The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-10-11


III am late" said Joscelind. NJ
thought the old beast of stage never
would get here. The horses fairly crept
and the roads were horrid."
'It's dreadfully warm day." growled
Uncle Black.
"I'm almost roasted" sighed Josce.
lind.
"The whole summer has been intoer-
ably warm, said the old gentleman.
1--WE might as well be in the tropics
aud done with it, retorted Joscelind,
flinging off her shawl and tanning her.
self vehemently."
Uncle Black gave her the keys that
night, just as he had three times before
given them to her three sisters.
81 shall expect you to take charge of
the whole establishment" said he. "The
servants are miserable"
"No more than one might expect"
interrupted Joscelind, with deprecatory
motion of the hand. "Servants are mere
frauds, nowadays ~
"And nothing goes right about the
place."
"Nothing ever does !" said Joscelind.
Uncle Black eyed her queerly. This
was quite different from the determined
cheerfulness and systematic good spirits
of her three sisters.
AT breakfast, the next morning, Uncle
Black began to scold, as usual.
''Fish again ~ said he. "This makes
four mornings in the week we've had
fish,"
81 detest fish" said Joscelind, push
ing away her plate with a grimace.
"And the rolls heavy again !" growled
Uncle Black, breaking one open.
"Please give me the plate, Uncle
Black" said Joscelind; and she rang
the table bell sharply.
Betty, the cook, stout, good humored
Irishwoman, made her appearance.
"Betty, be SO good as to throw these
rolls out of the window" said Miss
Darkridge.
Betty stared.
''Do you hear what tell you ?' said
Miss Darkridge, with emphasis.
And Betty flung the rolls among the
rose-bushes, where they were speedily
devoured by Cato, the Newfoundland
dog, and Rob and Roy, the two settlers.
"But what am to eat for breakfast ?"
bewailed Uncle Black.
"Crackers, of course. Anything is
better than imperiling ones digestion
with such stuff as this And, Betty, if
you send up any more fish in month,
you may consider yourself discharged
do you hear ?'
But my dear, am rather fond of
fish," put in the old man.
zone can't eat fish the whole time"
said Joscelind, imperiously. "Here,
Betty-this coffee is not fit to drink
and the toast is burned and you must
have put the cooking butter on the table
by mistake let these errors be rectifed
at once"
Betty retired, with an ominous rustic
of her stiffly starched apron.
"My DEAR" said Uncle Black, rather
apprehensively, betty is very old
servant, and She"
81 don't care If she is the age of
Methuselah nobody can be expected to
put up with such wretched cookery as
this -
/" L really think she is not so bad,
if-r
"Oh, pray don't apologize for her,
Uncle Black !" said Joscelind. "They
are all shiftless, lazy creatures, who
must be discharged promptly if they
don't do their duties"
Uncle Black began to look frightened.
He had kept Betty, Sylvia and John for
ten years. Was it possible that he had
scolded at them for ten years, only to
have Joscelind Darkridge out.scold him
now?
ST wouldn't be too short with 'em,
my dear, If 1 were you ~ he remonstra-
ted.
"Then let them do their duty ~ said
Joscelind, with the air of an empress.
1--WE are all mortal" pleaded Uncle
Black.
II expect every one around me to live
to their conditions" said Joscelind.
"Uncle Black ate the rest of his break
fast with but little appetite. sylvia, the
housemaid, was finishing busting his Ii
brary as he entered it.
"Not through yetY" growled Uncle