The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1866-08-21
Biddy,s Troubles.

It's true for me, Katy, that I niver seed
the like of this people afore. It's sor-
ry time I've been having since coming to
this house, twelve months agone this week
Thursday. Ye know that my fourth
cousin, Ann Mccarthy, ricomminded me
to Mrs. Whaler, and told the lady that
knew all about ginteel houseWork and the
likes; while, at the same time, I had niyer
seed inter an American lady's Kitchen
So she ingaged me, and my heart was
| ilst ready to burst with grief for the story
that Ann had told for Mrs. Whaler was a
lsWate spoken lady, and niver looked cross
like in her life; that.I knew by her kind,
smooth face. Well, jist the first thing
she told me to do, after I had dressed the
children, was to dress the ducks for din
ner. I stood looking at the lady couple
of minutes before | could make out any
meaning at all to her words. Thin /
went searching after clothes, for the
ducks; and such time as | had, to be
sure. High and low I went, till at last
| my mistress axed me what for was look
| ing; and I told her the clothes for the
ducks, to be sure. Och, ana how she
screamed and laughed, till my face was
rid as the sun wild shame, and she showed
me, in her kind, swate way, what her
meaning was. Thin she told me how to
air the beds, and it was proud day for
me, indade, when l could go up chamber
alone and clare the rooms. One day Mrs,
.Whaler said to me:
"Biddy, an ye may give the baby an
airing, if yees will
What should do--and it is thrue, what
| am saying this blessed minute-but GO
up stairs wild the child, and shake it and
thin hold it by its arms out Of the cham
ber winder. Such screaming and kick
ing as that baby give!-sut I hid on
to it the harder. livery man and woman
in the street looked up at me, and at last
my mistress came leaping up the stairs tc
see what for was so much noise.
81 am thrying to air the baby" ] said
"but it kicks and scrames dreadfully.''
There was company down below, and
@hin Mrs. Whaler told them what had
been afther doing, thought they would
1 scare the folks in the strate wild theil
screaming.
! And then I was told that I must do VI
Mr.. Whaler's linen shirts one day, whel
my mistress was out a-shopping. Sh'
told me repeatedly to do thin up nice, fo
my master was goin' away; so I takes tn
shirts and did them all up in some pape
| that was afther bringing from the oil
country wild me, and tied some brigh
pink ribbon about the bundle.
/ "Where are the shirts biddY2" asket
/ Mrs. Whaler, when she coined home.
i "I have been afther doin them up in
lquare nice way" I said, bringin' her th'
bundle.
"Will you iver be done wid your Crane
ness?" she asked, wild loud scrame.
| I can't for the life of me be tellin
what their talking names. At home, W,
Icalls the likes of this work fine starchin
land deal of it | have done too. No
long ago, while Mrs. Wnaler was teach
ing me to make bread, she told me t
| wash my hands in the wash-dish befor
putting them into the dough. Thin viii
. | washed the dish cloth in the same disl
wild clane water, I got bit of scolding
and my misthress said it was not nate t
be doin' SO. I can't tell, of truth
can't, why the dish that ! washed m
: hands in, when was just putting thel
l into the bread, was not clane enough 70
!, the dish-cloth that was only marc tn
dishes. Ochl and may the blessed virgi
pity me, for l never'n be cured of m
graneness.