News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-10-02
A KITCHEN TREASURE

| A KITCHEN TREASURE
WHO LIKED "TER LIB WID GooD-LOOK-
IN FOLKS"
She came leisurely down the road,
across the lawn, and up the steps,
then, leaning against the piazza-rail-
ing, said, quietly, "Howdy, Miss
Nellie" / looked at her wOnderingly.
She was tall, gaunt, and so black
that only her shining eyes and teeth
were visiblein the depths of her calico
sun-bonnet. Her dress was faded,
but clean and fresh, and there was
something suggestive Of strength and
capability in her manner and atti-
! tude.
"Spect yer doan' know me, Miss.
rs Aun' Susan johnson. Mis- Free
man dom sen me up we're.
"Oh, yes," | said; Mrs. Freeman
spoke to me about you. Do you want
a situation?'
"A wukin' place, yer mean, Miss ?"
she said inquiringly.
Yes I've had a half dozen girls
since we came here to Virginia, and
it seems to me that each new one is
lazier and more worthless than the
last. I'm utterly worn out with try
ing to teach them, and after all hav-
ing most of the work to do myself. l
sent the last one off yesterday"
Yes, | know dat no-'count Rose
10 4 l..
with scornful sniff
MRS. Freeman told me that you
are very good cook and laundress,
Aunt Susan" | said I
Mis- Freeman know all bout me,
Honey; donewuk fer her many day.
| ben a washin' fer der ladies down t.
der hotel dis summer, but now /
reck' n I'll cook fer SPELL l doan
mean ter be choicy, Miss Nellie, but |
suttinly does like cookin' better'n
washin', deed | does"
Have you "a family ?' | asked.
"Got four chill'un, Miss, all grown.
De boys dey all settled in dey own
homes, an my gal she's in service, les
gone ter lib ter Cap'n Holden's Use
a settled woman, Miss, m now ct my
Jimmy's gone ter wuk, L doan' keeI
ter stay all lone ter home.
/ was only too glad to secure Aunt
Susan, and she was speedily installed
in our kitchen Then ensued one ot
those blissful periods-so rare. alas
when the household machinery
moves on without noise or friction.
Such rolls and beaten biscuits, such
corn-pone and fried chicken as those
sable fingers could prepare! And oh
the delicious cleanliness of that old
kitchenl Tables, and chairs and floor
speedily took on that milky white
ness that only constant scrubbn2
can impart to pine boards, and as tC
the tins-they cleaned and glittered
like FURNISHED silver, and woe to the
luckless wight who ventured to touch
one of them. Securing and scrubbin2
were Aunt Susan's ''catch-up work.
'"Deed | does like ter scrub, Miss
Nellie" she said one day; but
member when | use ter hate it. OATS
when | lib on de OF plantation tOh de
wah. My OF Mis- use ter keep a big
pine bodepuppis fer me ter scrub-tel
keep me out 'er mischief, she say; n
| member one hot day ct got tireC
er scrubbin' N pull de bode under
de big OF laylock bushes in de yard
N den | stretch myself out on it n
60 fas' ersleep; but OF Mis- she wake
me mighty suddin, she did. She wake
me wild a strap n | he'd ter scrub dat
bode twel dark, deed | did
Aunt Susan dearly loved to talk
and her tongue was never still whe1
| went into the kitchen. One day shC
said, Miss Nellie, why you ain neb
ber git married."
"Why, Aunt Susan" Isaid, "what
would Brother Henry do without me
I'm going to be an old maid and keel
house for him always"
"Oh, yes," said Aunt Susan, with {
twinkle in her eye, Il use ter say Is'
agoin' ter be a OF maid, too, n
when any feller KEN ter see me | say
'Oh yer 90 long. | doan wan non,
O. you;' but dey KEEP a comm. Ye
see | wasn't nebber very habnsome
but dey was alters somepin kline
takin' bout me, n bymbye somepil
tooken place, love tooken place, n
dat's jes deway twei be wild you, Mis-
Nellie. Yer's too good lookin' ter b.
a. OF maid. | suttinly does like" sh
went on, ''ter lib wild good-lookin
folks. III hab er bad-looki'n' missu
m anybody as me, is dat yol
missus, Aun' Susan?' | say, Moo
dat ain no missus er mine. | ain
GOT no sech look'n' missus as dat
but if she good look'n' | own her eb
cry time" and at this point Aun
Susan "eyed me over" so critical.
that Iinwardly wondered whether sh
really would Gown" me, or not.
AS the weeks went by | rejoiced il
fear and trembling over our kitchel
treasure. Well knew that this bliss
full state of things was too good tt
last. but nothing was farther from
) nv thoughts than what actually Oc
Cured. One day Aunt Susan came t.
me with a queer expression on he
face, and in hesitating way, mos
unlike her usual manner, said:
"Miss Nellie, cayn't yer ies read di
we're letter for me? Yer know cayn'
read writin.
| took the soiled, crumpled hall
sheet of letterpaper that she held on
and thought at first that if tn
! scrawls upon it were 'writin'"
7 couldn t read it either,'bu after mucI
study and someingenions guess-worl
managed to get at the meaning. |
was a love letter, beginning, M,
darlin' Susan Marier.' The write
went on to offer his heart and han,
to Aunt Susan, concluding thus: .
kiss your lily-wite hand and hope yo
will make up your mind to rite soon
For ever and ever your own lovn' ;
! Tibbs"
Aunt Susan was twisting the corne
of her apron, with very consciou
expression onher face, when finishe'
reading.