Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-06-21
Touching Instance Of Gratitude.

We are what Is called a comfortable
couple-me and my good lady.
1 have meney in the funds, some house
property, and coal agency. A portion
of'the day occupy in calling for the
rents, and in looking out for the postman,
who may or may not (probably not, as q
rule) bring orders for coal. NV good lady
sees after the house, when she is not hav-
ing nap or looking out of the window,
and blows up the servant girl.
We have several meals during the day.
We like little and often, and our servant
girls get rather overfed and saucy after q
time, If they don't go away Ill. My good
lady, in the latter case, is generally very
kind to them. Our last girl was taken
Ill, and we gave her a weeks holiday,
some soup, wine, and oranges, and her
wages as usual. This conduct on our
part affected this servant girl deeply, and
she insisted on sending her sister as sub
stitute while she was away.
Her sister came very early. My good
lady got up and let her in. She was curt
seying on the doorstep. If you please,
ma'am, I'm Jemima's sister," she said.
T" Take care," said my good lady; "you've
upset the milk-can with your crinoline J"
She came in and began to clear away
the supper things, and dropped plate.
My coed lady told her where to find the
breakfast things, and she brought up a
cup without handle; 1t had slipped
through her fingers somehow. My good
lady said, "The girls willing, but she's
nervous"
We have some nice china ornaments on
the parlor mantelpiece. While we were
at breakfast she busted of a couple of
shepherdesses. Between that and dinner
time, though, she only got through q
tumbler and an egg cup, and was begin
ming to think she was getting steadier.
My good lady went down stairs to see
how dinner was getting on. She came
up, looking very vexed indeed. She said,
I" You know the best soup tureenT /
said, 81 do" She said, ats gone"
" How g' asked. "TO pieces 20
She went down after this, and presently
| heard smash. My good lady shortly
afterwards appeared. She was in tears.
She said, "Those two decanters."
said, "This is really becoming seri-
Gus. Hadn't we better send her about her
business?" My good lady replied, "How
unreasonably you do talk. Her sister
sent her out of kindness to US. 1t will
hurt her feelings dreadfully if we don't
keep her." l said, "How about our feel
ings?"
There was an awful smash down stairs
just at this moment. We sat still and
waited. Jemima's sister presently made
her appearance, weeping bitterly. She
said, "Oh! ma'am, oh sir, Pm the un-
luckiest girl that ever was. I've fell down
with the dinner trayv'
1 said, "Wlll you be kind enough to re-
turn home? We're not cross with you,
and here's a shilling; only, my good girl,
depart while there Is yet whole piece Of
crOckery In the house."
She waved her arms wildly, and
knocked a few ornamental things OIL a
sideboard. "How can ever repay your"
she cried in piteous accents.
1 said, "Your presence here, my good
girl, Is costing us, on an average, about a
shilling minute. Ii you would only 90
away and take another situatiou-say, for
instance, in the china shop at the corner
of the street-we might, with few years
of penury and privation, gradually recov-
er our losses"
She saw it in the same light, and went.
My good lady then descended to the
kitchen to look after the dinner. Jcmi-
mas sister had left jug on the stairs
over which my good lady stumbled
and put her ankle out, also breaking the
jug.
Jemima's sister has called once or twice
since, and said how sorry she was. We
have on those occasions put the chain up
before speaking to her. We think 1t ad-
visable that she should not come inside of
the house any more.-N y. Graphic.