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

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% address her at all, but ratified the
door knob ominously.
BLESS my sowl,n she cried, with a
startled jump, "sure an | thought it was
the mistress herself, an what do you
want. anyhow"
81 want the cat taken out OF the milk,
| said, regaining my possession and
anger at her impertinence. "What are
YOU idhng out of that window for Shut
it and build the FIRE Immediately"
"Shure now" she cried loudly, with
arms akimbo and face defiant, IAN WHO'S
the likes of yoursilt. to be bossing met
If yes wants the fire built, yes can build
it,
'SPatric, 2 said ! with great dignity, II
want no such airs. I'm your master and
/ want that fire built"
MY masterln she cried shrilly. sIn-
dade an we'll see. hired mesilf TO u
swate purity leddy-an' it's not by the
likes of yes I'll be bossed,' and before
my wrathful gaze she fiounced out o
sight and / stood alone. AS first move
was fail fire, in celebration of which
stamped across the kitchen, and threw
the cat out of the window, then sent the
milk flying after her, and saw the pan
smash against the pump and bend double,
without a feeIfng. tackled tine stoye
after that, but didn't understand all the
knobs and hampers and bay windows OF
tin and iron, so the fire died away with
out struggle; then opened everything
that had knob to it and tried it over.
A small blaze crept up ana poKed its
nose around contemptuousiy, then turned
a somersault and died, and four or five
sickly puffs of smoke came and buried
it, after which slammed every door and
damper shut, poked in all the paper and
trash I could find, and had just lighted 1t
with rash haste when | discovered that
had stuck in the morning paper which
Patrick had laid ON the floor. Now, il
there was anything that upset me, it was
breakfast without my paper, so | groaned
in anguish of spirit, and dived irto the
pantry, without knowing what for, but
came out bearing a sugar bowl and a
fork, which l deposited on the table. My
fire was burning with sickly, can't-help-
myself air; IL cheered me some, so that
flew back and forth lively to set the table.
and was comparatively happy until ter
rible odor began TO fill the kitchen.
threw open the doors and windows, but
it only increased. Then | stopped in my
operations and began to sniff around.
Finding the teakettle dry solved the mys-
terry, so | hastily poured in some cold wa
ter. whereupon the bottom cracked, and
I only saved the life of my fire by jerking
off the thing and burning my hand to q
blister with the hot handle. 1t doesn' I
matter particle what | said.
Toddie would have called it ga wicked
swear word,n and Kitzie would have
boen shocked by it, but it doesn't matter.
] threw it clear across the room, and it
made hole big enough to hold an egg
in the door casing. | was discouraged
after that; besides l discovered, on sur
veying my table. that | had put on three
different styles of milk pitchers, four but
dishes, enough plates for regiment, no
castor, and had forgotten to chang. the
fancy damask spread for the one we eat
on There was only one thing that ] was
certain of and that was coffee. We had
made that 100 often in camp to fail on it
now, so I boiled some water in pan and
set it going, then hunted up the ham and
cut off fourteen slices, for l knew / was
hungry, doubtless Kitzie was, and besides
it might shrivel in cooking for all / knew.
I grew less confident when | found that
it took four skillits and two other irons
of some kind to cook. II began to look
like good deal for two people to eat at
one meal, but still let it all sIzzle away
and went to find something else, for
when Kitzie didn't have variety I took
occasion TO grumble.
There were potatoes, eggs and pickles;
yes, that would do; so took eight of the
first, ten of the second, and six of the
third, and clambered upstairs with them
and wondered If had enough, Kitzie
would laugh if hadn't. Six big pickles
IN a cunningly fashioned eaf-shaped dish
looked promisir g, so put them proudly
on the table ana went back to chuck my
potatoes into the oven and my eggs into
some wa er; then the coffee boiled over,
and the ham began to smoke and smell.
| pulled them both off, first taking the
precaution 20 cover my hands, but as the
ham commenced to cool / remembered
that it WAS only cooked ON one side, so
turned it over and put it back. After
that there was nothing left to do for a
little while, so sat down in the window
and wished hadn't burnt the morning
paper up; but had, and that was the end
Of it, so, to console myself, went in TO
look at the table again, not that it was so
cheerful looking, because it wasn't; on
the contrary it was dismal, but then it
was finished and that was some consola-
lion. These chilly mornings Kitzie al
ways had bright fire sparkling in the
crate, and the fresh sunshine playing
across the table. None of that was there
now.
Last nights ashes adorned the CRATE,
he blinds and curtains were still down
md 10, under the impression that night
still reigned, sat in his swing, with his
mead poked resignedly under his wing,
md swung back and forth. Whatever |
reflections | might have been in, TO |
2itzie's credit and my own detriment, |
we're cut short by nine strokes that as
Jailed my astonished ears from the sit
ing room, and / rushed frantically pack /
o tae kitchen to take up my breakfast |
When placed on the table it was tempt |
ng, do assure you; there were four
)latters of ham, burnt almost black, three
fishes OF potatoes, hard as brickbats, a
wire castor full of eggs, soft as nature
irst made them, for | had cooked them
n cold water, a monstrous coffee pot
Tiled with the scorched beverage, no
bread, and nothing fit to eat but the
pickles surveyed it solemnly, then
went up the back stairs, tip
oed to the front room and exchanged my
for downtown habit lents. then
vent down to the parlor where Kitzie sat
It the piano in the dainuest of white
morning gowns, with square inch OF
ace and some blue bows on her sunny
lair.
"Kitzie TreherDe," said ], with terrible
and staring fxedly at the
,iano stool so as not TO see the laugh Turk
ng in her dimples. "YOu can go out and
at your breakfast ifyou want it, cooked
o much that it's made me sick. Patric
las left, and the tea kettles broken, the
nilks gone, the pans smashed, and /
,roke the cats leg. | don't know when
-ou'll ever see me again. Good by"
/ didn't 90 home to dinner-her laugh
Iaunted me all day, but by evening
rev SO desperate TO SEE her and beg all
manners Of pardon, that mortally offend
d late customer. for which / didn't
are, but left the locking up to Michael
nd departed in haste, only stopping long
no6gh at the confectioners to get
hunky bag of earamels, which ] knew
Iould make peace if it was necessary.
he windows to my dainty dOmicile were
Il open, and couldn't resist stopping to