The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1892-05-06
TRUE AS STEEL.
Tho Story of Faithful Kitchen
Anne.

We called her Kitchen Anne This
Va because we had another Anne in
Tho family. and two of the same name
IL "a house make, coufU sion.
she was ''Svcnslll" giri-tow-
headed, bluc-eyed and only sixteen
when she came to work for us.
She waa rather stupid and slow. bat
vcrv willing, and so sorry for her blum
dcrs that il seemed almost cruel to be
impatient with her.
she did try SO hard To learn. 1t was
really pathetic to see her with n.
open cook book before her, trac NJ
with a tioury finger the words wi.ich
She could not read. II was rather Il
mystery t. me that she managed al
way to open the book II the right
place to find the recipe she wished, but
when ! turned the page, aHd fpuul =.
limp of bread dough where ,ac bread
making rules We're, grease spot t.
mar.l the pastry pages and suEGry egg
and sugar traces on the cake recipes, /
understood.
she had an innate love Of dainty
things She used to take q childish dc
light in examining the content, of tho
raT- CaGS, which yrc turned over To her.
Tho scraps OF bright silk and velvet
were her treasures, and / often rccoT-
nizrd bits of lace, which had done form
cr duty on undcrclothing. carefully
darncd and ornamenting her handlscr-
chiefs From the borders Of some fine
linen dOilies she painstallingly studied
out the patterns of drawn work. and l
could hut marvel at her patience when
l saw that she had reproduced the cob
webby patterns on the edges of some
l.. D.
stand.
I!ut | must tell You about Patrick
His name was not she only misleading
thing about him. as We found to our
sorrow. but that was dclusivc enough.
for he was Swcdc Anne told me he
took II because ne dislilScd his Swedish
name. Whether it was given name
or surname it went for both. for he
said that one name was "a plcnta'-so
Patrick lac was and Patrick only.
lie was Anne's lover. Two evenings
each week he sat with her in the
kitchen, bashful, red-faced. solemn and
silent. lie sat ut one side of the stove,
She at the other, each in Il wooden
rocl5ing-chair. Her chair crealcd and
his groancd as they rocked slowly and
rhythmically. and the rhythm was nc
ccntuatcd 10y their four feet striking
the floor at the same instant.
Scarcely 4 word was said by him
from his first greeting until he said
good night. yet somehow his wooing
progressed and prospcrcd On Sundays
they went together to the little Swedc
church.
Thus unevcntfully enough their
cpurtship ran on for more than q year.
when one day Anne told me that she
was goingtr leave me because she was
20 hc married
demonstrated. urging her extreme
youth, hut she was most eighteen. -
she said, and Patrick had already
rented two beautiful rooms and had
furnished them for her, and he was
making money at his trade So / said
NO more but helped her in her plans
for housekeeping.
And 80 they were married-just at
holiday time-and proud and happy
bride was Mrs Patrick, possessed of
two coy little rooms, with a stove,
six chairs, an alarm clock, bed, a
table and a cupboard full of dishes
Wc saw hut little of Anne that win
ter. She had some boarders-some men
who took their meals there-and she
was very busy.
Sometimes ON Sunday she would
come in for a few moments to tell me
how she was getting on, and | noticed
that she was growing thin and white,
and with worried, anxious look.
quite new to our rosy, phlegmatic
Kitchen Anne
once | questioned her a little. Was
she we'll?
.'Oh, yes, well, only tired; not so
very ired, just some tired
WAS Patrick good to hero"
"Oh v css''-but she must be going
now.
One day in the early spring, Chris
tine. Anne's married sister, came to
sec me about Anne. Patrick, she told
me, had skipped out" Left his debts
and Anne and gone ''nord To Meeneso-
/ ta." Anne had not said 50. but Ole,
! Christine's man." had told her so.
An my man" added she, says he
won't come back to her no more than
he did To his other wife"
Ills other wife, echoed l.
Yes, the one that's to Chicago"
What Has Patrick been married
before? Is he divorced?" asked I, in
one breath.
mo. not divorced He told her tha'
he didn't want her no longer, an'-an' h'
was going to marry agen, an she say
YER well, if you likes anOder better
! than me am willing SO he didn't tneeC
no divorce"
And did Anne know this?''
oh, NO. she wouldn't hear when We