The Osceola times., 1884-03-22
A QUEEN WHO ATE PIE.
Interview With a Former Servant OF
Queen Victoria.
What She Told "News journal" Re eporter
About the Habits Of the Royal Family.

ing mechanic, and to News Journal re-
porter looked quite as happy in her
present surroundings as fancy ever
painted queen to be, The reporter
found her by the merest chance, and
when h. called and stated hi, business
she expressed some doubt as to the pro-
priety oftalking, hut agreed at last to tell
a little OF her experience if her name was
kept cut of the papers"
"Why don't you want your name pub
lished?' asked the reporter, with
charming and accomplished look in his
eye. "It will be quite a send Off for
YOU
Thank you. don't care for that
now. Pm married and settled, and all
the use have for notoriety is to keep
away from it ]"
"All right. III not publish your name.
Give me the facts. believe you once
held position in the household of
Queen Victoria, at Windsor Castle?"
"Yes, sir. My father was a gardener
at the castle, and when was about six
teen-that's eleven years ago-l was
taken in as general utility maid"
"Were you in any way thrown in the
company of the queen?"
"Yes, quite often. You see some of
the servants she never saw, but my duties
took me all around the castle, and | saw
her more than any of the Others"
"What kind of mistress was she?"
"Oh, she wasn't the mistress. She
didn't know anything about the house
that way. She used to 60 around and
take look at things, but she didn't play
mistress at all. She left that to the diff
ferent housekeepers."
"How many servants were.there in the
castle?"
"I couldn't tell you, sir. There was a
whole army of them. Every little thing
had servant who attended to it, and if
the one special servant didn't see too it
nobody else would"
"Did the queen ever come into the
kitchen, like the ladies of lesser degree
are supposed to do?"
"Of course she did, and she enjoyed it,
too. Why, I've seen her majesty take
the rolling pin out of the pastry cooks
hands and roll piece of pie-crust out
till it was just the right thickness"
$50 the que ats pies, does she?"
"Pve seen her make a pie and I've
seen her eat her share of one. She has a
good appetite and good digestion, and
pie never hurt her at all"
at is said she loves roasted apples, is
it sop
"Yes, I've seen her take in her own
hands dish of nicely Drowned apples
and carry them to her room to eat at her
leisure"
"When she used to be in the kitchen
did she seem interested in the work."
"Very much. Why, one day she came
in dressed in plain black dress, with a
great big white apron on, and she made
cake and fixed up a whole lot of other
dishes She rolled up her sleeves and
went at her work as if she was getting e.
week and her board and lodging for it.
She was always nice and kind to us, too,
and talked Just like some American
ladies talk, and not all like some others
talk when they get mad"
Didn't Victoria ever get angry?
"Not very. I've heard her say POUNDS
sometimes when she put her finger on
the hot stove or something like that, and
once she told me il ! didn't keep my
face clean she would have one of the
gardeners turn the hose on me-"
would she talk to servants freely"
"Yes, sir, like any other lady. She
used to ask us about our homes and our
families, aud all that, but she wouldn't
let us talk any gossip, like the American
ladies do. She was very quiet and gentle
while was at the castle, but | have
heard she is not so now. She is getting
pretty old, and old folks are all more or
less cranky"
"How did the folks live at Windsor"
"You mean the royal ,amily?"
"Yes."
"Well, it is a real nice, quiet house.
hold. Of course there are always lots of
visitors, and the royal household is large.
but the queen steps off to her immediate
family, and they read and talk and play
whistle or sing. Ordinarily she goes 70
bed at 10 or II o'clock and rises about s.
A family breakfast is laid at about o,
lunch at l:30 and dinner at Z. The
breakfast and lunch are plain and with.
out any extras but the dinner is quite
elaborate, and there is always some extra
guests. The queen likes nice roast beef,
accoading to tradition, and prefers nice,
light soda biscuit to any other kind of
bread. She is fond of Kentucky corn
bread also. which she can make herself
BY a recipe found in an American cook
book. She doesn't admire French
dishes, and have heard her say ii was
not right for English speaking people to
print bills of fare in French. She sell
4 m d.;nks coffee Tea is her faYo-:te
beverage, and it makes her have neural |
gia. I'm sure"
Does she have neuralgia
"Yes, sometimes. I've heard her |
complain on several occasions, and once I
| took bottle ofarnica TO her room"
did she have a nice room?"
"Not very. Ii was big, and had nice
but it was not like a queens
bedchamber. The bedstead was one of
hose old carved ones, very ancient, with
4 canopy, valance, and all that kind
)f thing. The covering was Of silk and
and the quilts she and the Prin.
'ess Beatrice had made with their own