The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-05-17
BY MRS. N. 4. RAyNNE.

honor decorated her with the triumpha
plaudits of fame, and no monumental re-
cord ever told the story of her simple and
answering devotion to duty; yet none the
less is her name written in imperishable
characters upon the scroll of glorious
remembrance, witnessed and attested to in
higher court. where her welcome shall be
sounded: "Well done good and faithful
servant T.
For she was only a servant girl, and had
sat meekly and sorrowfully among the
others in the forlorn city intelligence Office,
waiting for some one to approve of her, and
take her into service. just the day before
her mother had given her the little red
Bible she had in her pocket and said with
fearful voice
"Be good girl, Ida If things don't
go to suit you, and you get down-hearted,
think of your father and me, and read
what he marked in his book, and don't for
get once to say your prayers. That is all
the help and comfort a poor girl can get
that lives out and hasn't any home"
Ida was thinking this over as she sat
there in the commercial exchange of flesh
and blood, when she heard loud voice
say:
She lifted her eyes, shy as the wild
flowers of herEoWn country fields, and saw
gentlemen regarding her with cool bust
ness look.
ssShe is just in fromthe country and has
never lived out, said the polite tones OF
the mistress of the Office.
ssAll the better then,' said the gentle
man. My wife will make a good servant
out of her. There is nothing suits her bet
ter than to break in a raw hand. Hey, girl,
can you cook potato
His voice was rough but not unkindlY,
and as the girl timidly answered him, he
continued:
"Send her to the house, Mrs Spence,
and settle with my wife about the wages.
We won't be particul ar it she turns out to
be quick and willing.
Ida smiled thankfully and tried to say a
few grateful words that stuck in her throat,
but it was all the same-the gentleman
who had hired her, Mr. Simpson, had
turned away, and from that moment forgot
her as completely as if she had never
lived.
She was ENGAGED at his house, and soon
learned how to cook city diet in way ac-
ceptable to the family. She could wash
and iron, sweep and ciean, and in a month
Mrs. Simpson told all her friends what
treasure she had in the new girl.
The girl could do other things-sew and
embroider, sing very sweetly, play the
melodeon prettily, read and recite better
than either Belle or Maud Simpson, and
had lovely, cultivated thoughts about the
people and the relation of one human
being to another. But the family never
knew it. They did not even appreciate the
fact that she spoke beautiful English and
ba %ba
daughter of Scotch minister, and strong,
plain, good-hearted Yankee girl who, when
her young husband became blind, was eyes
and ears and feet for him till he died. leav-
ing family of younger helpless and de-
pendent children. The father had taught
Ida, and in dying he had charged her to
help her mother and maintain the chill
dren But not in this way. Oh, no ! good
man as he was, his pride would have re-
volted at Lida's going into service.
But she, brave little woman, had reason
ed it all out. Her education was too err
ratio to permit of her teaching school.
Sewing would soon ruin. her health. Other
girls lived out Why should not she?
The fronts of houses are very insincere.
They aaunt light and style, and the ap-
pearance of comfort in the face of the
passer-by. The skeleton is in a back part
glass windows to attract attention.
Ida lived in the kitchen; she worked
alone all day, feeding upon herself. Mrs
Simpson did not scold or interfere unless
something went wrong. Then she did
both.
Alas, how easily things go wrong. She
could excuse them for herself or her chill
dren, but not for the Servant within her
gates" Ida had letter from her mother
saying that little Benny had broken his
wrist, and cried all one night for sister
Ida. Then she cried. and the coffee
Drowned too much, and Mrs. Simpson
scolded her severely. She sent every dol
lar home and wore her summer clothes all
winter. Then she did very dishonest
thing She wore the ironing-blanket under
her thin shawl when she went out one Bit
ter night to buy the yeast for the breakfast
mullins. Mrs. Simpson came into the
kitchen and saw the lining of poverty. /,
Perfectly shameful" she said, 'wearing
my things out in that manner. I pay you
enough to buy warm shawl every month.
What do you spend your money for p
Ida did not say. The next morning the
mufins were light, but not her heart. 1t
was heavier than lead. She sung softly
under her breath:
"Dare to do right-dare to be true"
Then she changed it to-
There's land that is fairer than day."
It seemed to help her, and she forgot the
wearying rub-a-dub-dub of the wash-board
and sung higher. Mrs. Simpson looked in:
s'Lida, stop singing. 1t is enough to set
any one crazy to hear that dismal tune. l
never allow my hired girls to sing.
After that she sang only in her heart.
ssYou are dear, good girl wrote her
mother. ssand am so glad you like your
place, and that the people are kind to you.
We should have starved this winter but for
you"
When Ida read this letter she laid her
head down on the kitchen table and cried.
All the inanimate things that were her only
companions seemed to be sorry for her.
The stove shone warm and bright, the room
looked cosy, but, oh! it was not home
home, where mother and Benny and the
rest loved her. She read chapter IN the
little bible, went to the small, dark, dreary
room that exists in most houses as sort of
catch-all, and is known as the girls room,
and there by her narrow bed asked OF God
that peace which foweth as river.
It came to her sooner than she expected.
Mrs. Simpson sent for her family physician
y 8Oue morning and said
ssDoctor, I am in such trouble. My
kitchen girl seems threatened with a fever.
have sent Maud and Bellaaway, and want
s YOU to tell me, just what to do.
The doctor followed Mrs. Simpson to the
Z rear apartmentwh Ida slept. The room
was cold and full of the odor of cooking.
sit is so beautiful here" she said in 8
faint voice; "the sun shines and it is never
(, cold. Hark that is fathers voicel and
thew are all so kind here. Oh, Mrs. Simp.