Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-11
SEASIDE SERVANTS.
A FamiIy's Original Experience with
Three COlored Cooks.

PhSIdelDhia Times.
The servant question is the black beast
of hOusekeepers at the sea-shore as vel
as In town-perhaps little blacker. Ser
wants who go there in search of places are
generally OF the uppish and good-for-noth
ing kind, who are looking for a summer
outing more than for good. honest work
There is something demoralizing in the
very air Of a watering place, and even the
best OF them are not proof against it.
Some people try to avoid trouble by tax.
ing servants down with them. but that
scheme usually ends in failure.
Said gentleman who took a cottage al
the shore in May: 81 had so much trouble
with COOKS last season that concluded to
take one down with me this time. Ii
worked very we'll for two weeks, but the
love OF ldleness and the board walk, to
which her kind is subject, OYercame her
by that time, and she one day coolIv in.
formed my wife that if she didn't like her
way of doing things she might do them
herself. Or course We sent her Oft instan-
ter, and as / had been wise enough to
engage her by the week she got her wages
only up to the time she left.
1--WE had short interval of peace, my
wife doing the cooking. But as that
wasn't what she went to the seashore for
we looked up cook in the village. The
second experiment was big, black and
burly. with temper. Before a week had
passed she turned upon my wife, who
had ventured to offer a suggestion as to
how something should be done, and, with
blazing eyes, said: Now, locker here I
l does as l pleases when Pse cooking. am
if folks NEEDLE wild me JUS cuts dere
hearts out, does. You hear meP That
settled it and my wife, too, who dared not
reply. My arrival was waited for to give
the black tiend her walking papers.
"But the next trial was the daisy. She
was lady of color, too, obtained in the
'colored quarter of the village. Wewere
taken somewhat aback by her stipula-
ton, during the pI eliminary negotiations,
that she should have at least an hour on
the beach every thermometer health re-
quiring it-and the privilege Of going out
every evening. We conceded both points,
however, for she seemed to be a good sort
Of a servant. For a few days everything
went along smoothly. My cottage has
four sleeping rooms on the second floor,
all opening into a small hall. My wife
and | occupy one of the front rooms, our
fourteen year old boy the other, and one
of the back rooms was assigned to the
cook. One night, when it was rather
warm, we left our door open and hung a
curtain over it. About IL O'Clock, lust
after L had fallen asleep, was startled by
a succession of the most uncanny, blood
chilling screams / ever heard, and as
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 got
ten into my boys room and that he had
been frightened out of his sleep and had
run into ours, but when he replied to my
call that nothing was the matter with
him put my hand on the head of the in
truder, who still trembled, 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 L promptly disen-
gagged my arms, and as l did so the girl
fell over on our bed in an epileptic fit.
She told us afterwards that she was sub
ject to them and that she always ran out of
her room when she had one. She was
careful not to tell us about it when she
came, however. We packed her off and
since then have been taking our meals
out-the best plan, after ALL"