Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1892-05-13
TRUE AS STEEL.
Tho Story Of Faithful Kitchen
Anne.

We called her Kitchen Anne. This
was because we had another Anne in
the family, and two of the same nanc
in house makes confusion. :.
She was "Svenska" g;rl-tow.3
headed, blue-eyed and only sixteen
when she came to work for u.s..
She was rather stupid and slow, but
very willing, and so sorry for her blum
ders that it seemed almost cruel to be
impatient with her
She did try SO hard to learn. 1t was
really pathetic to see her with the
open cook book before her. tracing
with a floury finger the words which
she could not read. 1t was rather a
mystery to me that she managed al
ways to open the book at the right
place to find the recipe she wished, but
when turned the pages and found a
limp of bread dough where the bread
making rules were, grease spot to
mark the pastry pages and sundry egg
and sugar traces on the cake recipes,
understood.
She had an innate love of dainty
things. She used to take childish dc.
light in examining the contents of the
rag bags, which we turned over to her
The scraps of bright silk and velvet
were her treasures, and often recog-
nizcd bits of lace, which had done form
er duty on underclothing, carefully
darned and ornamenting her handker-
chiefs. From the borders of some fine
linen doilies she painstakingly studied
out the patterns OF drawn work, and |
could but marvel at her patience when
! saw that she had reproduced the cob
webby patterns on the edges of some
coarse cotton cloth mats for her wash
stand
But must tell you about Patrick.
His name was not the only misleading
thing about him, as we found to our
sorrow, but that was delusive enough,
for he was Swede. Anne told me he
took 1t because he disliked his Swedish
name Whether it was given name
or surname it went for both, for he
said that one name was "a plenta
Patrick he was and Patrick only
He was Anne's lover. Two evenings
each week he sat with her in the
kitchen, bashful red faced, solemn and
silent. He sat at one side of the stove,
she at the other, each in wooden
rocking-chair. Her chair creaked and
his groaned as they rocked slowly and
rhythmically, and the rhythm was ac-
centuated by their four feet striking
the floor at the same instant.
Scarcely a word was said by him
from his first greeting until he said
good night, yet somehow his wooing
progressed and prospered. On Sundays
they went together to the little Swede
church.
Thus uneventfully enough theil
courtship ran on for more than a year
when one day Anne told me that she
was going to leave mo because she wa;
to be married.
demonstrated, urging her extreme
youth, but she was most eighteen,
she said, and Patrick had already
rented two beautiful rooms and haC
furnished them for her, and he was
making money at his trade. So sale
no more but helped her in her plan:
for housekeeping.
And so they were married-just a
holiday time-and proud and happy
bride was Mrs Patrick, possessed o.
two coy little rooms, with stove
six chairs, an alarm clock, n bed, 6
table and cupboard full of dishes.
We saw but 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 few moments TO tell me
how she was getting on, and noticed
that she was growing thin and white
and with n worried, anxious look
quite new to our rosy, phlegmati'
Kitchen Anne.
Once questioned her a little. Was
she we'll?
"oh, yes, well, only tired; not 81
very ircd, Just some tired"
WAS Patrick good to her?"
"Oh y ess"-but she must be going
now.
One day in the early spring, Chris
tine, Aune's married sister, came I,
see me about Anne. Patrick, she toll,
me, had skipped out" Left his debt
and Anne and gone 'nord to Mecneso
ia" Anne had not said so, but Ole
Christmas man." had told her so
AN my man." added she, says h,
won't come back to her no more thai
he did to his other WIFE
His other wifel" echoed |.
Yes. the ono that's to Chicago"
what uas Patrick been narr 60