The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-11-19
EsoUr GaI."

| must write it if nobody ever reads a
line of it, | must, while it is all new aud
fresh in my mind, write out the history of
the last two weeks, and the description of
''our gall as Harry calls her.
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 beginning.
| was and am very young housekeeper,
yet theoretically do know something of
the arts and sciences thereunto appertain-
ing. | was married about two years ago !;
but we have always boarded until now,
and when l started in my pretty house,
with two good girls, and everything new,
fancied clock-work would be a mere
wandering vagrant compared with the
regularity of my proceedings.
. Twas on Sunday morning." as the
song says, that my troubles began. / was
dressing for church, when my chamber
maid came up with rueful countenance.
eff you please, Mrs. Harvey, I'm go
ing" she said
''Going p exclaimed ''Where 2"
''To leave, ma'am. Home. I've got a
spell of neuralgia coming on, and I'm GO
ing home to lay by" g.. n~-
"But you can lie down here if you are
sick"
"Well, ma'am, I amt to say sick, ex-
actly, but I'm fixing for turn"
ga turn ?"
eyes. I have neuralgia in spells, and
[ Slways feel 'em coming"
| Words were vain. Go she would, and
go she did. l went into the kitchen tc
explain to the cook that she must do dou
BILE duty for time. She was perfect
termagant, and to my utter amazement she
wheeled round with the cry
''Gone Jane gone! VIII you gel
another girl ?"
Certainly"
To-day ?"
"How can get girl on Sunday ?''
"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 p'
''Youll 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 see her go.
Of course there was no church, and ]
began to get dinner. Harry, like mas
culine angel as he was, took off his coat
and came down to help me, with an assu-
| rance 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 produced, he
assured me, by care, and not the weight o.
years He peeled potatoes so beautifully
that they were about as big as bullets, af
| ter he had taken off the skin an inch thick
all around. Pies were the only article OF
cookery with which was well acquainted
so | made a meat-pie, two apple pies, and
short-cake for supper, which we ate with
the dinner at six O'Clock 1t was late
enough when we cleared up, but at last al
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 [ took the scuttle and
went down in the cellar myself, laughing
to think how he would scold when he
knew it, am not strong, but filed the
big scuttle, and tugging away with botl
hands, started up stairs
l was at the top, my labor nearly over
when somehow, L cannot tell how, [ los
my balance. | reeled over, and the heay,
J thing came with me, down to the bottom