Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-08-18
A MASQUERADE.
The Love and Loyalty of a Pretty
Irish Kitchen Girl.

A very pretty Irish girl was my one
domestic, Katie Mclarty, very pink
and white as to complexion, very
plump as to figure, blue eyed. black
haired, trim, tidy and without a rival
In the art and science of broiling a
steak, making coffee, sweeping, dust
ing and setting a room TO right. She
was only six months over from Ireland
when she came to my door: but She
had evidently had good training some
where, and had proited by it. She
had not reigned long in my kitchen
before the butchers man and the
grocery fingered a little as they de-
llvered parcels, and the coachman east
admlrlng glanceS at her as she opened
the door when his "missus'' made her
calls, In fact, one Of the first coach
men in the ward, one who wore the
most elegant livery, and drove the
finest turnout in the most distinguished
manner openly expressed his admira-
'''iAA g
tlon at Christman time by a card of
very magnificent proportions and n
bottle OF very pronounced perfumery.
The stout young butcher declared to
her one day, that he sent the tendcre,t
cuts IN his shop TO us all for her sake,
Clearly Katie could have been quite Il
belle IN her own circle had she chosen:
but She seemed to have little i%nclina-
ton for the distinction.
For in spite of Katie's blithe man.
ner, and she carried a CHEEKY face,
there seemed to Turk a shadow of
something like sorrow in her blue
eyes; there vas a look that made mo
thlnk OF that in the face of Evangeline.
The smile Of dcrision with which
TINS statement was received by the
head of the house would have quite
demolished any one less positive than
!. In the eyes of my friends | was the
Verlest dreamer, "a rOmancer. who saw
what was not there.
In my own estimation | was y
woman OF remarkable penetration and
insight. Circumstances confirmed This
view often enough to enable me TO
Keep a fair confidence in my W in
tultlve powers; occasional failures
kept my friends from a like confidence
in me
She was performing some small SER
vice in my room one morning. and
was silently admiring the careful dey-
terity of her movements, when | oh.
served what | thought to be a little
extra %pensivenoss about her. There
was a depression in the set Of her
dusting cap that did not escape me.
She was only an Irish servant girl.
one OF the many who come and 90 and
are forgotten, but she was a woman.
friendless, or so | thought, in a strange
country. She was Il member OF nv
household, 1t was not idle curiosity
that led me to say to her: katie.
you look a little sad this morning. has
any thing gone wrong, any thing that
a help? You must consider me a
friend when you need one"
THANK you, ma'am,n she said,
"thank you kindly. It's all along o.
the coachman, Patrick McGuire. He's
that fond of me, ma'am, that he'll not
be takin' no at all, and that's all the
word ] can spake to him"
Patrick McGuire is Il worthy Young
man, is he not?"
Ale is that, ma'am."
"Steady, honest and industriousm
"Sure, he is"
"He is good looking, and pleasant
and kind, heard Mrs. Gray say they
never had one they had more conf
dence in in every way"
Good looking he is, ma'am, wild n
honost eye, and Il pleasant smile. and
a man tc be trusted, I've no fear.n
81 suppose he has saved up a little
money n could give you Il comforta-
BILE, snug little home, where o could
live and be happy with some one who
would love and take good care OF
you
ave heard say he had a little
money, an he loves me, he swears it by
the Holy Mother"
"Well. Katie, 1t is very much to
have the love of a good man, to have a
pleasant, comfortable home; working
hard In your Own house. for those who
are dear TO you, and who loves you, is
a vastly better and plcasanter thing
than working for even SO nice "a mis-
tress as ] am"
She looked up with a smile and said:
Sure it's u good mistress that YOU
are; but, ma'am, there's something
you haven't said, and IL seems strange
70 the you haven't. You haven't said
y sorl about my lovin' the man. Is
u . fsir th'ns Va TAX. . m.n's love and