wife's
nieces who came up from the country nine weeks
ago to pay us a short visit and have not gone
horne yet. They were the aids. One of them
had a carving-knife for a sword and a red win
dow curtain tied around her waist for a sash;
while the other was content with the pomposity
and appearance of authority which she derived
from a long roosterfeather, or rather the long
feather of a rooster which was stuck in her hair.
They both looked terribly defiant, which they
had a right to do, considering they pay no board.
L stepped meekly out upon the sidewalk and
demanded an explanation of the mysterious con-
duct ofmy household. Mywife, who was spokes-
woman, sung out in a fine soprano voice We've
struck !" 1t struck me they had.
What's the matteri what do you want7" /
ventured to AK.
"Oh shame, he asks two questions at once"
chimed one of my nieces-inlaw. And then a
murmer of ooh shame" ran along the whole line
Of the brave defenders of my cottage, and the
hot water in the cooks teapot Kissed.
you must accede to our demands" said my
wife firmly, you must comply with our scale"
"ScaleI thunder and lightningl'' 1 replied, "ifI
could scale this pile of chairs and dilapidated
stove-pipes, / would make some Of these domes-
tice wish thav had haan innortad -
AT this crisis my wife undertook to explain the
meaning of 'the SCALE" Shecommenced reading
a long list, and the first item was one silk dress
every month. l would hear no more. l was
satisfied and asked if a compromise could not
be effected. AT the mention Of compromise.
there was a peal of thunder or something like it.
The cook screamed and hurled the pot of hot
water at me, but fortunately she missed her aim;
the nieces roared, and the eldest fourished her
carving-knife, and fairly danced with rage. The
boot-black come down with a heavy brush on my
devoted head, and the chambermaid charged UNI
brellas till / couldn't rest.
I~resolved TO defend myself. Twas determined
the strike should not be carried if / could help il.
Rushing at the furious cook / seized her by the
understanding and turned her a double somersault
landing her in the middle of the back parlor.
L followed up with an elbow of stove pipe. and
then the footstools began to rattle abou. her head.
Il W a DlOSAOGOAhS nAC fhSh l. Eoh AhO otA-
eral-in-C Chief mastering her forces in the dining
room and arming them with table ware. l was
not afraid for my personal safety, but / didn't
want nv crockery broken. / retreated. | fed
precipitately. "A close observer might have de-
tected that / ran a little.
/ hurried down town and bolted into a reStau-
rant, for l was fearfully hungry. Restauranter
said his cooks had all struck. l sympathized
with him and went to hotel; walters had struck;
a aro-,yboro a-o--h01r boI cfr,cI TGDau
not what to do, and therefore couldn't do it. /
wandered about the streets till ~nightfall, and then
l went hOme again. On the road Imet my fam
liz physician, who informed me that he had been
called to see my cook. / asked him what allied
her, and he said nothing but Mysteries" 1 re
piled thar the 'high strikes" would be the ruin
of some of my people, / feared, and passed on.
/ FASTENED home as fast as l could, expecting that
the physician had raised the blockade, and 1 could
take advantage of it. 1 was right. I found no
distractions in the doorway, and so l entered
softly and reconnoitered l ascertained by list
ening cautiously that the whole force had gath
cred in one room and a council of war was being
held. walked on my toes TO the door and tnrned
the key. Then 1 danced, and capered, and frol-
licked, and rolled, and tumbled, and sung, and
shouted, and whistled, and turned hip-haps and
hand-springs, and stood on my head, and on my
hands, and on my feet, and on the floor, and
ClI"OlE Il 0Al- Il VIII AALO lA0 IellAlh y anu
everything 1 could lay my hands upon. 1 had a
huge time.
By and by the strikers wanted me to let them
out. | laughed. little later / heard tears she'd
ding, but / couldn't help them. / laughed and
respectfully informed wife and nieces and so forth
that / had struck, and they must comply with
my scale. / kept them imprisoned till midnight,
when the boot-black got hungry and wanted to
compromise. / informed the youngster that /
was striking against the whole party, and could
not compromise with one ofthem. After a while
the chip-maid had her sympathies aroused for the
boot-black, and said that she was willing TO COM
promise. 1t was not long till theyall sympathized
and abandoned their scale. Then / liberated
them having first exacted a pledge. Orderreigns
in Warsaw once again, but 1 have triumphed. The
tide of domestic affairs is now as smooth and
unruffied as a butterfy's dream.
But | have struck against all the world except
home-folks. "Beau," sab an old friend yester-
day, can you pay this little bill?" My unanimous
response was: 1--WE struck"
"Beau, said another, "can you lend ne ten?'
Eve struck, !" said 1: nd Beau, " said another,
"take a drink" I've St"
Mr.. Editor, there must be a termination TO all
things. / cannot see the ~propriety of running a
strike into the ground. l triumphed once and that
was enough. Permit me to say, that despite my
frmness | complied will the scale of the last
friend who addressed me, and / have no cause TO
complain.
Yours, stTikingly, BEAU HACKETT.