River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-09-19

by the dav after tomorrow, your birth
day, you still hate me, send we word TO
that effect, and will, the moment your
J note is read, accept position offered me
this morning, and start for home be.
yond the sea. Good night, Miss Oar
ling.'
ood-night, Mr.. Ditto
And he strobe away up the road and
picked up my ring and stole into the
house, and cried as though my heart
would break. II was SO unkind of him
to be unkind to a poor little thing like
me.
The next morning, as / sat ON the front
porch darning the ohildrens stockings
dear mel it seems to me every time
stocking alarming comes around that there
never could be family with so many
legs as ours Anthony drove past with
Meta Brooke at his side.
hid behind the stocking basket until
they were out of sight, and then | flew to
my desk and wrote as bitter note as q
woman twice my size could have written,
and sent it to the village postofiice that
very evening by our little servant-maid.
Our little servant-maid IS q pretty lit
tie maid, with red mouth, bright chest
nut hair, pleasant smile, neat plump
figure, and remarkable cheerful dis
position. And aclev 1rlittie maid she is too
can wash and iron and COOK and hum
bred other things; but she possesses one
taste which interferes sadly with her do
mestic duties-the most insatiate hunger
for literature, which she gratities when
ever she finds an opportunity, in season or
out of season, morn, noon, or night.
Potatoes and stews are burned, bread,
cakes and pies baked to cinders, doors
left open all night, breakfast delayed,
lunches forgotten, dinners served too
early or late-all on account of this love
of reading whloh eharacterlzes our little
servant maid
She nearly drowned baby once, while
giving her her bath by letting the dar-
| ling's head slip under while she aevoured
story in a Harper's Weekly she had TAX
en- from table near by. She let my
canary escape while she removed his
empty seed cup with one hand, and held
"Helen Babies in the other, her eyes
being fixed on the book. She spilled the
soup one dinner-time over papa's i'm
macalate white vest, while trying TO peep
at the magazine he was 0lancing over. |
She set the hot flat-iron on our best dam
ask table-cloth, and left it there TO in |
delibly imprint its triangular portrait,
while she hastily read an interesting
murder case in the mornings paper.
She could scarcely be got out of bed
mornings, because she was tired and |
sleepy from reading the book she had |
distracted from the book -case the night
before, and when she did get up she
actually sat before the dreary-lookiDg
stove for half an hour or so, lntenlly
perusing the various scraps Of newspaper
with which she should have been light
ing the fire
In short, if she had not been the most
devoted, sunny, unseltish and fond-of
us-al lite creature, it would have been
utterly impossible for us to have stood
the many mishaps and disasters that
sprang from our servant maids devotion
to literature. As it was, papa said TO
her when she drenched him with soup,
Another occurrence of this nature, and
you 60" And mama said to her when
she nearly drowned the baby-"RealDy,
Eleanor, if anything as dreadful as this
happens again we must part" And
said to her when she freed my song-blrd,
eThe very next wrong thing you do while
reading and made significant pause
and looIed
'Yes, miss, said Nellie, meelIly, with
the tears in her gray eyes, which didn't
prevent her, as soon as she reached the
kitchen, bursting out with, "Why, why,
why didst thou leave meW to tune
made up of a strange combination OF
"Old Dan Tucker and ''fhe Russian
Hymn"
But with The exception of turkey
nicely roasted and SET to the table re-
taining its crop and one or two other su-
perdaous appendages to turkey when
roasted, on account of ''Red as Rose Is
She,n and forgetting to put the yeast in
the bread one night because east Lynn"
lay beside the bread bowl, Nellie bad
got into no trouble for several months
and had gladly said tn me, the morning
of the very next day sent that horrid
letter, $50, miss, shall be with you an
other birthday, after all, and isn't that
Monarch of Minking Lane .ovely3 /
read little bit of it when | was busting
the parlor, miss.
Well, to go back TO naughty Barbara,
standing by the window, and gazing out
into the street,
Oh, how nv heart ached How sorry
| was for quarreling with my dear, good,
snlendid r nthony! The first ding this
morning, my birthday morning. year
| was scarcely through my freak
when he came, bringing me the lovliest
set of pearls--he will get my cruel letter,
and then, before l can send another to
beg him to forgive me, he will have start
ed for that dreadful place away off good
ness knows where.
"What possessed me" said to myself,
wringing my hands in despair, SILLY,
wicked little thing that ] am, to break
nv own heat and wound him so deeplys
He loves me, know he loves me dearly
and he never, never, negef would have
fiirted had | not set him the example"
and | heaved deep sigh, which was I'M
mediately echoed behind me, and turning
I saw Nellie laying the table for dinner,
with a most woe begone expression on
her round rosy face; and as | turned
toward her, two frightened inploring gray
eyes met mine. For moment | forgot
my own trouble.
"Why, Nellie, what is the matter with
youi" I asked.
"Oh dear! oh DEAR bow can I tell you9
Ana out or ttlS uOust L MUS 80 SOCh
as you know. And love your ma, and
almost love your pa, Ind adore the rest
of YOU Oh! oh !ohl" bursting into sohs
and tears.
take down your apron this minute
said firmly, land tell me what you have
been doing this time
"Well, MISS" said Nellie, giving
gre t gulp. and coming and standing be-
fore me, you know, miss, last evening
[ went to the village. and it was "a ele
giant moonlight night, miss; and, OIL
miss, r-twining and untwining her I'm
gers nervously-'I can't bear TO go out
into the cold and heariless world What
shall do? what shall dot"
500 on" said /.
"And | got my paper-the Weekly
Roarer Aots, you know, where they're
printing The Vow of the Glass Fiend;
or, the Glittering, Cleaning Girandole.'
And. oh miss what shall dor
"GJ on, said /.
"And j opened the paper in the store
lust to see how Stephanyer Alveretter got
out of the enchanted cave, and came
out into the road areading it. Oh miss,
it's most awful Interestingly And Nellie,
completely carried away by her subject,
unclasped her hands, and continued IN