The Portland daily press., 1881-06-03
IEgJ1l PRESS.
[Harper's Bazar,l
The Case Of Miss Palmyra.

want had finally forced itself to be called an
imperative necessity" Mrs. Bridget O'Toole
had complained and was complaining con-
tinually, and as that model cook had rarely
given voice to causeless murmur, Mrs. Ross's
decision that the desired help should be Sc
cured, was not apparently taken too soon.
Sc, by then seeming most fortunate
chance, Palmyra was directly after heard OF,
and welcomed into our service. Her ap-
pearanee at No. 70 was simultaneous with
that Of Buttons across the way at Mrs.
Shaw's, but it was not with intent. The
most illiberal person in the neighborhood,
Buttons himself, never openly asserted
Though what he might have thought it
quite another matter) that having in some
surrcptitious.way learned Of his, Buttons,
expected appearance as an attachment to
Mrs. Shaw's bell-pull, we had obtained
comely Palmyra in rivalry. "She is really
very handsome" had said that dashing
young inatron who stood to us in the rela-
ton Of THAT most fortunate chance" But
if her comeliness soothed envious swellings
of the brass garnished bosom of Buttons
and sealed his lips, it was not power that
could have so affected Mrs. Shaw, and She
mark that-waS among the earliest to con-
graduate US on our possession.
Though it will be admitted in due time
that Palmyra being ga thing of beauty"
was not ''joy forever" yet she was to us
necessity and not vain ostentation. Let
none, therefore, be disposed to hastily infer
otherwise and declare that as but an appen-
dsgc to base pride she became most right
eous Judgment.
Palmyra was so highly warranted and
warmly praised by our intimate friend, the
young matron before mentioned, that we
we said in our minds, "this is paragon"
though we had hoped never to see one. We
were, in fact, SO charmed by the picture
drawn Of Palmyra that prudence was not
allowed to inquire for such possible thing
as fault. "Of a good family, thoroughly
trained in her duties, active in the discharge
of them, and really very handsome" said
our temptress. gayly, as she sketched the
general outlines before proceeding to dwell
at length on the details. However, as the
representative of a much ridiculed minority
of one, it is claimed as q privilege to say
that Palmyra's sins of omission were few.
To the very last she performed every service
expected of her with celebrity and efficiency
that went far to mitigate the enormity of
her commissions with the proud majority Of
No. 20, namely, Mrs. Ross, Miss Lilith our
sister, Annie Lucscheiter, called Aunie Lu,
for brevity, Mrs. B. O'Toole, and Mrs. o.
Toole's successor.
So Palmyra came; and our imme-
diate impression was that our great graf
ituGe to her sponsor ought TO take the shape
of something elegant and substantial. Annie
LUIS heart was captured at once. Mrs.
O'Toole, whose judgment could be slow
when she willed it took twenty-four hours to
form the opinion that, "She'll do very well,
mum, whin she's a bit more used to the
place.
AT the end of the third day Mrs O'Toole
acknowledged that she too had yielded to
the charm when she admitted that Palmyra
was "almost as good as on Pottie."
ssPattie?'
'.Its not loikely, sur" Ia sigh, THAT yo
remimoer Pattie."
1 knew that Mrs. O'Toole had suffered
many bereavements, having trodcen rather
thorny domestic path through life, but new
er before had she spoken of Pattie.
''Pattie?' said Miss Lilith, when the in
cident was repeated by me. "Yes, 1 re-
member Pattie. She was a beauty too, and
/ believe some scamp ran off with her,"
'Well," said Mrs. Ross with considerable
energy, "no scamp shall run off with Pal
myra if can prevent it. !"
Our friends and acquaintance seemed to
feel in duty bound to repeatedly congratu-
late us on our new possession. elias Pal
myra any relatives who can be got for love
or money, or for love and money com
bined?" became an often formulated ques-
ton. They were not rash enough, of course,
to expect that two families could be so for
tunately blessed. They did not uselessly
aspire TO possess a second Palmyra, but
humbly confessed that a fraction of a Pal
myra, so to speak, would be treasure. Mrs.
Shaw, though having Buttons, went down
to as small fraction as fourth, which, to
be frank, was great deal for Mrs. Shaw to
say. But Palmyra had no near living rela-
tives who were young. Three sisters and
brother at one fell stroke had persisted in
watery graue in the Hudson River, and the
poor orphan stood without a possible rival
in her own family at least
a week or more passed while Palmyra's
light steps went about the house with as
much regularity and attentiyeness to duty
as young house-keeper conld wish, and
her name was never mentioned save with
praise. To be sure, there were heard at
times rather livelier sounds in the immedi-
ate regions of the kitchen than had formerly
been the case; but as they never exceeded
the bounds of decent moderation, we were
glad to learn that it was possible for Annie
Lu and O'Toole to both laugh at the same
time,
But martyr in the shape of milkman
soon brought out Palmyra's latent propensi-
ties. He is now freely admitted to have
been martyr, yet at the time he was re-
garded as the evil being who had brought
discord into our paradise. A report of the
moving incident did not come to us at once,
though we had begun to strongly suspect
that OToole was becoming less amiable to
Palmyra.
Mrs. Ross was looking over the just rem
dered milk bill one night, when this item
claimed her attention for some reason: "May
26. To three quarts of cream"
''Did we use three quarts of cream on the
26tl of last mOnthr'
Annie Lu, to whom the question was adj
dressed, promptly denied any such liberal
purchase of fresh cream on that particular
morning. she wants to charge you, ma am,
for the cream he upset that morning in the
outer Kitchen" Then it appeared that An
ME Lu had been waiting the time when she
would be needed to stand forth as Palmyra's
advocate. And right here let me say that,
after myself, Annie Lu was Palmyra's last
and most constant friend. 'It was Just this
way, ma'am," explained Annie Lu: che
stood his cream can down in the outer kitch-
en-, and when he went to go away, the
cream was all spilled on the floor. Then he
charged that Palmyra had been helping her.
self to his cream, and upset the can on the
floor to cover her stealings. Just as if Pal
myra would do such thing! But it's be-
tween us, ma'am, that if Mrs. O'Tools
wasn't widow, somebody wouldn't have
oSClA u yluS W DS 50 gallant, ana packed
away from broom against his cream can"
The simple fact that Palmyra was fond of
fresh cream, but not of the milknan, and
had been seen in the kitchen but few mo-
ments before the accident (?), was all the ev-
idence the charge rested upon. Mrs. O'Toole
took the milkman's side of the question, as
was TO be expected after the little incident
of the broom had been limited at, but she
failed TO do more than damage his cause,
and Palmyra was honorably acquitted. Mrs.
Ross drew firm pencil through that item Of
the milk bill. Palmyra had looked and acted
innocence itself when the charge was being
discussed, but We had not then learned how
deceitful was the manner of Palmyra.
could not, however, afford to lose such
cook as O'Toole for the price of three quarts
OF cream, and quickly decided on q little
diplomatic move for peace's sake. The ma
ture of that sacrifice may be inferred from
the fact that when on the next day but one
Mrs. Ross sent Annie Lu with the money,
the amorous milkman made but mild OBJ
lection to his diminished bill.
Mrs. Ross, believing that the cause of
right had triumphed, then worked, but vain
ly, to remove OToole's growing objections
to Palmyra. The latter never complained,
seeming well convinced of an ability to take
care of herself without Boosting; and how
the feud grew could only be learned in part