Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-13
A WAITRESS FOR A DAY.
ROMANCE OF A $50 BILL THAT
HANGS IN A BEAUTY'S ROOM.

Big West-A sister-in-Law Takes the
Place of Servant for One Meal
In the pretty morning room of a certain
young woman in this city there hangs ON
the wall $50 BILL framed first by a wide
gray mat and edged with a narrow rim Of
scarlet plush picked out in gold. Thereby
hangs tale. One of the Easter weddings
was that of the young woman's sister.
She married a civil engineer, who, straight
way after the manner of civil engineers,
rushed off to Arizona to survey a copper
mine about to be or already opened in that
distant territory His bride accompanied
him. ana the sister was induced to go also
for purposes, as she put it, of travel, ex-
ploratiou and adventure"
Things were not altogether bad out
among the Indians; the mine was on the
| line OF n railroad; they had carried with
them good many home belongings
house was secured, such as it was, and
more or less proper establishment set up.
The summer and the sisters stay were
nearly at an end, when one afternoon Mr..
Tom, the husband and brother-in-law,
sent word from the works that the English
member of the firm which was developing
the mine had arrived suddenly for few
hours stay and he would bring him up to
dinner This announcement created some
CONSERVATION.
The cook was Il half breed who was ex-
cellcnt within his limits but he knew
nothing even of the rudiments of but
ering As a matter of fact the fam
lily were accustomed to dine en- buffet.
This, freely translated meant frequent
trips on the part of one diner or an
other to the chest at the side Of the room,
which by courtesy was called IA sideboard.
But an Englishman, you know, Nell"
said Mrs. Tom plantively, expects at
dinner to be served if la takes that meal in
an Indian jungle. With our canned soups
and lobster and The superb joint " hich
Nelson can get up, we can offer mos pre-
sentabIe menu, but what shall we do for
some one to change the platesF"
A MAID FOR AN HOUR.
Miss Nell Immediately begged to take the
role for Il single appearance. 1T will be
no end of fun, +" she argued, "and warrant
neither you nor Tom nor the Englishman
has ever been served as | shall serve you
tonight, I've always contended 1t took a
high &egree of intelligence to create a per-
feet butter or butleress," she added with a
laugh, "and I'd immensely like to show
what culture can do with dinner tray"
In the end, though with many misgiv-
ings on Mrs. Toms part, the plan was ar
ranged A note was dispatched to Mr.
Tom warning him not to mention his
sister-in-law in any way-that all would
be explained later. 1t was a few moments
after their guest had been welcomed that
u capped and aproned figure appeared in
the doorway announcing quietly, Dinner
is served" Whatever Mr.. Tom may have
thought or felt he could not express
could do nothing indeed but follow his
wife as the Englishman handed her out.
Everything went beautifully in the dining
! room From soup to cheese the serving
was irreproachable. The guest, a genial
companionable man of perhaps 50 was
visibly affected by the skill and general ell
egance of the waitress, and Mrs. Tom
caught several several searching glances
thrown upon her maid.
Nothing was said, however, till the close
of the dinner, when, the coffee having been
placed upon the table, the deft and demure
handmaiden withdrew. Then the English
man voiced his surprise that Mrs, Tom
could keep in this out of the way place
such thoroughly trained and capable
maid, whereupon Mrs. Tom, knowing that
screen in the corner of the room which
concealed an emergency butler's pantry,
evolved for her benefit delightful little
history.
"Yes," she began slowly, slipping her
coffee, ELLEN is quite u superior young
person As you have noticed she is intelli-
gent and refined much beyond her station,
really very well educated, too And she is
IA nI
nance"
ROMANCE AND RETRIBuTIoN
Atthis juncture II slight rattling of glass
ware behind the screen warned Mrs. Tom
that her story was taking effect, and with
gleam of mischief, at which her husband
could have groaned aloud, she proceeded:
"She is engaged to be married to very
estimable young man in New York, the
wedding day was set over year ago, when
six weeks before the date arrived the com
ing groom was stricken blind in an hour.
He has been under treatment ever since,
slowly regaining his sight, and she, poor
girl, is saving every penny Of her wages
against the time when he must leave the
hospital. | think she means to marry him
as soon as possible and support him until
he can get work again. 1t is quite pathetic
and interesting--her deyotionn
But Mr. Tom could stand the strain no
longer, and proposed return to the par
lor The Englishman, however, did not
drop the subject at once, asking q number
Of questions about Ellen and her "com-
pany" He left as was expected soon af-
ter dinner and Miss Nell was free to pour
the vials Of her wrath upon her wicked
sisters head, an occupation in which she
was ably seconded by Mr.,Tom when he re-
turned from putting their recent guest
aboard his train.
The end, however, was not yet. Within
a fortnight Mrs. Tom received note from
the EngliBhman, dated at New York, in
which he said that he had been much inn
pressed with the loyalty and devotion OF
her maid Ellen, who was undoubtedly a
most worthy young person, and he went
on to beg Mrs Tom to find some way TO
bestow the inclosed--a $50 bill-upon her
TO aid in her courageous and praiseworthy
effort.
Thus retributon came TO Mrs. Tom.
She was overcome at what she had done
and there was no comfortable way out of
it. It was impossible to explain to the
EngIishman how he had been deceived.
Nor could the bill be plausibly returned on
the part of Ellen. There seemed nothing
TO do but to keep ii and thank the donor,
which Mrs. Tom accomplished it must be
confessed, with much less than her usual
grace. The bill hangs on The wall of eel
lens" room today-a double warning
against theatricals in private life, and
the utterance Of pretty romances which
have no foundation IN fact Her Point of
View In New York Times
Tho Richest Clergymvn.