Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1877-05-03

| she smiled; and over all, the bloom OF
modesty and dainty neatness. And this
woman had applied for the situation of
| house-maid. and was installed. and why?
| Because-blessed with good mind and
| an excellent education. she has yet been
| unable to make either OF them available.
| as far as filing her empty purse was con
( cerned; poverty was her shadow that fol-
/ lowed her in her down sttings and her
! upri-ings, so she called her stand by. good
common sense. to her aid, and was follow
| Ing its suggestions
! Left "A widow three years before, the
memory other short and happy married
| life was like the glow OF the setting sun
| after a storm Since the death of her
/ husband and infant, she had tried all the
svenues open TO educated women to earn
a living. She had experimental upon
] teaching. but her warm womans heart
would have her favorteS, she would pet
! and praise the lovable aud obedent ones.
she could not help being intolerant to the
4 stupid and disobedient ones; therefore she
earned. and not without cause, the name
( of being partial, a crime in the eye OF par
/ ents whose children were not the objects
! of favoritlsm. Then. she was conscien-
tous. she alway at war with herself fear
! Ing that she did hot bring her pupils along
a last as their parents had a right To eN-
pect aud all this opened her eyes to the
fact that teaching was not her vocation;
1t wore her out body and mind.
Then she tried to earn her living BY
her needle. and with the usual result OF
4 that sedentary life 10 one of her tampera-
ment, she secamc nervous aud irritable;
she longed to be up and doing. to feel she
was accomplishing something her thoughts
flew faster than her needle. and neither
thoughts nor needle brought her the COM
forts of home. Then she tried 4 situa-
tion In . store, but II happened to be one of
those where the clerks are expected 10 be
upon their feet ali the time. aud the stand
ing all day kept her from sleeping at night
from WEAKNESS and pain. 80. Ike the
other oCcupatants. ,he tried clerk>hp in
the balance. and found 1t wanting.
But there was an occupation she made
mp her mind to try. by which sac wa. sure
she could earn living and thst was house
work She loved il; to her iJ vas never
monotonou.. How could it be when Ii
embraced nearly every trade under the
sun-'brcwcr and baker aud candic-st,ck
maker with a spice OF the arts aud >cien-
ccs thrown in. l.s. She would do house
work; and, seeing ,he had no house Of
her own, she would 90 into some one
I el>e's
She knew thar beu: mistress In ones
own house and servant in somebody e,sc's
were two different things but every situa-
tiou in life has it, trials. and this had
pleasures for her that no other possessed.
Il would be change for her. give her
different experience, from any she hal
seen before She had seen life in the sta
iion in which She had moved. and learn
ed much from IL; she was now prepared
to enter 4 lower stratum. she would see
lie under different circumstances. she
would see both sides OF the picture, She
would enter different homes, her kuowl-
edge of human uatnre would be deeper
snd broader because OF his. She frlt that
in doing this she had gained a victory over
herself: She had given up shadow for 4
sub>iauce-thc shadow. a false shame of
the humble po>itiou-,hc substance. "a
good res pcctabie home without the anxiety
attendant upon the providing OF ii.
And To d. our little Mrs. Grey justice.
we mu-, mention that she had more unset
ii>h motive than that OF providing for her
self the necusarlc- Of life; she wished. as far
asin her power TO aii Others, ,wh o.liAe ter
self, were dependent upon their own eX
eTtion>. To Law aside the prriulceS attach
ed 10 household service. She saw that fac
tories and mills and stores were throu ged
with applicants for something u do, while
the occupation for which they were best
fitted was at their doors AMI they passed
II by; she would make the light shine, aud
some one attracted by il might be benefit
Cd thereby.
She did not expect this servile life tU be-
al! sunshine. Lie and its yiclssitudrs had
taught her better than that; but OH , in the
very beginning this bedroom was more
tuan She had oargained for. la all her
varied experiences She had always looked
forward through laborious day. to the
rest and quietness and soiiealng iailueuce
OF her pleasant room where, surrounded
by her cheerful carpet, her comfortable
rocking chair. her books, her pictures, her
plants. and all the little employments and
retinements that a cultivated woman viii
collect around her. let ncr circumstances
be what they may and utter. utter des-
pondency took possession OF her, aud tor
a few bitter moments weighed her down.
On her way TO This eyry she had passed
the open doors Of two bedrooms which ap-
peared To be unoccuped; the parlor was
snug and cosey; the hall aud stairway
neat and suited to the modest habtation :;
why was the servants room alone 10 show
the dress: When she had seen nursery
maids lifting about with their charges, and
neat house maids going their several ways
il never occurred 10 her that any Of them
could be doomed TO mount such weary
flights of steps TO attain 80 cheerless a
place 10 spend wha, 10 her was the hap
piest time-her beloved after supper hours.
And as she had done so MANY times be-
fore. she called upon a friend to comfort
her. and that friend was contrast. But she
asked OF il now to reverse the order of
things, and instead OF pointing out her
blessings To her, 10 bring forward her los
ses; aud she sadly thought, if the comfort
less looking bed but contained the warm
To-.
gladly would she welcome the repose il
offered, how reconciled to every discom-
fort, And thus did contrast lead her to see
that il was not in her surroundings, but in
herself and the view she took OF things
that her happiness consisted. And so. hav-
ing put her hand 10 the plough, she would
not turn back. she would prove all things
and hold fast to that which was good and
strengthened by the comforting conclus-
ion, she descended 10 enter upon her dut-
les.
person less experienced would have
been dismayed at the unpromising look of
things at that particular moment in that
kitchen, which for theiday had been under.
the care OF Bridget But our Mrs. Grey
did not look upon it in that light at all
She saw at "a glance that it was not want
ing in any of the essentials required in the
groundwork of home, 1t was roomy
aud light, and all 1t required was a deft
hand TO convert it in marvelIously short
time into a CHEEKY and comfortable place
and her spirits rose accordingly.
The presiding genius of the place was
down on her knees, in front OF the range
blowing Justify at a few splinters which
she had stuck under CRATE full of dead
coal in every stage of combustion.
Sure, and it's the fire that does be con-
trary. when | axes it 10 burn to make the
mistress her tay.' said she, lifting pair OF
watery eyes 10 her cO-laborer. She's
been waiting so long, an she hasn't tast-
ed a bite to-day since breakfast, an she
made short work of that: an with one
thing all. another she'll be thinking it's
long comm.
Poor woman, thought Mrs Grey, sick
and wanting cup OF tea, and expecting
il to come out of this chaos; and the dole
fulbedrOom was forgotten as she set about