Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-10-12
MAID OR MISTRESS.

The afternoon sunshine, streaming IL
through the open door, lay like IA golden
parallelogram on the whitley, secured
boards of the kitchen floor; the tall
dahlias In the garden nodded their heads
6rowsily in the subtle autumn heats
and the clock in the corner, under the
silvery spray of clematis blossoms, had
Just struck three.
Clarissa -"Click," " as they called her
for short-handled the dishes and the
tin w22re, and the odd little delf pitchers
and creampots, very scientifically. She
had washed the dishes many time be-
fore.
''If don't do it, mamma must" said
Click.
So she had laid aside the china plaques
she was decorating in her little studio
up stairs, closed the portfolio, where
she had not yet found rhyme for her
last line of poetry, resolutely shut the
bookcase door on her German trans
lations, and, tying on big bib apron
of checked gingham, went to work
because" said Click, with twist of
her cherry lips, ''we do have such fear
full experiences with servants"
Mrs. Cone had driven the little gray
pony up into some almoJt inaccessible
eyrie on the mountain-side, in search of
problematica Welsh damsel, who was
said to ''go out to service" Mr.. Cone
and his stalwurt sons, were In the fields,
at work; and Click, all alone in the
house, was singing trills and roulades,
stray "reminiscences of her boarding
school practice of the year before, with
her sleeves rolled up, Ter bright bronze
hair confined in net, and her big, gray
eyes half-veiled beneath their thought
full lashes.
SIS this Mr. Eleazar Cones house?"
Click started, while the sudden color
deluged her face Absorbed in some
enhancing day dream, she had not heard
the sound of footsteps on the short
grass of the dooryard.
specimens of the genus western farm
err" but Enthusiastically from the East.
Click looked down in dismay at the
enveloping bib-apron, the soapy arms,
the array of dishes, washed and other.
wise, which surrounded her like crockery
cheraur de .frise.
''Yes," she answered, family, ''tkis is
Mr.. Cones; but"
''Then it's alright, and We haven't
lost our way, after all, " said the taller
of the two. "My good girl" address
ing Clarissa aftera patronizing fashion,
''will you be so good as to take these
bags?" setting his valises Oh the floor.
'.And if you could getme a glass of cool
water, should be thousand times
obliged. 1 suppose Mr. c ne is not in
the house at this time of day, but he ex
poets me"
Its the professor" thought Click to
herself, more dismayed than ever.
For her father, chairman of the Board
of Trustees of the District, had written
to Maine university to send them a
competent instructor for the thriving
young seminary, which had risen up
like Jonahs gourd, in this Western
wilderness. And Click had so counted
on making favorable appearance be-
fore this professor, and he has now
taken me for the servant girli''
But Mr.. Cones daughter was not
without sense of humor; so she drop
ped little courtesy, and said:
''Yes. sir, certainly"
She took the pitcher and went out;
and as she turned the windlass of the
well with out, she could hear the guests |
in the kitchen
Il wonder where the daughter is?"
said the professor.
''The daughter? What daughter?' de-
manded his friend.
Don't You remember some one told
US Cone had a very tale..ted daughter
how Clicks ears burned beneath her
gingham sunbonnetl- ia girl who wrote
poetry, and read the Quarterly Reviews,
and
"Horriblei' said the friend.
''Just what say myself echoed the
professor. 81 can imagine exactly how
she looks, spectacled and gaunt, with
no particular figure, and an accent
through the nose. Now"-and he
yawned and stretched himself as he
spoke -"my idea of woman-hood is
deal more like the pretty little servant
maid, who has Just gone to bring up a
glass of water. Here she comes now.
1 am much obliged to your with a
gracious nod and smile, and he took the
brimming goblet from her hand and
drank eagerly.
'.Shall get your honor some lunch,
please? said Click, with courtesy.
She was entering into the spirit OF
the thing now.
ssNow think of it," said the pro-