Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-10-09
Aiscellamp.
Our " GAL"

Our gal first made her appearance in
the house two weeks ago last Monday,
and hailed her broad face and stout
figure with most hearty welcome. Little
did realize-but to begin at the begin
ming. | was, / am a very young house.
keeper, yet theoretically / do know some
thing of the arts and sciences thereunto
"ppeit'iiniiig. Iswas married about twc
years ago; but we have always boarded
until now, and when | started in nv
pretty house, with two good girls, and
everything new, / fancied clock-work
would be a mere wandering vagrant
compared with the regularity of my pro-
ceedings.
"Twas on Sunday morning" as the
song says, that my troubles began. l
was dressing for church, when my cham
ber-maid came up with rueful counte-
nance
"lf you please, Mrs. Harvey, I'm 60
ing"
Going" exclaimed. Where"
10 leave, ma'am. Home. I've got
spell of neuralgia coming on, and I'm
going home to lay by"
i" But you can lie down here if you
are sick"
" Well, ma'am, / amt to say sick, ex-
actiy, but Pm fixing for turn"
"a turn p
"fes, | have neuralgia in spells, and
always feel 'em coming
Words were vain. Go she would, and
go she did. Invent into the kitchen to
explain to the cook that she must do
double duty for time. She was a per-
feet termagant, and to my utter amaze
ment she wheeled round with the cry
Gomez Jane gone Will you get
another girl 7"
Certainly"
To-day p
I" How can | get a girl on Sunday 2"
I" And tomorrow is wash day. Well,
I'm not going to stay to do all the work.
You'll either get another girl early to-
morrow or I'll leave r.
You'll leave now, in the shortest
space of time it takes to go from here to
the door, cried Harry from the sitting
room, where he had overheard us.
With many insolent speeches she de-
parted, and inconvenient as it was, was
glad to soc her go.
Of course there was no church, and l
began to get dinner. Harry, like mas
culine angel as he was, took off his coat
and came down to help me, with an as
surance that he actually could not sit
still and hear the cook use the tone she
did one instant longer 1t. was merry
day. Harry raked the fire till his glossy
brown curls were powdered with gray,
which premature sign of age was pro-
duced, he assured me, by care, and not
the weight of years" He peeled pota-
toes so beautifully that they were about
as big as bullets, after he had taken off
the skin an inch thick all round. Pies
were the only article of cookery with
which | was particularly acquainted, so
| made a meat pie, two apple pies, and
short-eake for supper, which we ate with
the dinner at six o'clock. 1t was late
enough when we cleared up, but at last
all was done but one thing. Harry was
in the bathroom refreshing himself, when
/ discovered that the coal was all gone.
/ hated to call him down, for he had
worked hard all day, SO l took the scut-
tie and went down in the cellar myself,
laughing to think how he would scold
when he knew it. / am weak woman,
and not very strong, but 1 filled the big
scuttle, and tugging away with both
hands, started up stairs.
l was at the top, my labor nearly over,
when somehow, | can not tell how, lost
my balance. | reeled over, and the
heavy thing came with me, down to the
bottom of the stairs. | felt it crushing
my foot. I heard Harrys call, and then
tainted | know now, though did not
then, how he lifted me in his strong arms
and carried me up stairs, and the touch
of the cold water which he poured over
me is the next thing / remember. As
soon as | was conscious and able TO
speak, l let him go for the doctor, la
menting that mother and Lou were both
out of town for the summer.
Well, well it was weary night; no
time to scold, Harry said, so he petted,
nursed, and tended me, till my heart
ached with its fullness of love and graft
tude. Morning found me, my fractured
ankle in box, lying helpless in bed, and
Harry promised to send me a girl imme-
diately. So, after this long prelude, i
come to "our gal" Oil | must tell
YOU how Harry made me slice of but
tered toast for breakfast by buttering the
bread on both sides and then toasting it.