St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-16
The st. Icons.

and keeping house; so, of course, we
needed servants, and as there were no
white servants we were obliged to hire
those who were colored, and who were
held as slayes. 1t was now Christmas
week, when all such arrangements were
made for the next twelve months, and
to a hOusekeeper situated as | was it
was time of some anxiety.
| was in deep meditation. / was
not much of housekeeper, and had
been very desirOus that my husband
should not discover my ignOrance-cer-
tainly that he should never suffer by it.
His profession called him away from
home most of the first year of our
married life. The following, which was
our first year of housekeeping. was less
alone than was desirable for person
addicted to stOre-rOOm experiments, and
tied to weights and measures. 1t cost
me great labor and some tact to cover
up my occupation not that l was
ashamed of it, held as it was in such
esteem, especially in that part of the
country, but was so far from being
the expert | desired to be considered
that dreaded exposure and moItifica-
ton. OF course only my successes
found their way to the dining-room,
and l tried to take the praise for these
as if l was used to the delicate fiattery.
At last the secret was out. Reginald
| happened to come upon me in the
pastry room in the midst of a hopeless
failure in a grand culinary exploit !;
when the -four was bestowed upon my
perplexed brow with less care than
pearl powder, and the red of the heated
cheek was quite too deep to be becOm-
ing. My unfitness to he the mistress of
an aspiring establishment, unless with
the best of servants, had to be con-
fessed.
l was too young a wife, and felt the
modification of the disclosure too much
to be very severely reproached for my
little deception as to my accomplish
ments; so, leaving behind us the debris
of my failure, and commendiDg various
half-fnished dishes to the good inten-
tiOns of honest and ignorant Crecy, who
served as cook, Reginald drew me to
my dressing room to repair my toilet
and to discuss an improvement in our
domestic establishment.
"Don't pity me Regi-pray don't" !"
said |, looking up from the cool bath |
was giving my heated face; 81 could
not bear that at all. Hauen't | done
well before this ? Was not that de-
lightful curry yesterday? Does any
one have better pilaus than we have
Whose boiled custards ale best, Mrs.
ClaytOn's or mine, and she the best
housekeeper in Middle Georgia? What
jeliies can make You wished for ali
artist once to paint my dessert, my deaI
sir, and haven't | heard you say that
the pickles and sweetmeats of our table
spoiled you for all others9 Oh, Regi,
can tell you every word of praise you
ever gave me !"
81 don't wonder, my water-nymph,
when you had toiled so hard to earn
the praise. | confess to your unparal-
leled excellence-but Neelie-"
"Oh, you don't like cabbage-rose
cheeks, and you have the plebeian taste
to powdered hair.n
'No, these are endurable. You could
bear even such an abuse of your good
looks without losing them"
"Well, what then, pray /? Are yor
going to take to giving dinner parties
every week before you get to be Judge
What bad taste again Do you want
game suppers as often ? What IS the
reason poor Crecy and | are to be de,
throned ?"
Reginald's face appeared above mine
in the mirror, before which L was try
ing to arrange some stray curls. HI
laid his finger Oh my forehead anC
said:
, ga little line is coming between you
brows that will grow into wrinkle
and the gray of these curls will be les
easily removed than the powder whicl
you have just brushed away, if let yol
worry over your housekeeping at thi
rate. | only propose getting you
good cook, my wife, when with you
:. present knowledge of the cuisine you
could issue your orders grandilo
quently."
But good servants are not hired out
, Reginald. 1t is an extraordinary cir
cumstance for really accomplished ser
wants to be found out of the famiie
where they are owned. They are to
, much priced to be parted with"
'On that score be at rest. This yer.
morning chanced to hear of an excel
lent woman, most skillful cook, whOr
v the Scrantons are going to hire out TO
the coming year."
"Why do they part with her ?"
81 don't know. l believe they hav
another"
81 want to know something abou
this woman before you hire her, Regi
nald."
"KnOw what? They ask tremend
GUS price for her-no less than ten dol
lars month, and she has two littl
children who must go with her. Blu
Mr.. Scranton told Harry Lee this morn
ing that she was well worth the price.
And so 1 meditated "We have al
= ready Crecy, the cook -painstakine
honest, respectful and incompeten
Crecy Maria, her daughter, who
chambermaid Celia, the laundress
Louis, the waiter; and 'Old Harry th
gardener-a large enough complemer
of servants, one wOuld think, for
family of three persons Then thos
children! But there are rooms enoug
It in the servants quarters of this oil
house for twenty people. The childre
will cost us nothing. Crecy can be il
stalled as kind of housekeeper-Oh,
she were only as competent as she
). willing and honest! Well, l confess
will be an immense relief; especially
y the Odeons stop on their way from th
Springs, and the Maxwells come up
Commencement, and Hal marries an
brings out his bride here for weddin
trip" My meditation ended with tn
= conclusion, and | said:
! "Well, you are such good, though
- full fellow, Regi, and | know only wal
N to save me trouble, so if you reall
?: think we had better have this womal
It It and if you will find out why the ScraI
tons hire her out and keep that ol