The Hickman courier., 1873-07-12
VOL. TX. NO. 81.
sylvie and Her Servants.
BY MRS. WHITNEY.

BY MRS. WHITNEY.
And now poor Sylvie fell into and
foundered in that slough of despond,
the lower stratum of the Irish kitchen
element, which, if one once NEEDLES
with, it is almost hopeless to get out Of !;
and one very soon finds that to get out
of it is the only hope, forlorn as it may
be. She had one girl who made sour
bread for a fortnight, and then founced
off on a Monday morning, leaving the
clothes IN the tubs, because cher bread
was never faulted before, cn' faith, she
wudn't pit up biscuits of a Sunday
night no more for anybody !" The next
one disposed of all the dish towels in
four days, behind barrels, and in the
corners of the kettle closet, and COM
planned insolently of furnishing a
third kindled her fire with the clothes
pins; a fourth wore Mrs. Argenter's
wasbiin' and trod OUT tfie i1eeIs of three
pairs of Sylvie's best stockings, for
little considerate and economical reason.
Another declined peremptorily the use
of a fat-iron stand, and burnt ont tri-
angular pieces from the ironing sheet
and blanket and when Sylvie remon-
strated with her about the skirt board,
which she had newly covered, finding
her using it as cleaning cloth after
she had heated her " fats upon the
Goals, she was met with torrent OF
abuse, and the assurance that she
81 might get somebody else to save her
old rags with their apurns, an iron five
white skirts and tin pair o undersleeyes
a week for two women, at three dollars
/ an half. She had heard enough about
the place or iver she kim intil It, an
the bigger fool she iver to iv set her foot
inside the dooers. "
That was it. 1t came to that pass,
now. They "heerd about the place
before iver they kim Until it. - The Ar
genter name was up. There was no
getting out of the bog-mlre. She ran
the guantlet of the village refuse, and
to 90 to Boston to the intelligence Off
ces. By this time she hadn't kitchen
or a bedroom fit to show decent ser
want into. They came and looked, and
went away; half-dozens of them. The
stove was burnt out there was hole
through into the oven nothing but an
entire new one would do, and a new one
would cost forty dollars. Poor Sylvie
toiled and worried she went to Mrs.
Ingraham and the Miss Goodwyns, and
Sabin Calvin, foEArvice; she made
ash-paste and cemGsed mp the breach
es, she hired woman by the day, put
ont washing, and bought bread at the
bakehouse. All this time, Mrs. Argen-
ter had her white skirts and her ruffied
underclothing to be done up. What
could she do? She hadn't any plain
things, and she couldn't get new, and
she must be clean"
l---.At new-year's, they owed three hun
4 dred dollars that they couidn't { pay, be
side the quarters rent. They had tc
take it out of their little invested capi-
tai they sold ten shares of railroad
stock at a poor time it brought them
eight hundred and seventy-fve dollars.
They bought their new stove, and some
other things they hired, at last, tro
girls for the winter, at three dollars and
a half, respectivessRA this was saving
to what they had rSc doing, and they
must get through the cold weather
somehow. Besides, Mrs. Argenter was
now seriously out of health. She hat
had nothing to do but TO fall sick undel
her troubles, and she had honestly anC
effectually done it. In the spring, Mrs
Areenter declared it was of no use
they must give up and 60 to board
They ought to have done it in the frs
place. Plenty of people got along 81
with no more than icy had. A cheal
place in the country for the summe
would save up for rooms in tow
for the winter. She could't bear anoth
er hot season in that village, nor col'
one, either. A second winter would b
Just madness. What could two womel
do, who had never had anything TO pro
vide before, with getting in coal, an
wood, and vegetables, and everything
and snow to be shoveled, and ashs
sifted, and fires to make, and girls goin
off every Monday morning?