Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-07-23

N - anu ueCelClut uUOFe
/, " all ,t things :;.,..,. ,,
wicked. If ever there was wolf in
sleeps clothing, always granting
that Mrs. Perkins was right and that
she was q wolf, it was Mary.
Mrs. Perkins was the proprietress
OF that commodious and genteel-look-
ing double fronted house which
stands in the best position of the
Marine parade, Hastings; commands
an excellent view of the sea, and can
be thoroughly recommended tor it's
comfort and cleanliness and 1noder-
ate charges. Mary is the house.
maid, parlormaid, nursemaid, foot
man, light porter and boots all roll
ed into one. The only portion ofthe
household duties of which Mary has
not share is the cooking.
Mrs. Perkins had also among her
regular clients many clerical families,
and there is always something in
tensely respectable about the female
relatives of the clergy. When clergy
mems wives or widows take one floor
in your houseit really dosen't matter
who has the other apartments. A Dish
ops wife in the drawing room would
'neutralize even young foreign lady
with golden hair, who smoked cigar
cites in the dining room.
There was Mr.. Perkins at Prospect
mansion, but he didn't matter much.
Nobody ever paid the slightest atten-
tfon to him, except when he was in
the way down stairs, which he
generally was. Mr.. Perkins was a
melancholy, thin man of about IS.
He was supposed to be in delicate
health, which prevented him follow
ing any business.
His one occupation in life was OBJ
iterating himself in his own house,
and keeping the child quiet. The
child was little girl OF about 6, who
was always with Mrs. Perkins when
she was good, and always with Mr..
Perkins when she was naughty or
when Mrs. Perkins had one of her
bad headaches-a state ct affairs by
no means uncommon.
Very humble, very subdued, Mr..
Perkins endeavored as far as posi-
BILE to be invisible. He was afraid Of
everybody in the house.
Except Mary.
Even Mr.. Perkins. who allowed him
self to be crushed by the cook and
would step aside to allow the boy
who came in for an hour of a morn
ing to do the boots to pass, pIucked
up spirit enough to agree that Mary
was "a wicked gall"
In addition to Mary and Mrs. Per-
kins and Mr.. Perkins and the little
girl, the family contained an Irish
cook of fiery temper and voluble ut
terance. can excellent cook" said
Mrs. Perkins; AN indetatiga bic work
er-but really at times, too violent
in her language to the tradespeople."
1t was in this delightful household
that Mary Jones endeavored con-
scientiously to do her duty. She was
a mild, amiable girl, who, after living
a life of lodging house slaverydom,
had come to the conclusion that
what everybody said was right, and
that she must be awfully stupid and
awfully wicked.
On Sept. II, 1882, a day never to
be forgotten in the lite annals OF
Mary Jones, "the wicked gal' had
been exceptionally wicked all day
long the lower regions had echoed
with cries of 'Mary, you wicked gal,
you've been and upset the gravy on
the stair carpet" "Mary, you wicked
gal, do you know that you've left
your dust pan on the drawing room
Isofa?" "Mary, shure, it's saint
from heaven thatye'd be aggravatin'
and it's the mistress that ye're muir.
i therin' with yere wicked way, and she
4 as she is, too"
4 This is a delicate allusion on the
dpart of the Irish cook before missus
to missus' health and the approach
ling advent of another little Perkins
1 Poor Mary had gone hot and cold
land trembled as her varions delin
Iquencies were pointed out to her
IShe had wept and shifted, and de
iclared more than once that she would
tgo and "drownd" herself in the con
lveniently situated sea; but for al
that she had gone on with her WORK
until she was dead beat, and, as sht
Expressed it, "felt regularly sinking
land all over alike.
Cook slept in the basement, and
Mary occupied a little attic all BY
herself, SO there was no one to cal
|hera wicked girl for this disorderly
proceeding.
49, = - -