Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1884-12-03
Seaside Servants.

The servant question lS tho plack
beast of housekeepers at the seashore
ns we'll as in town-perhaps o little
hIacker. Servants who go there In
search of places are generally OF the
mnnish and good-for-nothing kind, who
are looking Tor q summer-outing more
than for good, honest work. There Is
something demoralizing in the air OF
a watering-place, and the very best OF
them are not proof against 1t. Some
neople try to avoid trouble by taking
SERVANTS with them, but that scheme
generally ends in failure.
Said q gentleman who took cottage
at the shore last May: II had 80 much
trouble with cooks last season that l
concluded to take one down with me
this time. 1t worked very we'll for two
weeks. but tho love of idleness and tho
boardwalk, to which her kind ID sub
iect. oyercame her by that time. and
ono day she coolly informed my wife
that II she did not like her way OF do
inc things she might do Thorn herself.
or course we sent her of instantly. and,
as had been wise enough to hire her
by the week. she only got her wages
! M to the time she left
I'VE had q short interval Of peace.
| NV vito doing the cooking. But, as
that wasn't what she went to tho sea-
shore for, we looked up cook In the
| village. The second experiment was
big, black, and burly, with temper:
Before q week had passed she turned
on nv wife, who had ventured to offer
a suggestion as to how something
should be done, and. with blazing eyes,
said: "Now, locker here! I does as I
pleases when rs cookin', an ct folks
ineddle wild me just cuts dere hearts
out I does. You hear mer That set
tied 1t and my wife, too, who dared not
reply. Nv arrival was waited Tor to
give the black 6end her walking pa
pers.
but the next trial was daisy. She
| was also lady of color obtained in
the .colored quarter Of the village.
We were taken somewhat back by hoH
stipulation. during the preliminary NO.
gotiations, that she should hare ai
least an hour on the beach every after.
| noon-her health requiring it-and the
privilege of going out every evening.
We conceded both points, however. fol
she seemed to be q good sort OF ser
want. For few days everything went
on smoothly. My cottage has ioul
sleeping rooms on tho second story, al
opening into small hall. My wife
and occupy one of the front rooms,
our 15-year-old boy the other, and ons
of the back rooms was assigned to tho
cook. One night when 1t was rather
warm, we left our room door open and
hung q curtain over 1t. About II
o'clock, Just after 7 had fallen asleep,
was startled by q succession OF the
most uncanny, blood-curdling screams
ever heard, and as jumped out o.
.. bed some one rushed into our room and
right into my arms, and lay there
tremb bling and shaking and moaning II
q way that made my flesh creep. Ny
first thought was that somebody hat
gotten into my boys room and that h
had been frightened out Of his sleel
and had run into ours, but when he re
piled to my call that nothing was thu
matter with him put my hand to thu
head of the intruder, who still trem
bled in my arms, and felt the WOOL!
hair of our cook. By this time my wifi
had lighted lamp, and she says tn
! tableau was unique and striking. O.
course I promptly disengaged my arm
, and as 1 did so the girl fell over on tn
,, bed in an epileptic fit. She told us Of
> forwards that she was subject to them
: and that she always ran out of he
room when she had one. She was care
full not to tell us when she came, how
eyer. We packed her of, and hav
!, since then been taking our meals GU
! the best plan after all. "-Philadelpbi
Times.