Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-09-10


friend outside of Ireland ~ And the
very next day Il first-cousln had arrived,
and was sitting in the kitchen in his
shirt-sleeves, with very short clay
pipe stuck IN a very wide mouth, su-
perintending Bridget and the ironing
The way that cousin made the voyage
from Ireland in one day was beyond
our comprehension. Bridget explained
that this was not the cousin from Ire
land this was cousin from her
mothers side. He worked IN a sugar
refinery at night, and could only call on
his relatives and friends in the day.
time. After few months had elapsed,
Bridget and her sweetly refining cousin
got married and she was succeeded by
Pennsylvania German girl named Liz
zie, who cooked as If she couldn't count
three. But she could-for she never
accused Mrs. O'Pagus of giving her
four dollars, instead of three, at the
end of her week. Lizzie, the first few
weeks. earned the title of Paragon :"
and Mrs. O'Pagus began to think she
had secured a jewel. Lizzie only had
one popularity. Every evening about
eight O'Clock, she got drowsy and sleepy,
and went to her room. This was, how
ever, considered rather praiseworthy
than otherwise and was attributed to
her being brought up in the country.
One evening Mrs. O'Pagus returned
home, and would hardly believe her
eyes when she beleld her jewel-her
pdrGg0n-stretched out, and forming a
right angle on the floor, with brandy
bottle in her hand from which the spirit
had flown, and her hair streaming down
her back like fashionable schoolgirl
of the period This was too much for
Mrs. O'Pagus. Lizzie had also evi-
IDENTIFY had too much ! Mrs. O'Pagus
was touched by the scene. SOwaS Liz
zIe-not only touched, but moued az WE'LL
On examination We found that our
Bucks county diamond had emptied all
the ale and brandy-bottles in the cellar,
and had replaced them, carefully corked,
filled with pure Schuylkill water That
shook our faith in girls from the rural
districts. After long intermission we
decided to advertise, and see if fortune
would not favor us. As Mrs. O'Pagus
SAID, she couldn't understand it
Other people had girls three and four
years. She had no small children, and
her husband was mot handsome-that
is, not dangerously sop So We adver-
tised. Now, we had frequently adver-
tised before, and bad plenty of re-
SponseS. Some of the applicants had
promised faithfully to come the next
morning. The last time we had occa-
sion TO use the press to engage help Mrs.
O'Pagus hired several, with the under
standing that they were to come the
very next day. The next day came and
went. The girls also tCeHt, but never
came So this time Mrs. O'Pagus de-
eide to profit by her experience. and
engage every girl that appeared. Five
answered the advertisement. and all
five were engaged. That evening Mrs.
O'Pagus was offering bets, with odds,
and no takers, that no girl would come.
But they did come-all five Of them
came-and all five wanted to remain.
We shall never forget that morning
The scene was animated in theeXtreme
They appeared to represent all parts of
the globe, and Mrs. O'Pagus had the
whole world to ochooSe from. That morn
ing We formed some idea of how it was
at the tower of Babel. Three brought
their escorts. staggering under trunks
that would have shamed Cape May
bellies One mad ordered her baggage
TO be brought at night, and the other
had had her wardrobe all on at the
time. Well, we settled it by keeping
one, paying three a weeks wages each,
and sending the last one next door.
Now, the one we kept was selected
by Mrs. O'Pagus because she appeared
neat, could rash luhite shirts, and do
ftding, and also because We pitled her,
as she said she was an orphan. Her
name was Maggie. Well, Maggie had
been with us about four weeks, and had
given no cause for complaint, when one
night lit was just abou. half-past One)
we were awakened by a fearful ringing
at the door-bell. We opened the WIN
dow and asked "Who is there I'' Its
us. sir Does Miss Stagg 1--we here 2"
sNol'' we exclaimed, and closed the
window. We were just getting asleep
and dreaming we heard the dinner-bell,
when we awoke and found it was the
front-door- bell again and, raising the
window the second time, the same voice
saluted us with: "Don't Margaret
Stagg--dOn't Maggie Stagg--live here?"
Now, we had never heard her surname;
so we answered: There is a Maggie
here. Her name may be Stagg. What
do YOU want her for, this time of night?"
s'Well, we want to see her. Her father
is very sick, and sent ius." Here
was a novelty, indeed An orphan
with a sick father, who sends couple
of messengers at half-past one in the
morning BY this time Mrs O'Pagus
had been attracted to the other window,
where she sat with watchman's rattle
in one hand and pitcher OF water In
the other, ready to rattle either or both
at the slightest prOvOcatlon. We told
them il they did not leave the place at
once we would call the police They
left. The next morning we had TO make
the fire ourselves. That nice girl who
WAS so neat. and who could tcdSa tChtte
shirts, and do tiIting. had eloped over
night with the wash from the line and
the messengers sent by her father's
ghost But that was our luck If we
had selected any other of the 1--WE, she
would have acted precisely the same
way. Maggie was but another expon-
ent of our usual ill-luck with female
help. Well, we were discouraged. Mrs.
O'Pagus said. Defeated, but not by
any means dismayed ~
Our next venture came recommended
by tile minister's wife. She was from
the interior of the State, and her sister
was female major dOmo OF the reverend
oentleman's household. Here we surely
had good grounds for the hopes we en-
tertained of obtaining a good, useful
girl. "From the interior of the State"
recommended by the clergy, never
lived out before, and rs homely a NOR
tai as imagination could paint J Her
name was Belle She was our first OF
that cognomen, and, as far as appear
ances went, had no claim whatever to
the title. The rayages of smallpox had
left her pitted and marked, and with
face as full of holes as large-slzed
nutmeg crater In shape she also re-
sembled that useful but not by any
means ornamental utensiL Well, she
didn't elope at night, although that was
probably the only time she could have
GOT any one to run off with her-and
yery dark night it must be, at that !
She was with us just four months and