The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-09-11
Seaside Servants.

| The servant question is the black
beast of housekeepers at the seashore
as well as in town-perhaps a little
blacker. Servants who 60 there in
search of places are generally of the
uppish and good-for-nothing kind. who
are looking for 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 it. Some
people try to avoid trouble by taking
servants with them, but that scheme
generally ends in failure.
Said gentleman who took q cottage
at the shore last May: 81 had so much
trouble with cooks last season that I
concluded to take one down with me
this time. 1t worked very well for two
weeks, but the love of idleness and the
boardwalk. to which her kind is SUBJ
ject, oyercame her by that time. and
one day she coolly informed my wife
that if she did not like her way of do
ing things she might do them herself.
as had been wise enough to hire her
by the week. she only got her wages
up to the time she left
my wife doing the cooking But, as
! that wasn't what she went to the sea-
shore for, we looked up q cook in the
village. The second experiment was
big. black. and burly. with a temper.
on my wife, who had ventured to offer
suggestion as to how something
should be done, and, with blazing eyes,
I T
pleases when Is cookin'. an eff folks
neddlo wild me / just cuts dere hearts
out. does. You hear meP' That set
tied it and my wife, too, who dared not
reply. My arrival was waited for TO
give the black fiend 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 her
stipulation. during the preliminary ne
gotiations. that she should have at
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, for
she seemed to be a good sort of SER
want For few days everything went
on smoothly. My cottage has four
sleeping rooms ON the second story, all
opening into a small hall. My wife
and occupy one of the front rooms,
our 15-year-old boy the other, and ono
of the back rooms was assigned to the
cook. One night when it was rather
warm, we left our room door open and
hung a curtain over it. About IL
o'clock, just after had fallen asleep. l
was startled by succession of tho
most uncanny, blood-curdling screams
ever heard, and as l jumped out of
bed some one rushed into our room and
right into my arms. and lay there
trembling and shaking and moaning in
way that made my flesh creep. My
first thought was that somebody had
gotten into my boys room and that he
had been frightened out of his sleep
and had run into ours, but when he re-
piled to my call that nothing was the
matter with him put my hand to the
head of the intruder, who still trcm-
bled in my arms, and felt the woolly
hair of our cook. By this time my wife
had lighted lamp, and she says the
tableau was unique and striking. OF
course promptly disengaged my arms
and as l did SO the girl fell over ON the
bed in an epileptic tit. She told US af-
terwards that she was subject to them.
and that she always ran out of her
room when she had one She was care
full not to tell us when she came, how
ever. We packed her off. and have
since then been taking our meals out
the best plan after all. PHILADELPHIA
Times.