Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-03
"BOYCOr FED"
CHAPTER I.

CHAPTER I.
eve are 'Boycotted Yes; "Boy-
cotted,'' in the fullest sense Of the term
All our servants have gone. Men-ser-
wants and maid servants. From the cook
to the pantry boy-butler, nousemaids,
ladies' -maid-all are gone, bag and bag
gage, all protesting against going, yet all
afraid to stay; and we are all alone in
our glory, and strange TO relate, our
spirits have risen in OnseQuence-gone
up to fever height; in fact. We laugh,
actually, as the last mental departs, and
then we look at each other with a sort of
defiant expression, and laugh again, for it
is rather ridiculous, after all.
Here we are-the Desmonds of Castle
Desmond-alone, utterly alone. Bereft
of household servants, of farm laborers,
of cOachmen, groom-all, not forgetting
the dairymaid, 'and dozen COWS wait
ing TO be MIXED" What are we to do?
eight it out" Gerry declares with
CLEAN in his gray eyes; and we all with
triumphant clamor echo his sentiments.
''Of course we must never give in. |
should think not; give in, indeedl' eX-
claim the clear, defiant, young voices;
for there is flavor of delicious excite
ment about it all, and we feel like war
horses seeming the battle from afar, and
we are all more or less eager for the fray.
Mamma alone weeps and walls with her
Youngest born at her side; and looks
pathetically at Gerry, her eldest son and
master, and owner of Castle Desmond and
its surrounding broad acres.
"Nan is going to stay with me-" an
nounces the youngest born with charm
ing egotism, $50 she shan't suffer a mo-
ment's uneasiness."
Poor old nurse, she alone is faithful;
but what can she do?
"Heavens! l believe you have all for
gotten that awful man is coming to-
night" exclaims Ely, tragically.
GERRY, you must telegraph and stop
him.
~ can't, he is on his road hours ago;
and what is to prevent him coming, L
should like to know"
"What is to prevent him cominga why,
everything. Who is to cook? or wait at
table9 Or
''Make his bed?'' Solemnly this last
comes from the irrepressible youngest
born; whereupon we all laugh.
''By Jovel yes--I never thought of
that" muses. Gerry. "and Tremaine is
such a terrible fellow for form, and all
that sort of thing
Nora looks up from some work she is
pretending to do.
owe could stand 'Boycotting' by our
selves, but don't see how we really can
have stranger IN the house. You see,
there is only old Nan, and you know,
Gerry, dear, we may not be able to get
even provisions, and he might not like to
come now when things are so very I'M
settled"
81 have an ideal" My ideas are gener-
ally unique of their kind, so the five pair
of eyes turn on me at once
"Out with it, Nab"
And | cry out, excitediy:
''Eily, will you help me? You and L
can be servants, and wait at table, and
everything, and Colonel Trema'ne will
never know. Oh, it will be grand fun
Now, what do you think of my ideai'
'tBosh'' from Gerry.
''Delightfull'' from Ely.
And for half an hour we talk ed bet
ter talk. but in the end | carry my point,
and we dash off to work out our scheme.
Mamma is too broken down and ner-
vOus to care what we do, and Gerry walks
about as if he had the world on his
shoulders; so Ely and I carry all before
us and work like slaves to the detriment
of our hands, for weNare novices at cook
cry, and surely no cooks were so black or
so smutty as we two.
Our efforts are something almost super
human; and were it not for the real grav-
ity of "Boycotting," we would enjoy it
all thoroughly. Milking time is the
worst. There stand the cows stalled in
by Gerry, and there stand the pals; but
where is the MILK
Gerry works away with his face very
red, but with very little result. | am
seated on little low stool, little afraid
of the cow, it must be confessed, but still
struggling manfullY, and yet the milk
won't come. Ely ditto, laughing, and
telling US she is getting on beautifully.
''It's all knack, Nab. Why, have ex-
tracted nearly pint
GA pretty hard knack, - in smothered
voice from Gerry, with his head buried
in a big red cow.
''Steady, Cowslip, steadyl'
But Cowslip with one kick and spring
sends me on my back ignominiously-
pail, stool, and all flying; and my precious
pint of milk finds resting place IN the
straw.
Otherwise there is no damage done,
and return to the charge. For three
hours we are working at those miserable
Cows and at last, very hot and very tired