The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-08-17
FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH.
The Story OF servant Girl who Al
ways Kept her Word.
New York Times. l

lNeW YORK IlmeS.l
rs she good faithful girl" asked tho
| woman.
Say, answered the man, "you lust whit
till call my wife. This business ;s sort
OF In her department more'n in NINA III
call her down, and you and she can tall
the matter over"
Ihen the man stepped out into the hall
ana shouted, "Marial Mariar,
WHAT'S the matter now?n answered
back a woman's voice
gay Maria, you just come down and
Seil THIS lady what you know about Julia.
one wants to know If Julia is faithful"
Down came Maria so quickly that 10
| seemed as though she must have slid down
the balustrade. But, of course. she hadn't;
She was too old for that, sixty years old II
she was day. She jumped into the mid
4 die of things, as the old Romans used TO
say, straight off. .,
"Faithful Well, there isn't no faith
| fuller house girl In Brooklyn Ihat Is
| the way that she began.
| "And it wasn't her fault that she left
here, neither; I'm bound to say that" con-
| tinued Maria. ut was all my fault every
bit of it, and know you'll say SO when
you hear the story. But then perhaps you
don't care to hear the story. Maybe you
are in an awful hurry to get home"
"Oh, no." answered the caller. 81 should
like very much to hear the story. Pm sure
that it will interest me-"
"All right" said Maria, apparently very
much pleased, "rn tell you the whole
business. It's cat story. Pm cat hater.
am. didn't use to be, but of late years
we've had SO many of 'em out in our back
yard that I've been forced to hate 'em and
to make war on 'em. reckon I've killed
hundred cats inside Of year, haven't 1,
Aaroni"
well, yes, should think so, Maria, all
OF that" answered the man. you're some
on cat killing, Maria. they's no use sayin
that you amt"
"Pve method of my own" continued
Maria. II put the cat in a box and chloro-
form him to death, and then throw his
carcass into the ash barrel l sent out all
Of half barrel of cats one morning. 1t
scared the ash man SO that he almost
tainted.
well, here the other day caught a big
yellow fellow that had been bowling and
yawling about in my back yard for over
| year. He was monster cat and he had
voice on him like steam cats. The min
ute caught him yelled for Julia to come
| out and help me put him into the box. We
had to work tell you, but finally we did
it. Then put the big soapstone on top
| of the box that | generally use to hold it
| down. But, Lordy mercyl the stone didn't
amount to anything. | never saw a cat
thrash around so in all my life.
"Look here. Julia said /, you'll have
to sit on the box till can give him little
choloform to quiet him.
"'All right. ma'am.' said Julia, and
down she sat.
81 ran into the house for the chloroform
and do you know couldn't find drops
It was all gone So stepped to the win
dow and called out: Julia, you'll have to
sit there awhile till can go to the drug
gist's and get some ohloroform.
AN right, ma'1m,' said Julia.
Promise me, Julia said /, that you
won't get off the box till come back
"'You know very WELL Julia answered.
In sort of grieved way, that won't get
off the box till you come back. When
say I'll not do thing, generally doesn't
do it,
II didn't stop to say any more, but put
on my bonnet and shawl and started for
the druggists. | hadn't gone four feet
from the house when met Miss Bartlett,
an old friend Of mine, and perhaps you
won't believe it, but it's fact Just the
same, forgot what was out on the street
for, entirely forgot it. always was an
absentminded creature, wasn't /, Aaronf"
Yes, Maria, you always were little
| given that way"
miss Bartlett told me-" resumed Maria,
shat she was going up town shopping,
and asked me to go along with her, and
went. Then asked her to take lunch with
me in a restaurant, and she accepted the
1w.sr4 kAA4
chicken soup. lobster salad. ice cream and
coffee.
"'Won't you have something morep' I
asked Mrs. Bartlett.
"'Oh, no. she said, I couldn't
$50 called for the check, and when the
man gave 1t to me put my hand into my
pocket for my purse. The first thing l
touched was the chloroform bottle Then
/ thought of Julia at home sitting on the
cat box. / knew that she hadn't stirred,
for she had promised that she would stick
till should get back. And had actually
been gone four hoursi
"Of course / hurried home. When /
got there was forced to ring the door bell,
for had left my key in the house But,
though ! rang dozen times, nobody came.
All at once it occurred to me that Julia
couldn't sit on the cat box and answer the
DELL call LOO, anu bneu i ueClueu TO 20 lnUO
neighbours yard and climb the fence be-
tween his yard and our back yard, and
did it, tore my petticoat awfully, though.
before got through with the operation.
81 had to turn corner Of the house be-
fore ! could reach the place where l had
left Julia, but that was quickly done, and
then l stood in her presence. She gave me
a look that made me turn cold all over, but
she said nothing until the cat had been
killed and deposited In the ash barrel.
Then she told me that she should leave me
in the morning, and she did leave me, and
think she did just right, and If l ever can
say good word for her shall certainly
do it.
Faithful" continued Maria, after o
brief pause, there's nobody any faithful
Ter than Julia. Just think of holding a
yawling, yellow cat down for five mortal
hours, without mouthful to eat or drink,
and without even as much as book to
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