Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1890-04-25

start. She was buttoning Bob's
apron, patiently following him about
the room as he frisked after the cat.
"What?" said she, in a dismayed
voice.
81 spoke distinctly enough, didn't
l? I-have-discharged-Lucyl"
"What for, james,"
'1nsolence; that's ALL"
''But Lucy never could have been
insolent," pleaded Mrs. Cavendish,
twitching off the last button from
Bob's apron in her perturbation.
"Oh, couldn't she. though? | just
wish you had been there, that's all.
"What did she say, James?"
81 told her she was half an hour
behind with breakfast and asked her
what she meant by it, and she told
me she was doing the best she could
and couldn't do better if all the world
depended upon it,"
"But, James, the poorg girl is nearly
frantic with toothache this morn
ing"
Il can't help that; she has no bust
ness to answer me impudently. 1t
wasn't the words so much-it was
the manner"
"Poor Lucyl And you have dis
charged her!'
CHATS you all over" said Mr..
Cavendish, angrily. | believe you'd
take anybody else's part against me.
Yes, of course l discharged her. l
told her to have her things outside of
the house in two hours or I'd fling
them out of the window
"But, James, what nm | to do?"
said Mrs. Cavendish, who had by this
time captured Ethel, the second child,
and was buttoning her boots with
nervous rapidity. with one of my
sick headaches coming on, and Willie
and Pen down with the measles, and
not soul to lift hand for mel'
THAT'S n pretty question to ask, J"
said Mr.. Cavendish, standing with his
hands in his pockets. lone would
think you women were made ofsugar
or salt nowadays. My mother had
ten children-ten-and did every
stroke of work for 'em herself year in
and year out; and here you make
such rumpus because you happen
to be left without q servant for
twenty-four hours-because ofcourse,
| shall expect to stop at Virgins
and send you up a Swede or Norwe-
gian this afternoon"
Poor Mrs. Cavendish burst into
tears.
James," said she, Lucy was the
best girl | haveever had. You should
not have sent her out of the house in
this way. How would you like it if
| went down to your wholesale boot
and shoe place and discharged your
clerks?"
II should say you did perfectly
right" returned Cavendish, "if they
answered you impertinently. Now
don't sniyell If there is anything |
hate it is a. scene. I'll go downstairs
and boil the coffee myself-any one
can make coffee-and you hurry down
with the children as soon as you can.
There's plenty of bread and butter
and cold boiled ham, anyhow. No
body ever starved on that"
Mr.. Cavendish had "camped out"
Ill Il HI, ha a1aIT Il
and succeededin preparing aremark-
ably good pot of coffee. The bread
and butter and cold ham were not
bad of their kind, but the children
cried aloud for milk. The Cavendish-
es kept COW, and the milk had not
yet been brought in.
"And that is what kept Lucy" in
voluntarily cried Mrs. Cavendish.
CONDENSED milk is good enough
for anybody" asserted Mr.. Caven-
dish.
But Bob and Ethel declined to
drink it on any terms.
"Starve 'em to it, said the father,
drinking his hot coffee in prodigious
gulps. Healthy children have no
business to be ddinty.'
And he caught up his hat and ul-
ster and made n Decline for the train.
Mrs. Cavendish looked piteously
around at the disordered table, the
ash cooked fire, the general desolation
of the room. Her headache was
gradually working itself up to the
supreme moment of desperation
The children above stairs were cry.
ing for breakfast; Bob was sailing
his shoe in the cedar pail of water
Ethel was feeding the kitten from
the can of condensed milk.
MA" piped up Bob, there's q
tramp at the kitchen winder"
But it was no tramp. ltwas Miles
the stableman.
"Oh, Miles, | am SO gladl" said
Mrs. Cavendish. "You have broug hi
us the milk"
81 haven't that, mum, said Miles
"The cows lost, an it ant mesel
is going to track her through the
swamps an boys. II the master
wants his COW took care of he's got
to pay me O dollar a week more
wages"