The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1877-05-01
THAT TROUBLESOME GIRL.


pretty, In my opinion. A young woman
Of middle height, but looking decidedly
stumpy from undue exuberance OF figure.
and flesh, the former with difficulty
packed into cotton gowns always too
small for her, and much torn by repeat
ed efforts at ''pinning t0gethep across
the body; the latter obtrusively evident
in cheeks round and red as winter
apples, and arms round also and huge
columns of red, mottled marble, capable
Of telling an OK, and barred to sun ana
wind above the elbows young woman
with a square jaw, wide mouth filled
with very fair white teeth, a shock of
frizzly, red brown hair, never smooth,
and eyes round and black as iyyberries,
and sparkling with impudent audacity
Not very fascinating tout ensemble,
think, and in morals and manners rather
worse than deficient.
] never had such troublesome girl
in the house in all my life before.
We were in the backwoods of Canada,
where had large farm, aud Janet was
our housemaid. A housemaid is, be-.
lieve, generally supposed to keep a.
house clean: ours rivaled an Irish
cabin for dirt, f1eas, flue, and disorder,
during the whole period Of her reign:
likewise to take care of the china, glass,
etc. She had not been with US Ia week
before she laid a '.smash tax' OF fifty
per cent. on every breakfast article;
while the remainder presented o melan-
choly assemDlage OF starred, cracked,
and mutllaLed objects, which would
have led stranger to suppose that
some one had introduced q lively young
Alderney bull into our china closet.
Her person-well, il the cotton gowns
aforementioned have failed TO give you
an idea on the subject, had better let
| it rest. When l mention that l never
saw Janet better shod than with pair
of worn-out laborer's boots, or the down.
trodden slippers of her mistress, you
may guess at some Of the trials endured
| by man of limited means and large
IDEAS of method and orderliness, and a
dear little invalid wife too gentle to
bully cat.
Alas if Janet had but been only dirty
and careiessl
| She was worse. She was the most
finished coquette and the most heartless
tlirt in the province. And it was OF no
use to speak TO her on that or any sub.
lject. never met a young female with less
development OF the "bump" of reverence
or greater development in the article oi
cheek. She was incorrigibly idle also,
and, with the strength and energy OF a
| female Hercules, would desert scrub
bing-brush or broom at the merest sound
OF a laborers whistle ;and let our dinner
get cold while she was gossiping In the
yard with another OF the same fra
ternity.
"What can they see in her to ad
!mirer 1 would say, despairlngly, tt
Emily alter we had caught some hand
some, strapping fellow casting hopeless
sheer's eyes at our draggled"Dowsabel;' :
and Emily would answer, smlling:
Il don't know, dear; l think it is hel
tongue-she bullies them all SO; ant
there are 30 few women here."
expect the latter was the real rea
sou. Every man on the farm was al
Janet's feet; while the cook, French
Canadian, and tidy, nioe-looking, soft
spoken creature, merely came in fol
what the other girl insoiently called he
''leavings."
Ii ever two women hated one another
those two did.
l could understand it with Felice
who was really superior young oman
and could hardly be expected t,
like being shut up with no female socie
ty but that daugnter of the devil, as
once heard her mutter plaintiyely il
Janets direction. But she ut least con
: Quoted her dislike under decent walls
while the younger girls voice, raised u
storm1ng pitch, and launching out un
qualified abuse, would even penetrate tt
tne sitting-room, and call tor rem0n
STRANGE from her mistress.
Il or course you wonder why we KEEP
such a tirebrand and ne'er-do-well in tn
house. In New York she would hav
been turned into the streets at u mo
ments notice; or rather never takeI
Ethence at all. Unfortunately, however
women in backwoods are as much to-
scarce as they are too plentiful in cities
and women servants are as black swan
I Tor rarity, hard to find, and harder Still
to keep. The fact WAS we could not ge
another girl in the neighberhood; an,
Emily's health was too delicate eithe
/ to do without a second, or to stand tn
fatigue of a journey to Montreal il
search of better. AS for Janet, sh
seemed provokingly satisfied both wit
her place and her employers; and thoug
making our lives miserable, causing enc
less quarrels among the men by her &C
quetteries, and scandalIzing her fellow
servants notions of proprlety at ever
turn, she persisted in snubbing eae
aud all the offers of marriage lavished O.
her, and regarded herself In the light 9
the guardian angel and support OF GU
household, without whom indeed W
should have been helpless and desolate
Emily used to try and excuse he
sometimes, and say she had good hear
at bottom. The tact is, that once whe
my vile was very Ill Jenet nursed he
night and day, never even taking of he
clothes for three weeks, aud someho,
managing to do the best part Of her wOr
as well, and with less noise and de
struction than usual. Emily never fol
= got this, and used to hold it up as
proof Of underlying virtues, even thoug
. Janet (who slept in her mistress roor
for the time) used to avail herself Of tn
= dressing-room window as medium TO
holding lengthy midnight conversation
with one OF her lovers, the invalid lyin
!, | all the while with the door OF commun
cation open between her and the col
night air. spoke to her very sharpl
= about it; not on the score Of prophet
Janet being perfectly hardened there
and fond Of boasting that she was quit
capable OF Stalking keer Of herse
againsta bushel OF such poor, miserabl
. things as men, silly bodiesp' but sin
ply to remark that il she would talk
Martin at that hour, she might hav
shut the door into my wife's room. Jane
stared at me. "Shut the do0rl Why