The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-19
CHINESE As SERVANTS.
THEY DO TIE "BOssING INSTEAD
OF TIE MISTRESS.

Breakfast, Dinner and Supper Ia
Monaghan Ideas of Housskeep
ing-The Secret OF Light Biscuits
COrrespondeacs Yer York Commercial Adusr-
tiser.
Il vas with some awe and many furtive
glances lest he might see and disapprove Of
me that tried TO analyze our new Chinese
cook, All Tcain. We had Just arrived in
part Of the far northwest where none but
Chinese servants were obtainable, and the
genus was new and strange TO me.
Before our arrival All Tchin had had IN
disputed sway over bachelor quarters, aud
We learned afterward that he had been
warned by his colleagues at the wash
house" that this invasion of ladies upon his
domain would prove to be disastrous 10 him
unless he began by thoroughly keeping
them in subjecton." With this warning
still ringing in his head. Tchin took at once
a defensive role He tossed his head and
Strengthened his little ba OK like a prince Of
/ royal blood when we first entered the
kitchen where he was preparing luncheon.
Our ostensIble object was TO see the new
| kitchen. bug our real one was TO get a peep
at the slmond-eyed Mongolian who was 10
rule our domestic destinies | shall never
forget the pretty tidy picture the little fell
low made In his clean white linen blouse as
he deity picked the feathers from a brace
of wild duck, with his surroundings os
Whitley scrubbed floor, shining pets, panf
and spoons. Each Of these hung upon its
individual nail upon the wall, and woe to
the intruder who, in Tehin's absence, should
dare to hang the chopping knife upon the
nail belonging TO the potato-parer. A pale,
yellow face, eyes large and oval, very white
teeth, very long pigtail, small hands and
feet, and constant smile upon his broad,
rouud cheeks, made up peasanter vision
than Cinnamon often present; but | felt
from the first that that bland smile was
cat-like and treacherous-and so indeed 1t
was.
We soon learned that Tchin had the repu-
tation of being the best cook in the place,
and we we're advised by the ladies who had
had long experience with the race, that if
we wished TO keep this treasure we must
"hatter him great deal, ;" praise every
dish whether we liked it or not, "allow
him 70 do all the purchasing and catering"
and above all things never to enter his
kitchen" Leave everything entirely to
him." they said, land you will see that
everything will be we'll done. We have
long since learned that this is the only way
TO get on with Cinnamon. Their ways may
not be your ways, but you will rave to
come in TO them sooner or later. If one or
u.
blackballed by all the Chinese in the plaza,
and ia this country of poor maid servants
this is no small calamity"
With this fear hanging over US we re-
Trained from interfering with All Tchin in
the smallest particular. We praised his
stews, his underdone birds. aud his fanci-
fully bedecked sweetmeats of which be
gave us a cloying variety, and in a few
days we noticed that the straight little back
unbent somewhat, and that there was
not quite such staggering strut
! when he waited upon The table, nor
[ such founce of the plates as be
. sat them down before us. But
dishes. Yet for fear of offending him we
dared not refuse to eat the sugar toads, the
red, blue and green bedecked cakes, the
) flowers and stars ard triangles and geomet-
rlcal figures innumerhble into which he
tortured the eggs and sugar. We longed
sometimes for certain accustomed savory
dishes, but We no more ventured to suggest
i them to Tchin than if be had been the
9 hardest and most obdurate landlady in the
, | world. This is not our house." we said to
: ourselves, I've are simply boarding with
, All Tchin," and so indeed we WERE
He did all the marketing, bartering aud
) planning, and we were forced to admit that
this was much more economically done
than we could possibly have done it for our
selves. He would haggle and barter over a
= penny or quarrel with the butcher over
!, half an ounce underweight in meat quite as
! | if ne paid for it out of his own pocket.
This regard for his employers interest, we
learned, was not an individual trait, but
= the characteristics of all the Chinese SER
: wants in the place. Our supply Of lettuce
was one day suddenly cut of, and for
days after no questions as to the
cause of its absence would be an
swered by Tchin. He either re-
piled by utter silence, or gave evasive an
f swerS At last it came to our KNOWLEDGE
' that the huckster who had been in he
( habit of bringing the lettuce TO our door
q had one unlucSy morning charged Tchin ]
cent more for 1t tan he had askel the
Chinese cook next door. Deep and dire was
Tchin's anger at the discovery, and he
had shouted at Ter the frightened huckster
that he had big iron frying pan ready
to fling at his head il he ever dared venture
near our door again" The man well kne W
that this was no idle threat. aud as there
was no lettuce to be had else where we were
Obliged thereafter to meekly eat our dln-
ners as best we could without green salad
4 Tc in was very vain OF what he called
, his good English, and Dragged that he had
i learned it in a shorter time aud coul spea <
it better than any Cninaman in the country.
:: Like all his race, however, he was still un-
. able to pronounce the letter "r," and many
: were his ingenious devices to avoid it, He
= steadily refused TO pronounce the butcher
NAME which was Bluerock, and cleyerly
8 substituted Bluestone instead-which, after
: all, was quite as much to the purpose. Seeing
d our laughter one day when be announced
that he had lice croquettes" for din.
ner, we could never after inveigle him
. into saying the word rice. After a few
? weeks we learn to adapt ourselves 10
: Tchin's ways, but we never felt free to dc
: as we liked in our own house. We had
commenced by being late for breakfast, but
3 the terrific din in the kite len caused by the
, flying pots and pans soon convinced us OF
i Tchin's anger at our tardiness He, how
ever could make any lapse he chose without
; ce1suse. His nights were spent at the
. ''wash-house" smoking opium with his con-
! freres, from which place he crept home in
the early morning hours to prepare break
fast This DONE however, All Tcbin forth
l with went TO bed. where he remained until
Z he had finished his morning nap, leaving
dishes unwashed, floors unswept and tins
unsecured. This was enough to trouble any
tidy housekeeper, and we had been more
; than once warned TO 'let him alone" and
' we soon saw the benefit OF this advice By
! noontme Tchln had not only finished his
luxurious morning sleep, but had made
everything in the kitchen department
beautifully sweet and clean and was now
ready to prepare his luncheon.
AS IN haas hot ipfa 4