The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-12-28

all the afternoon. 1t was 9fs O'Clock Wnen
reached home. I let myself in with my
latch-kcv-it had once been Mr.. House
lamb's, but I had taken 1t away from nun,
and never let him have it again after tnat
shocking affair Of his deserving his mouse
and home.for the Garricks Head. Passing
softly into the hall, l heard the voice OF
somebody in the kitchen singing. The voice
was so deep that ut first it sounded like q
muu,s, and nv mind ut once jumped at the
,uspicion of followers: but on listening Il
little longer | wasconvinced that the singer
w,s orr Nice Servant. 1t was Sunday eve
uing: but. oh, dear me. it was no hymn
Thai Ellen Gait was singing. So far rs l can
recoIlcct. the words of her trighttll song
ran thus:
HMy fash mans In qrod.
And I'm the woman that's wlllln
So. Td muzzle Il bloke tonight,
And draw him of every shillin'.'
Chorus (shc sang this almost i'll a yclp
"Tooral, looral. loo.
What arc wcalth's possessions:
AMI bInw the MiddIcscx Sessions"
Icrcpt down stairs more dead than alive,
entered the kitchen, and this was the slgh'
I saw. The candle was guttering down into
the socket, and in front of the fire, with hef
feet on the fender, sat Our Nice servant
There was 4 pewter pot containing some
thing on the table. also black bottle and
shIuddcr rs [ write the words-when Our
Nice Servant had finished Il verse OF hel
song she took short, black pipe OIL the ta'
bic and began 10 puff it. ,,
"Ellen Catt.@ | began rcproachiu!lv.
"Ellen Gait ~ she repeated, with Il lone
bitter laugh. Don't you Ellen Gait me,
Missis I'm Tiger Bet-ask in Blue-Anchol
Fields if | amt. Eve broke out, nave
Sit you down there and III make your
flesh creep"
but she made NJ violent gestures, merely
swayinc her head from side to side. ant
now and then slippiig her hands on one OF
the othrrof her knees. | thought | ml"h
pct her to bed quietly if | humored her
little. so | sat down in 4 chair by the ire
and asked her if she wasill:
"Ul." she replied, "fm jolly we'll,
am. I'm all there, Missis. | went TO thu
Load of Hay this evening, and | met som,
pals and they had me to rights. Ana
fnnncd off with a deep thinker. Do yo'
know what a deep thinker is:' .
| confessed, feeling quite SIX At hcart
80. YOU Young innocence" went O
O,wEicc Servant. "Rum ana old ale, AM
| 4 rrd-hot pokcrin it-that "A deep thinker
Ycu poor Young woman, yoll CONT know
nothing. YOU'RE a babby! DO you kho'
who I am-what ann
"N-u-no. Ellcn,' murmureu,
I'm Lad,n she continued "as bad Il
bad can be. They don't makc'c en- WIS tina
mo- I m,mmoncd the work-hou>c cove:
was mi in there as a stall. and to be kcE
ort Of the way. that ! shouldn't 60 up al
rive hcyidcncc against Jem." :.
Nv flesh really crrnt II these dre"dii
words.
lie o'ny got three months on the Stci
NO., she went OH "and now hes on
NY rin"oNu~htrtt Very deeply myself that sh
must have had Il good many deep thinker
thu: evening, for She was quite intoxicated
"Now. look you here - she said, suG
dcaly turning her face toward mine "yo'
amt LOST nothin' since I've been here
- certainly have not. Ellen | replied
drawing away my face, however, in som
terror.
Right You are" she returned, civin
one knee Il sounding slap "and you won'
lose nothin' Ivy me while Pm here. whic'
won't be long. Don't be frightened, yo'
cl:ickabiddy. wont do YOU no harm.
might a-donc it over and over agin if L,
liked. over an over a"in has the kiddie
been at for mt TO leave 4 window open 0
adoor umtastencd. for to crack this crib
Ny blood ran cold for, somehow, | hat
an idea that "cracking Il crib mean
house-breakin@.
But [ wouldn't" Our Nice Servant pul
sued - / wouldn't-nG. not for the BAN
Of England. You stick by me, and II
stick by YOU. But its time the gatf wa
blown. Don't YOU 60 getting such anothe
bad bargain as HE. Look here, you hlnno
cent
AS She spoke she rapidly UNFINISHED he.
back hair, flung oil her cap, bent down he
head, and showed me. at The back Of he
scalp, Il great, deep white furrow.
"A black cook did that" she said, "witl
a chopper. I'd aggravated him in conse
qucnce of his wool. lie was from New
Orleans, and the Judge he gave him sever
years penal. Look here she resumed
barring her throat, and showing a long
liyid mark low down on her breast, "tl!a
Wa my Tom. He's broke three of my ribs
sound tooth in Inv head. Look here" anC
She barred her right arm to the shoulder nt
showed it To me. all covered with scars
That's foreign sailors with their knives
| Look here
How far she might have continued witt
the exhibition of her wounds | don't know
but 1t this point she fell forward into tn,
fender inScnsible.
There WAS nothing the matter With hel
but too many Deep Thinkers. put her t.
bed aS well rs | could. and sat by her sid,
all night trembling. She slept very soundly
and about ! O'Clock in the morning, and il
4 very quiet and respectful tone, begged Int
TO 20 down stairs and get some rest myself
She added that | had been Il very kind mis-
tGcss TO her, but that she knew she had mis-
behaved herself, and that she must 90.
This strange woman exercised so strong
4 fascination over me that | was debating
in my mind whether it wouldn't be as wei
to look over that scene in the kitchen an(
allow her 10 resume her duties as Our Nice
Servant. when, about 10 O'Clock in The
morning, she came TO me.
"Therc's Il cab at the door," she said
and my traps is i'll it. Give me my wage,
and let me step it. What's bred in thf
bone II come out in the flesh, and | wa,
bred to wiilany. If | was to stop / should
have a Deep Thinker too many some night
and rob and murder the whole bilin' Of you
| amt got nothin' to say agin you; but
happy homes not my line, and I'm goin
for to Take my Hook"
She took her hook that is to say, she
went away in the cab with her trunk; and
from that day TO this ! never saw any moro
of her. But of all the servants l have
since had-nursemuids at sixteen, anC
cooks at two-and-twenty pounds a year!
have never found II who, for industry
neatness, willingness, honesty, and fidelity
could compare with Dur Nice Servant.
Mr. Harry Moss assumes editorial con
troll of the Mississippi Democrat, at Yazoo,
in the following salutatory II have beer