The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1877-02-22
A TROUBLESOME GIRL.
BY THEo. GIFT.

She was not beauty at all; not even
pretty, in my opinion. A young wom-
an of middle height, but looking decid-
edly stumpy from undue exuberancc of
figure and flesh, the former with diff
Guilty packed into cotton gowns always
too small for her, and much torn by re-
peated efforts at "piniBg together"
across the body; the latter obtrusively
evident in cheeks round and red as win
ter apples, and arms round also and
huge-columns of red mottled marble,
capable of Telling an OK, and barred to
sun and wind above the elbow-a young
woman with a square jaw, a wide
mouth filled with very fair white teeth,
shock of frizzly brown hair, never
smooth, eyes round and black as ivy
berries 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 living in the back woods of
Canada, where had large farm, and
Janet was our housemaid. A house
maid is, l believe, generally supposed
to keep a house clean; ours rivaled an
Irish cs5in for dirt, fleas, fue and dis
order, during the whole period of her
reign; likewise to take care of the china,
glass, ETC. She had not been with us
week before she laid ''smash tax" of
so per cent. on every breakable article,
while the remainder presented a mel
ancholy assemblage of starred, cracked
and mutilated objects, which would
have led a stranger to suppose that
some one, following poor Theodore
Hooks lead in practical joking, had
introduced a lively young Attorney into
our china closet. Her person-well, if
the cotton gowns aforesaid have failed
to give you an idea of the subject, had
better let it rest. Dirt and rags may be
picturesque in artistic eyes, and even be
valuable as "models" for professional
purposes, but when they bring you your
shaving water of morning and hand
you your soup at dinner they fail to be
agreeable. When l mention as one
item that | never saw Janet better shod
than with pair of WORKOUT labOrer s
boots or the down-trodden slippers of
her mistress you may guess at some of
the trials endured by an Oxford man of
limited means andlarge ideas of method
and Orderliness and dear little invalid
wife too gentle to bully cat.
Alas! if Janet had but been only dir
ty and careless!
She was worse. She was the most
finished coquette and the most heart
less flirt in the province. The amount
of quarrels, jealousies, heartburnings
and heartbreakings caused by that girl
since she was nine years old could not
be catalogued, and were never referred
to by herself except with complacent
toss of her rumpled head and a peal of
laughter as delighted as a child's. And
it was of no use to speak to her on that
or any subject. L never met young
female with less development in the
bumps of reverence or greater de1el-
opment in the article of cheek. The
1nildest rebuke was certain to be follow
ed by retort, sometimes only good
humoredly saucy, but generally as ex.
plosive-her temper being of the vic.
lent and tempestuous order-as though
you had pulled the trigger of loaded
gun. She was incorrigibly idle also,
and with the strength and energy of 9
female Hercules, would desert scrub
bing-brush or broom at the merest
sound of laborer's whistle, and let our
dinner get cold while she was gossiping
in the yard with another of the same
fraternity.
"What can they see in her to ad.
mire?" would say despairingly to EN-
lily after we had caught some hand
some, strapping fellow casting hopeless:
sleeps eyes at our draggled "Dowsa
bell;" and Emily would answer, smil
ing
al don't know, dear; l think it is hel
tongue-she DULLES them all so; anC
then there are so few women here"
expect the latter was the real rea
SON. and yet qui sat? Every man Oh
the farm was at Jsnet's feet; while th,
cook, French Canadian and tidy
nice locking, soft spoken creature
merely came in for what the other cir
insolently called her " leavings."
If ever two women hated one another
those two did.
l could understand it with Felice
VINO was really superior young wo
man, and could hardly be expected
to like being shut up with no femal,
but that JfLle du diable, as l once hearC
her mutter plaintively in Janet's direc
ton. But she at least conducted he
dislike under decent wells, while tn,
younger girls voice, raised to stormin.
pitch and launching out unqualified
abuse, would even penetrate to tn,
sitting-room and call for remonstranc
from her mistress. Very prettily Jane
was wont to receive such mediation.
can see her now, her cheeks redde
than ever, her arms akimbo and he
eyes flashing unsubdued scorn as sh
retorted.
"Makin' noise? I dare say wa
maxim a noise; an so 'ould you be
nam, if you'd an aggravatin' faggo
like that there in the parlor. Why, she''
strip the skin off a live eel with her lie
and wiciousness, the weaseli" to whicl
Felice would only reply, with Sigh
shrug of her trim shoulders, and
mild
"Pray do not let it disturb you
madame I am ano,,s%o,,,ol - - -